THE PRACTICE.

Design studios are usually centered around a ‘design project’ in which aspects of site and program context have a larger bearing on design decisions. In practice, however, the ideology and structure of the office has an equal impact on design decisions. This studio attempted to address the impact of aspects of practice on design. In the first half of the studio, students designed their architectural practice based on book readings, personal reflections, an experimental collaborative project and visits to 15 architectural practices. In the second half, students attempted two projects simultaneously. The first project was proposed by the student as a ‘dream’ project for their practice. And the second project was given by the tutor who enacted the role of the client. The studio culminated with the students designing a website of their practice. This studio provided a platform to critically examine the role of architectural practice on architectural design decisions and the architect themselves. The projects served as a means to arrive at design processes that aid in translating a vision [ideology] into reality [building] that the practice would uphold. The studio was a unique opportunity to purview varied kinds of practices, reflect, brainstorm, and present ideas on how practice affects the architecture produced and the architect themselves.

L3 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO: THE PRACTICE

Studio tutor: Vishwanath Kashikar | www.thepracticecept.com

A first hand inquiry into the process of running a practice through visits to 15 practices of various scales and specialties, spread across Ahmedabad.

An collaborative role-play project, that sought to decode the relationship between various configurations of hierarchy amongst teammates, and the impact of the same on the process of designing a product, ideology and practice.

An introspection into the version of themselves that the students brought to the studio, through past

An

Design studios are usually centered around a ‘design project’ in which aspects of site and program context have a larger bearing on design decisions. In practice, however, the ideology and structure of the office has an equal impact on design decisions. This studio provided a platform to critically examine the role of architectural practice on architectural design decisions and the architect themselves. It provided a unique opportunity to purview varied kinds of practices, reflect, brainstorm, and present ideas on how practice affects the architecture produced and the architect themselves. For more information, do check out www.thepracticecept.com,a website development that I was involved in.

After several weeks of research and introspection, the students then arrived at the formulation of an ideology or a manifesto- the core values and belief systems on the basis of which they will choose to run their practices.

“As a designer, view architecture as a response to the larger societal issues we face. aim to create designs that align with the project’s vision, encouraging positive human behavior and contributing towards achieving larger societal goals.”

“We believe in the power of creating experiential spaces. We believe that functional and contextual spaces are the foundation for creating memorable experiences, and we use a variety of methods, including reconsidering the anthropometrics, structural experimentation, and resource selection, to achieve this goal.”

“The ideology of the architecture firm “One to Hundred” centres around the relationship between the individual and the collective. They approach design challenges with a precise and adaptable philosophy, seeking to create architecture that can impact a larger user base and catalyze positive change in society.”

Examples of some of the ideologies of the students’ practices.

Devising stepwise design processes based on the ideologies. They are simultaneously tested out on 2 design projects to understand the similarities and differences in the implementation and translation of the steps.

How does a difference in approach from project driven to practice driven affect the overall processes and products? An analysis of the degree of similarity and variation at each step helps one keep track of their interpretation of the ideology.

STEP 1

STEP 2

The practice’s ideal project. A client (tutor) initiated project.

STEP 3

STEP X

Although the steps of the design process may be similar, minor differences may stem due to variations in site, programme and client. Examining the degree of differences further helps one clarify the overall intent of the design process.

A reflection of the effect of the similarities and differences in the approach, process and outcome. As aforementioned, The projects served as a means to arrive at design processes that aid in translating a vision [ideology] into reality [building] that the practice would uphold. The studio was a unique opportunity to purview varied kinds of practices, reflect, brainstorm, and present ideas on how practice affects the architecture produced and the architect themselves.

Ancillary Works

UNDERSTANDING PLACE- STUDY OF BRIEF AND LUNUGANGA GARDENS- BENTOTA, SRI LANKA

RELATED STUDY PROGRAMME (RSP)- MEASURE DRAWINGS OF SETTLEMENTS IN CHOTA ODA, RAJASTHAN