The increasing pace of urbanization in India during the last few decades has accelerated the demand for infrastructural development. This scenario led to the Indian Architecture industry blooming and posing immense scope for the young generation who aspire to pursue a career in Architecture. The demand for efficient architectural education contributes to the development of society in social, cultural, and economics both at the national and international levels. One such institute that is renowned and has established itself as a brand name for excellence in planning and architecture education in India is the School of Planning Architecture in Vijayawada(SPAV)
About the Institute SPAV
School of Planning and Architecture Vijayawada is located at the heart of the city at ITI road and is one of the three institutes of national importance under the Ministry of Education(MOE). SPAV institute is ranked as one of the best technical institutes and holds 9th position in NIRF(Ranking Nationwide for Architecture). Currently, the campus offers programs for Bachelor’s in Architecture and Planning at the Undergraduate level, and more exclusive and detailed courses at the Postgraduate level to equip students with competent skills and achieve future sustenance to cater to the needs of the Architectural Industry. These courses are open to students from all over the globe.
The institute runs two departments offering myriad courses
- Department of Planning,
- Department of Architecture
1 Department of Planning
- Undergraduate courses- B-Arch in Planning
- Postgraduate Courses- Masters of Planning ( Urban and Regional planning), M-Plan (Environmental Planning), M-Plan (Transportation and Infrastructure Planning)
- Ph.D. Research
- Department of Architecture
- Undergraduate courses- Bachelors in Architecture B-Arch
- Postgraduate Courses- M-Arch ( Sustainable Architecture), M-Arch ( Landscape Architecture), M-Arch ( Architectural Conservation), Master of Building and Engineering Management.
- Ph.D. Research
These courses are centred around modern laboratories and spacious studios to offer a place for innovation and excellence and help students build professionally efficiently to address real-world issues. SPA also offers doctoral programs in the discipline of architecture and Planning under 5 categories- Regular, Sponsored, Off-campus, In-house, and Foreign.
The Campus
The campus at Vijayawada is spread across 8 acres and was achieved as a result of a two-stage competition held in 2011 where the student housing was completed in 2017 and the institution-building was inaugurated in 2018. The campus was designed by Manisha Aggarwal and Shantanu Poredi and has received the GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2018. The institution built on the concept of Brutalism with a vision to create flexible and open-ended spaces providing a vibrant atmosphere within the educational setup. The form of the building exhibits a play of volumes within them that result in the creation of these interactive spaces that allow the building to respire and work beautifully in responding to the context and hot climate of Vijayawada.
The campus houses the Academic and Administrative Block, student housing, a residential block, and a dining-cum guest house block. The campus includes open-air theatres, to promote dialogue between students and faculty alike, a well-endowed library, spacious studios, and modern laboratories for free-thinking and creativity. The institute is environment friendly and boasts green lawns & mounds, gathering spaces, football fields, badminton and basketball courts that bring a perfect work-play balance for the students.
Faculty and Work Culture
The campus strives for brilliance and innovation and has a dynamic mix of eminent faculty with rich and varied experience in planning, architecture, and allied fields of knowledge. In addition, industry experts, researchers, qualified guest lecturers, visit the campus to interact and help students to equip with practical knowledge provide deeper insight into the industry.
The institute offers field visits, study tours, exposure programs, workshops, in-house seminars, throughout the year to provide exposure to the students in the best practices in the world and craft them as talented architects and planners to cater to the needs of tomorrow.
Life At Campus
Life and engagement at the campus make the student a sensible individual towards its environment and society. The campus is located at the heart of the city with close proximity to major residential areas, shopping malls, and supermarkets as well as hospitality services providing all necessities within the reach. SPAV is known for its vibrant culture providing a platform where students can express themselves and engage in extra-curricular activities that help alleviate academic pressures.
Music Club, Fashion, Drama, Literary, and Photography Club led by student committees help expand intellectual horizons and develop leadership qualities. The students also participate in the celebration of feasts and festivities thus promoting diversity and cosmopolitan culture.
SPAV amazing infrastructure, diverse culture, and beautiful green campus facilitate an environment of learning and holistic development of the student.
Collaborations and Projects
The school has established a Design Innovation Centre (DIC) for learning, sustaining, and promoting traditional arts and crafts of the Southern and Eastern regions of India. DIC is perceived for carrying out research and development in traditional arts and crafts by engaging artisans, designers, and students exploring crafts transformation through technology and design intervention. With this SPAV endeavors to take up the social responsibility, and tackle the local market and demands in the field of Design, Planning, and Architecture.
The institute is in collaboration with the University of Krems, Austria on an EU funded research project to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India under the project name Building Inclusive Urban Communities (BINUCom) that includes 7 partners namely, CEPT Ahmedabad, KAHE Coimbatore, KRVIA Mumbai, SPAV Vijayawada, DUK (Danube University Krems), Austria, TWENTE (University of Twente), Netherlands, LUND (Lund University), Schweden.
In the end, the institute provides a wonderful environment of education built on pillars of adequate infrastructure, tools of experimentation, excellence, and wisdom.
References
- . योजना तथा वास्तुकला विद्यालय, |School of Planning and Architecture, Vijaywada. [online] Available at:https://www.spav.ac.in/
- Institute at School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada https://www.archdaily.com/
- A look at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Vijayawada
https://www.architecturaldigest.in/
