From ancient times, learning has always been a cyclic process. Learning and unlearning happen constantly over time and space. Notice the curiosity of a child, as he constantly questions and tries to make sense of the world around him. These questions come out of curiosity and eagerness, which in turn are born out of observation. And these are the observations that we fall back on as we age. I’ve come to notice that as we get older, our observations take on an instantaneous process.
Over the years learning becomes a mechanical process especially through the nebulous education system we go through. The architecture was a detour. In retrospection, a pause to reflect and sharpen your perspective. I believe this journey involves a deep inspection into oneself, as every art is a projection of self.
The way you look at things | The detour
What is the difference between looking at a work of art and seeing a work of art? Architecture is an open window, a multidisciplinary field of learning which breaks this bubble of the monotonous system of learning. It tries to question the difference between being educated and being informed. It does not merely design solutions, rather a fusion of various layers of socio-political, economic, psychological aspects.
There is a huge difference in the way we look at spaces through the lens of an architect; it is rather a more humane approach, as we begin to see beyond the surface level. Our thought process elevates to a more rational realm of thinking. From complaining, we begin to think in terms of a solution.
Life in the slums of Dharavi
For example, the slums in Dharavi, on a cursory look, seem to be a poor, dingy, overcrowded settlement of illegal squatters and slum dwellers with a lack of sanitation and safety. Every place has a history that reveals facts that are unknown to a majority of the people. The social construct of a place is influenced by the series of events it has witnessed over time.
During the colonial era, due to population soreness, the haphazard growth of industries which produced an immense amount of waste, epidemics, and plagues, steered the development of the slums of Dharavi. On the brighter side, it is one of the largest self-sufficient settlements bonded on the grounds of religion and ethnicity, which under extreme scrutiny thrive between rapid urbanization and sustenance.
When you begin to figure these underlying reasons, you see threads connecting multiple factors like negligence of the government in undertaking proper measures, lack of context-sensitive design solutions, an active informal economy running in parallel, etc. This sort of understanding paves way for discussions with authorities, with the local communities, similar active social groups working towards the same, etc.
As I mentioned, it’s a back and forth process involving negotiation between various social groups in society which is a crucial part to bring about context-sensitive designs.
Understanding principles, geometries, ergonomics, and anthropometries, with the introduction to various concepts, principles, and designs by various architects itself turn contradictory, pushing our boundaries of thinking to the extremes, forcing us to come up with the most suitable sensible solution.
The construction of space doesn’t end with the construction of a building. It is a slow, subtle addition of various socio-economic cultural layers. It thrives or deteriorates over time. It is similar to a map which gets filled with events and memories over time, creating a sense of belonging to the people residing in it or visiting the place.
According to Kevin Lynch, the productions of environment images are influenced by a two-way process between the observer and the observed. This process is articulated and enhanced by the architect through his/her understanding of space. (Image of the city)
The sense of safety
Can you imagine walking alone through a narrow street at night with almost no one on the road? You might find yourself using your phone to look busy or prefer to stand in the most visible space. The idea of safety can be described in multiple ways. Firstly, a person being physically safe in an environment and secondly, the feeling of safety which is inside your head. You might be physically safe in a space and still feel unsafe and vice-versa. This leads to improper usage of public spaces which in turn paves the way to criminal activities.
If you try to rationalize this situation, the feeling of being unsafe in public spaces can arise due to lack of infrastructures like lack of proper lighting causing dim spaces, improper master planning of cities leading to the formation of spaces with similar typologies thereby forming spaces with no ‘eyes on the streets’, as mentioned by Jane Jacobs in her book, ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961).
“There must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to ensure the safety of both residents and strangers must be oriented to the street.”
— Jane Jacobs
Designer’s dribble | The detour
As we dive into this discipline, the greatest tool to get a sense of space is sketching. In the book, ‘The Thinking Hand’, Juhani Pallasma writes about the unbelievable potential of the human hand in forming a bridge between our thoughts and the images we see. Hands are considered extensions of our thoughts.
In this fast-moving high-tech world, the importance of manual sketching is often disregarded. Whilst moving through spaces, a quick rough sketch of what we see helps enhance the understanding of the organization of spaces, scale, and proportions, materials, joineries, and construction techniques. As we ‘see’ space, we ‘look’ into the details to make a sketch. It is important to know that all great designs begin from a rough sketch.
References | The detour
Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. Print book: English. MIT Press Cambridge
Jacobs, J. (1993). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, NY: Vintage Books.
Pallasmaa, J. (2010). The thinking hand: existential and embodied wisdom in architecture. Chichester, U.K., Wiley.
Chatterjee, A. (2020). Putting Her in Her Place (Not!), Veranda: Journal of Sushant School of Art and Architecture, vol. 2 85-94.Available at: https://issuu.com/architextin/docs/putting_her_in_her_place_not_paper_plus_cover [Accessed: 25 April 2021].
