Career in Architecture A Guide to aspiring Architects
Career in Architecture By DGCOA
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Prologue
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“He looked at the granite. To be cut, he thought, and made into walls. He looked at a tree. To be split and made into rafters. He looked at a streak of rust on the stone and thought of iron ore under the ground. To be melted and to emerge as girders against the sky. These rocks, he thought, are here for me; waiting for the drill, the dynamite and my voice; waiting to be split, ripped, pounded, reborn, waiting for the shape of my hands will give to them.� AYN RAND, The Fountainhead
Chapter 1
1
The DeďŹ nition of an Architect
w
e know that shelter is one of our primary needs and we have different type of shelters from houses to hotels and town to large cities. Indoor and outdoor. Earlier days we used to build everyplace we need by ourselves. But as our society became complex our needs also became so. Hence we started specialising in the art and science of making building. Architect is the person who is trained in the craft of designing buildings for the diverse needs of people. You might be wondering what is Design anyways. Design is the process by which one envisions a product which meets the intent for which it is created. Design is everywhere. Everything in our modern world is designed. From chairs, cars and building.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feel Design is how it works� Steve Jobs
Design of A chair
Design of a car
What do architects do? Architect offers professional service in - Ideas , design, technic al knowledge, drawings and spec ific ations, coordinating with other people involved, supervising, meeting functional, aesthetic, technological, economical, human, environmental needs. Well into the design. Architects job is different in each stage of the project. He studies the need of the person who wants to build. Then he envisions the building using by understanding the different criteria such as land on which it is build, users, budget, materials, use of the building. He/she has to visualise the entire project and prepare drawings. During the construction stage Architect has to work in coordination with the team of workers to execute it the way he envisioned.
Design is where science and art break even. - Mieke Gerritzen
“Architecture is thoughtful Art of making spaces” Louis Kahn
What is Architecture ? Architecture is the art and science of designing shelters and other physical structures. A wider definition often includes the design of the total built environment from the macro level of town planning, urban design and landscape architecture to the micro level of construction details and, sometimes, furniture. The term “Architecture” is also used for the profession providing architectural services.
ART
SCIENCE
Architects provide professional services related to design, supervision and overall ensuring the smooth coordination of all team members from start to completion of projects including the associated works of the surroundings of the project site so that it becomes fit for its purpose. Professional decisions taken by an architect have great impact on public safety, environment both socially and ecologically and aesthetically. Thus aspiring architects are required to be trained through various means like acquiring
and applying knowledge gained in the classrooms, design studios , internships at architectural ďŹ rms as well as study tours both within and outside India. On successful completion of such a course they are called architects and issued licenses to practice.
The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilisation. F L Wright, American Architect
Sculpture of David by Michelangelo
Starry Nights, A painting by Dutch painter Vincent Vangogh
Is architecture an art? let's look into the a commonly accepted definition of art. “Art is a human activity of creating visual, auditory or performing artefact or artwork”. Through artistic creations, artists find a way to express their emotion and ideas. Artists always rely on their imagination to create something new. So novelty is something that we always relate to art. These qualities are similar to architecture too, but architecture is not just application of creative ability and coming up with something new.It's the systematic and rational method of creating new spaces that meet the human need and satisfy the senses.
If a building becomes architecture, then its art. Arne Jacoben, Danish Architect
Artists work from the real to the abstract, architects must work from the abstract to the real.
I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me. - Maya Lin
One can be an artist and an architect simultaneously. There have been such personalities throughout the architecture world. More recent figures such as Antoni Gaudi and Le Corbusier have further highlighted the intersections between Art and Architecture; few of us could confidently separate the artistic from the architectural elements of Gaudi’s highly-decorated Sagrada Familia, or Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut.
Work of famous French architect Le Corbusier. He was both a painter and an architect. We can see the artistic flexibility and creativity in his works
Art is a form of self-expression with absolutely no responsibility to anyone or anything. Architecture can be a piece of art, but it must be responsible to people and its context.
Is architecture about self expression? Many of us carry the notion that architecture is about self expression. That idea is a misleading since the architect is not always the one who occupies the space. An architect designs the building for a user or an organisation. For example, when designing a school, the architect has to keep in mind that the users of that space will be the students and teachers. The space has to be designed by the architect to perform certain human activities. In this example The main activity is to create a space where students will best learn. Hence the product that the architect designs ( here a school) cannot be a means to express the architects sense of self. Even though every architect has a unique way of solving the problem. Architectural solutions are different from that of an artist doing artwork that expresses himself.
Artists used different methods to self express themselves
Is architecture a form of engineering? Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and uild machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. When we look through the history, we find that engineers also designed buildings. As technology evolved, people began to have higher expectations as to what buildings should be able to do. This led to the creation of several different roles within the building construction industry and the differentiation between architects and engineers
The key difference between an architect and an engineer is that an architect focuses more on the artistry and design of the building, while the engineer focuses more on the technical and structural side
In the current world architects design the space to meet client needs, as well as the aesthetic appearance of the inside and exterior of the building. Engineers' main responsibility is to ensure that the design is safe and meets all appropriate building codes.
What are the functions of Architecture?
Creating Icons of culture Throughout time, architecture has persisted as one of the most profoundly important reflections of culture. Whether we consider monumental structures such as the Roman Coliseum, Notre Dame and Taj Mahal or modern icons such as the Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House or Guggenheim Museum, we see each building reflecting the story of the time, and how that iteration of culture wished to project itself to the future. Architecture also persists through our infrastructure from bridges to public spaces and even the very layout of our cities themselves. In this sense, one could consider architects as being the arbiters of our future history.
Rashtrapathi bhavan, designed by Architect Edwin Lutyens stands as a cultural icon and symbol of our democracy.
The life of a designer is one of fight: fight against the ugliness. - Massimo Vignelli
Creating Aesthetic buildings Another function of architecture is to build beautiful buildings. It is quite challenging to define what is beauty. From early on humans have contemplated the idea of what is beauty and the branch of knowledge which studies this is called aesthetics. The first book that talks about aesthetics in architecture is Ten books of architecture by Vitruvius in which he defines a beautiful building as the one that has good proportion and symmetry. Good architecture always conveys certain qualities that are universally appealing to all of humanity and one of architecture’s fundamental ideals is to create a beautiful world.
Taj Mahal a symbol of beauty
Our opportunity, as designers, is to learn how to handle the complexity, rather than shy away from it, and to realize that the big art of design is to make
Creating functional buildings As the world is becoming more complex, our buildings are also getting complex. Take for example an airport.It has multiple functions which has to be solved taking into consideration many constraints. For such a case the expertise of an architect is necessary. A good example is airports.
MAD Designs a Snowflake-Inspired Terminal for Harbin Taiping International Airport
Creating a Sustainable world As human population increases and there is a scarcity of resources on our planet architects have to work towards meeting the needs of today’s worlds without sacrificing the needs of the coming generations. Work of Laurie Baker who created sustainable buildings which are cost effective and which have less impact on the environment
Work of Laurie baker, who designed most of his buildings with locally available brick in a way to save resources and energy
Creating a better society As we know shelter is one of the fundamental needs of humanity. Architecture has a role to play in shaping our societies. The house and cities we live in shape our society. We must strive to create a world which is more open, inclusive, aesthetic, which fosters sustainability and harmony between all human beings and the planet we live on.
We shape our buildings: therefore they shape us. Winston Churchill.
Architecture is constantly pushing its boundaries and reaching to new heights.
Expanding Horizons
Chapter 2
2
What Attributes required to be an architect?
A
rchitecture is a profession that require a wide range of skillset, As we have seen in the last chapter, the kind of job an architect do in each stage of the design process. Yet we have shortlisted these few attributes to be essential to be a successful architect.
1. Creativity An enhanced ability to think outside the box is something that can make any architect stand out. An innate sense of creativity is extremely important. Together, artistry and imagination, provides the instincts necessary personality. Architecture students also must have a very good aesthetic sense which can be acquired by getting good exposure.
2. Visualisation skills Spatial thinking is an important attribute in designing. This ability to think and visualise is brought on to paper with sketching skills. A student needs to have excellent basic hand drawing skill which will help them during sketching and designing. Creating design sketches is one of the fundamental skills that a student needs to pursue because they will need it to develop, evaluate, communicate plans, surface materials, perspective drawings etc.
3. Numerical Skills The entire concept of architecture is grounded within the rules and boundaries of mathematics; therefore, you’ll need to possess a strong grasp of numerical principles, especially within geometry and advanced algebra. If you haven’t already, you should look to attend your nearest A Level/high school diploma-standard maths class, as it is a basic prerequisite to enrol on any architecture degree.
4. Communication & Interpersonal Skills It also requires strong people skills. This not only helps designers encourage their teams but also enables them to effectively share their vision with colleagues.
5. Artistic Skills Away from the business side of things, you will, of course, need to sit down at some point and actually draw something. Whether this is through ‘old-school’ drafting techniques or the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, you will need to be familiar with the processes and methods used, including how to scale accurately.
6.
Adaptability
All students need to be ready to adapt their designs and workload when faced with adversity. All projects are susceptible to change, meaning that the most successful architects are able to adapt themselves accordingly, ensuring that all problems with any given project are solved and overcome quickly and competently without any real stress or pressure.
Chapter 3
3
How are Architects trained???
A
rchitecture is a subject that takes decades to master. In architecture there is no one specific theory that gets you straight from problem to answer. “Each new situa-on requires a new architecture.” So architects use a great deal of knowledge that is experiential rather than theoretical. This indicates that architecture schools simply don’t have the time to teach students all there is to know about architecture.
So what do Architecture Schools teach??? School is the place where future architects are given a foundation of skills, knowledge and design sensibility that they can carry with them into their careers. They are trained to think and analyse problems and arrive at solutions. Architecture cannot be taught..... But Architects can be trained….
n India, as a matter of fact in Asia there was no formal, systematic or specialized education in the field of architecture. It was practiced as a craft and the knowledge and tricks of the trade was passed on from the master craftsman (Sthapati) to the apprentice. The apprentice would take years of dedicated hands on hard work to master the craft. Formal or modern architectural education was adopted in Asia hardly 150 years ago and the history of architectural education in India is a matter of the British colonial legacy starting from early 20th century.
The Beginning of Formal Education in Architecture Vitruvius (80s BC – 15BC) is considered to be the pioneer of the entire AE (architecture education) literature. On the basis of the VT treatise and classical architecture, in the 15th century, first attempt to start a formal school of architecture was taken. Its products were Leonardo da Vinci, 1475 and Michelangelo, 1480. A trend of similar schools was seen in Rome, Italy, etc. These concepts continued till many centuries but in the due course of time it somewhere failed to serve the changes in the society. After the Industrial Revolution, to cop-up with the changing needs of the society thoughts of Walter Gropius (WG) (1885 – 1969) gave birth to Bauhaus, a school in Germany that combined crafts and fine arts, and was famous for the modern
approach to design that it publicized and taught. Since Bauhaus there was a paradigm shift in AE. In India the first formal school of Architecture, Sir JJ School of Architecture, Bombay was established in 1896 before independence. Here Ecole De Baux Arts, a style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and the United States during the end of the nineteenth century was followed. After Independence Prime Minister Pandit Nehru’s faith in technology to solve India’s problem and propel her into being a modern nation was the basis of the foundation of the network of IITs. IIT Kharagpur was established soon after independence in 1951 in collaboration with MIT, London. Architecture formed a small part of this large technical university. After Independence the School of Architecture came up in Ahmedabad (1962), the first stand alone autonomous school of architecture in India. It broke away from the conventional fixed course structure which was prevalent at the time and instead adapted a more open curriculum with many elective courses, documentation program and research thesis. Now other schools in India have incorporated such programs.
Descriptions
What are the Teaching Methodologies Adopted by Schools in India? As mentioned earlier a great deal of knowledge and skill in architecture are acquired through experience and exposure. So the architecture curriculum is designed in such a manner so as to give maximum exposure and experience to the aspirants through workshops, ďŹ eld trips, design projects, internship etc. The students are given an opportunity to interact with masters in the ďŹ eld by encouraging them to attend and organise talk shows and seminars.
DESIGN STUDIOS In such studios students are introduced to design projects crafted based on real life scenarios so that the students get hands on experience in design and are mentored through continuous evaluation called design reviews. In such reviews the students are made to improvise on their process of design and design solutions through creative and constructive criticisms by academicians and practitioners in the ďŹ eld and thus learning is ensured. The design challenges and diďŹƒculty levels vary between the junior batches to senior batches. Some skill development courses and technical courses needing continuous evaluation are also studio based wherein students are made to work in the studio itself. Such studios may extend from 3 hours to 6 hours per day.
The teacher student ratio in studio based class is usually maintained as 1:10 so that each student gets personal attention and help while working.
LECTURES Classroom lectures are provided for theory based subjects but the monotony of such classes are broken by seminar presentations, talks by eminent professionals and ďŹ eld visits whenever required.
WORKSHOPS Workshops help students improve their skills by working with master craftsmen and having hands on experience. Workshops may be organised in the institution or students might be taken to other organisations oering workshops on special skills or trades.
EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS Field trips and tours give students the opportunity to experience the works done by masters in the field of architecture (case studies) and are also exposed to different materials and construction technologies used in the past as well as in modern practices. Field trips are an essential tool both in technical as well as design based subjects to give the students exposure and insight about the practical problems faced during design and construction and how they were handled in the past by others
DOCUMENTATION Documentation refers to a 'related study program' requiring students to measure-draw important buildings. Its a process of recording complete information about the buildings and its context, through both graphic and written mediums. Measuring and documenting buildings is a means to understand important elements of their structural, spatial, technological, environmental and social aspects.
LABS: Various labs like the climatology lab, material lab, building science lab, computer lab etc are set up in the institutions where the students can work in case of related assignments.
What is the Curriculum Structure followed in India? In India the under graduation course provided is, the Bachelors in Architecture (B. Arch) and the course duration is of five years i.e. 10 semesters. Out of the 10 semesters one semester is dedicated for PracEcal Training (Internship) in which the student for training to an architectural firm in the city or anywhere in India. Now a day there is a trend of applying in international firms too. And one semester is dedicated for Thesis and Viva Voice. The curriculum model is almost the same all over the country with only minor differences. The course is of five years duration with practical training and thesis shifted one semester here or there. The courses or subjects offered in the B. Arch curriculum can be subdivided into 5 categories as shown in the figure below.
Skill Development In the initial years of architectural education the stress is on skill development. The student is trained in various skills like, sketching, technical drawing, verbal communication, painting, model making, sculpting, photography, computer application etc. through workshops and studio assignments which help the student in communicating his or her design process and design to others and also sharpens their visualisation skills. They get an understanding of dierent mediums of presentation through which a design can be communicated and also get an insight of their own forte. Thus the initial 2 years set the base for further development of the student.
Design Sensibility As mentioned earlier there is no one theory or method which can be followed in design. At many instances even good and experienced designers fail to explain their own design methodology as design is at times intuitive. So the best way to train students is to expose them to real life scenarios through hypothetical design projects. It is usually said that the best way to learn is “to do “. So students are made to go through a process which includes collection of data, analysis and synthesis of data, study of similar cases beautifully executed by other architects (case studies), advent of a design concept and design development. Also it is important to expose them to the design philosophies of masters in the field. Architects are meant to design so the subjects that directly help in design can be considered as core subjects and continue all through the 5 years of education. The difficulty levels vary from the design of a single unit to complex projects like hotels and hospitals and finally are exposed to urban scale projects. They also are exposed to interior design, landscape design, and urban design and planning as well.
“The fact that architecture dwells both in Art and Science and it cannot be bifurcated, it becomes important to find precedents and references in both. The creativity when merged with technology gives rise to competent architecture, which is sound in both research and practice.� (Vitruvius)
Unlike the school curriculum, all the courses or subjects oered in architecture degree are application based be it in design exercises and projects or in actual practice. So to be a good designer, a student must understand that knowledge in all subjects is equally important, be it the skill development courses, the technical subjects, internship or research.
Technical Knowhow Designing in architecture is a problem solving process which is based on “form”, “function”, and “construction”. Technical knowledge is mandatory for an architect to bring his functional and creative design into reality. It also helps an architect to make his design more comfortable for the user and also more workable in terms of functional and economic efficiency. Technical subjects like building construction and services are considered to be a necessary and inseparable part of the architectural design process and so are given great importance in the curriculum and are taught on an application level by including them as an important mandate in architectural design, internship program and thesis.
Internship The Council Of Architecture (COA) and the Universities oering architectural degree in India insist on students to undergo internship with an experienced architect for a period of 6 months i.e. one semester to gain professional experience. These experiences help the students to set a foundation for future jobs and pave a path towards a good career after graduation. An internship in architecture gives students real world experience. Joining an organisation as an intern will expand the opportunities to work hands-on in a professional setting. It will give students the opportunity to attend meetings, events, and conferences. The scope of increasing connections and meeting peers from the same industry increases tremendously. An internship moulds students into the professional setting before they become a part of it.
Research A highly motivated environment that supports research based learning is the need of the architectural curriculum. It is important that a learner centric environment is created that actively promotes students to higher education as well as qualitative and quantitative research. Keeping this in mind most universities in India have included dissertation in the syllabus in which the student is required to conduct a detailed research on a topic and submit a report on the same. Also it is mandatory for a student of architecture to take up a design thesis project in the final year to help the student gain an understanding of how to transfer the gathered information of research to productive design techniques.
“Architecture as a realm is very subjective as “there are no wrong answers” and it is all based on individual’s perception to judge the conscience. To rationalize the opinion, a mind that enquires and investigates is of utmost requirement.”
Elective courses are also oered to the students which the students can choose as per their interests.
STATUTORY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK It is useful to know that the schools or colleges of architecture in India are situated within a certain statutory, regulatory and supervisory framework. • The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Department of Education are the umbrellas at the level of Central Government but their function is at the broad policy level. • The Indian Architects Act was passed in 1972 and the Council of Architecture (COA) was formed as the regulatory body of the profession as well as the architectural education. • The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) is a professional association at national level and serves as a forum for debate without any direct say in the matters of education. • All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) is the larger body that takes policy level decisions. • The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) is the funding and controlling body at the state level. • The AICTE and the DTE are the bodies concerned with the recognition of schools of architecture and supervision of quality of education. • National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA) is an independent body with an agenda of student’s activities; however, it does not have any direct say in the matters of education. • The curricular matters are subject to approval by the COA which modifies its broad framework after circulating proposals and conducting debates and seminars on the proposed modifications.
ADMISSION PROCESS According to the COA norms, the minimum qualiďŹ cation required for a candidate to get admitted in this under graduate program (B. Arch.) is the 10+2 level of examination. The candidate must have secured minimum 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and also 50% marks in aggregate of the 10+2 level examination. OR 10+3 Diploma Examination with Mathematics as compulsory subject, with at least 50% marks in aggregate. In addition to the above, the candidate needs to qualify an Aptitude Test in Architecture conducted by the Council (NATA) or by the competent authority of the Central Government or the respective State Government, complying with the Admission Norms prescribed by the COA. The institutions shall give a weightage of 50% marks for aptitude tests and 50% marks in the qualifying examination in the matter of admissions.