If you’ve ever wondered if there is a humorous aspect to a serious profession such as architecture, then read ahead. Right from the orientation sessions to the practical training, there are uncountable experiences that are amusing. Architecture is a very dynamic profession. There is a lot of scope for fun and learning because the activities are so varied.
Orientation session: The orientation at the beginning of the first year usually lasts for a week. Different ice- breaker activities are introduced in this session, such as poster making, team-building exercises, etc. These were usually to stimulate the creativity of the students before the term begins. One such activity was to build a structure using newspapers, which would either be the tallest in the room or the lengthiest. Groups were made and everyone set to work. The technique mostly used to create the structure was rolling up the newspapers to make compact tubes or cylindrical volumes and then tape those together. One group decided their structure should touch the ceiling! While focussing on the height of the structure, they overlooked the stability factor. They created a make-shift weak foundation and continued to stack the rolled newspaper tubes upwards. It began to look like a poor imitation of Burj Khalifa. Another group began stacking cube-shaped origami folded newspapers horizontally, to make the longest chain. Eventually, the group building the tallest structure had to lay the whole ensemble horizontally, and they began attaching more tubes, hoping to later prop the structure upright. The time was up and they began lifting the structure from the floor. When they were asked to step away from the structure, it could not stay stable on its own and collapsed across the room, destroying other structures during its downfall. Everyone except the group who made the structure found it very funny indeed.
An extra member on the study tour: The study tour in the 3rd year was in Patan and Ahmedabad. Initial five days were in Patan, for mapping the city. Patan is a fortified city, with 12 gates. Although it is a city, the roads and houses still have the old characteristics. Jharokhas, bullock carts, wooden doors, etc are still seen throughout the urban fabric of the city. We worked in groups of 10 with 2 professors. One professor narrated this funny incident that happened on the 2nd day. While mapping the streets of Patan, we used various maps and sheets. While the professor was explaining the data to be collected that day, a cow started chewing on the main map that had all the landmarks and roads and nodes marked on it. They tried to shoo it away but to no avail. The cow pulled the entire sheet and started walking away. The whole group was completely baffled. No one had expected such a start to the day. They were rendered speechless and well, map-less!
Stuck in a mall: It was the monsoon season and college had just begun. As is the case with most terms, the design project had just been introduced, which was a shopping mall. We were divided into groups and had to do case studies. The next day, we (a group of 8) went to Dorabjee’s mall at NIBM road. This particular mall was really far from most of the group member’s residences. We set out after lunch and decided to complete the case study by early evening. While inside the mall, we were all busy with the data collection and had no idea that it had started raining heavily outside. We all met in the food court and decided to eat and leave. When we neared the entrance of the mall, we saw the situation outside. Since most of us travel by two-wheelers, we decided it was best to wait a while. We had to be stuck in the mall for 2 hours because the rain did not reduce in intensity. Luckily, one of the classmates knew that the architect of the mall lived nearby. So, she contacted him and asked whether we could know any additional details for the case study. He was most pleased to provide knowledge about the mall and its design. He came by after a while with a rough draft plan of the mall. The rest of the waiting period was spent learning additional valuable knowledge about the mall. We got to learn about the firefighting service details, the basement parking, and its allied services, and a lot more. It was truly a lucky turn of events. Eventually, the rain ceased and we headed home with more information and knowledge than we had hoped for.
An unexpected viva that turned predictable: It was the day of the BTM – Building Technology and Materials viva. We were all nervous as usual and were quizzing each other on all the topics. This semester, we had topics such as timber and its products, modular furniture, bamboo, and its joints, etc. One small topic amongst these was paint and wall finish such as plastering, etc. As goes with every viva, we were all focussed on the major topics – which are the ones we draft on the sheets as well. The viva began in a roll call sequence and we waited for the first couple of students to be done, so they could tell us the general type of questions being asked. The first two students came out of the viva with mixed reactions. They were both asked all the general topics regarding the sheets, etc, but were also asked a different, unexpected question – what is the composition of paint? Immediately, everyone started searching for the answer, in case this was a recurrent question being asked. After a few more students, it became evident – this question was being asked to every student. We were all surprised but relieved because we were all confident and sure about that one question, which we would not have bothered to know otherwise. Although it seemed insignificant, paint and its composition saved everyone a lot of nervousness that day.
The degree course of architecture is five years long, and along this arduous journey, there are certainly moments of humor, relief, and learning. These unexpected moments are what make this journey all the more memorable and enjoyable.
