Architecture is an inseparable background that keeps playing irrespective of whether the subject pays attention. Every space holds authority over the user’s way of life. They are always in sync with the changing landscape and traditions adopted by the contemporary decades. Architecture evolves just like its inhabitants; occasionally, they go unnoticed or, per se forgotten. The life that user’s implant takes the driver’s seat while most of the weight is carried by the space. In conclusion, architecture is an inanimate aspect of making attempts at living, and the value that’s obligated with it is intangible.
Overlooked Traditional Architecture
It cannot be stressed enough to articulate the gravity of context-driven ancient architectural practices that cater to the environment most simply and efficiently as possible.
And in a country like India which resides in customs and practices, they have managed to overlook the traditional craft that carries the “Indian” ness in its gut.
Architectural aspects in construction that the present-day builders and Architects adopt are highly Westernized and come with a lot of contemporary finish, this has led to the rapid decline of the vernacular approach for modern-day building, the “Urban vernacular”.
Courtyards or popularly known as Gujarat’s pohouses, Maharashtra’s wadas, or Kerala’s nalukettu are the most efficient way of drawing out warm air and replacing them with cool ones through convection. These are now replaced with mini-sized balconies that overlook the intensely built concrete structures. The pitched roofs work exquisitely for the Indian climate; they direct the rainwater and provide enough breathing height for the interior spaces.
But in today’s Genz world, they failed to meet the aesthetic preferences of the masses and thus are altered with cool-looking concrete slabs.
The ways of space-making are what define the architecture of the realm, and once they have been tampered with, the space gives up on its authenticity.
The Intangible Nature
Spaces have the sovereignty to invoke emotions and stir memories and can barter with the emotional well-being of the residents, with such power comes great responsibility to design them that are contextually driven and in accordance with the people accessing them.
An enclosure is not mere quantitative walls and roofs but nurtures the ideas of warmth and protection, and designing them is evolving from an abstract vision to a survivable home.
This intangibility of the profession is usually taken for granted as people tend to construct the idea of home as just a materialist lineage instead of focusing and investing in the greater idea behind it.
Architects are artists who learn the process, understand the character, and personify them into living aspects whose value is immeasurable. And when space-making is taken for granted, so does the entire culture that is intertwined with it.
Look Above
A person’s view is always restricted to his eye level and is often essential to expand the horizons to get a better perspective or just to know the other side. For example, the vernacular roofs that are highly seen around India are built that way for a reason. Thatch is widely used as it keeps the insides cool, but from a larger perspective, it becomes the city’s image.
It becomes the name through which generations remember, various countries address, and people understand. Architecture is that it forms an image for a taluk, city, state, or even a country.
And when it holds such great power, it is important to educate people on architecture as a bridge between the two worlds of science and art and cannot be pursued as a mere profession that is further reduced to just construction. When an idea is taken for granted, so is the entire means of doing it, and it is high time to accept an abode as an embodiment of art.
The Profession
Now speaking of the logistics side, it is quite acceptable to say that an architect in India is often perceived as a backup, an elite’s game, and is usually someone who people approach based on the scale of the project. But this entire system is flawed; Architect works irrespective of whether he/she. is designing for a single-bedroom flat or is involved in city planning. But what matters is the image of the profession. And in India, there are still tantrums thrown at this idea; designing your space shouldn’t be a right for everybody to customize their little bubble.
Architecture is just the means; the profession has been living for ages but has taken different avatars. It’s just the name that got coined, and the idea still remained in the sanctuary of space-making.
In conclusion, it is cardinal to edify people on the in-depth importance of architecture as a profession and practice for them to reciprocate the way the architects want to be understood.
Architecture is a creative practice and for it to flourish freedom of individuality should be highly designated in order to diversify the practice but also to eradicate the social myths associated with it.
Unlike other professions, it is strenuous to standardize the norms for the field but a directory of the direction that the profession takes would really help young minds out there to completely understand this arbitrary path.
References:
https://www.houzz.in/magazine/8-vernacular-design-elements-we-love-stsetivw-vs~80664831
[Accessed 08 April.2023].
https://medium.com/words-nouveau/the-architecture-of-a-life-we-take-for-granted-be4e6495c705
[Accessed 08 April.2023].
