2013

Introduction

Projects from 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th year Students of Architecture are invited for the Forum this year. The Forum hopes to achieve by including projects from all these years, a dialogue on architectural thoughts of various schools and how they approach issues of architecture. It also leads to a discussion on teaching methodology and processes. In a final year project, the focus rests on the fact that the student writes his/ her own programme and deals with larger issues within the project. In a 3^rd or 4^th year project, the discussion is in the light of interpretation of a given programme and its architectural manifestation. Both these categories of projects, under the above-mentioned themes, could together generate a wholesome discussion on the relevance and craft of architecture.

Since these kinds of discussions cannot happen over a span of two days, an online discussion will be initiated much before. All the projects will be open for discussion, and also the panellists and students can be familiar with and comment on the projects beforehand.

Sub-themes

Sense of Place
Form/Counter form
Exploring the potentials of technology
The Craft and Disciplines of Architecture

Projects which emphasize the relationship between a place – its physical and cultural qualities, its topography and natural setting or its urban character – and evolve ways of expressing such relationships in the architecture, are to be discussed under this theme.

Sometimes a project attempts to understand the “form” of social institutions and attempts to find a “counter form” (Aldo van Eyck’s terms) appropriate to it. Society gives institutions a form and architecture gives a form to the building. The dialogue between these two and what it leads to is what Also van Eyck elaborates upon. Many aspects of the project, including perhaps concept, siting, spatial and formal expression as much as the evolved architectural language are oriented towards this search. This theme will include such projects.

This theme will include projects that are based on architectural expression that evolves out of use of a set of technologies. Both new technologies as well as traditional technologies but proposing the development of an architectural vocabulary would be included.

Studio projects sometimes pick up conceptual or abstract themes of architecture as a discipline of space and form. Other issues may be less important in such cases. It would be interesting to devote one session to the discussion of projects based on such an emphasis and direction.