“The best way to predict your future is to create it”, said Abraham Lincoln.
Buildings of an era are the mirrors of civilization. They tell us stories of what has been, and also propose what could be. In a culturally diverse country like India, our places of worship stand out as the flag bearer of our art, architecture, craftsmanship, and culture. This beautifully denotes our spiritual inclination, while we see the feudal nature of countries in the West, with their palaces and royal courts standing out.
Architecture as a discipline extends beyond just buildings, and the fabric of the city- and gives us the capacity to shape things, and tell stories. The core of each race is now rooted in modern architecture; from the past colonial days till now—each being humble, yet imposing our traditions. The beauty in our nation is how the traditional and modern architecture blends to form an identity—that which binds us as one. And thus, architecture today is an introduction of vernacular architecture into contemporary/ modern styles and connects them to technology.
The effect that architecture has on individuals in a society, is not limited to only the buildings. The ripple effect created by the building industry affects sites, the communities that live in them, the economy that they generate, and finally, the environment as a whole.
Buildings around us have been here for decades. We all see the beauty in them differently, but fail to notice the impact that is created by them. Aping the West in terms of culture was prevalent in the late 90s, which slowly spread on to the reflection of the city. With globalization, the connection we had with our roots, is now eroded, with cheap fossil fuels. The only way to nurture a healthy and thriving society is to have contextual development.
Each area in the world has a unique typology of factors that must be taken into consideration before a building of a particular stature is planned. Building materials and composites and their effective use will help us grow as a part of our environment rather than work against it.
Laurie Baker, the British architect on his trip to India, visited Mahatma Gandhi. On being introduced as an accomplished British architect, Gandhi asked a simple question that haunted Baker for a long time. “Which is the best living space?” Gandhi’s answer was simple. “It is that which does not require transportation.” Baker went on to become the master of bricks, constructing cost-effective, long-lasting buildings from locally sourced materials.
In addition to simplicity, there is a community of skilled local labour involved in design and construction. This is not a new-age idea. Structures built in the past conserved the energy and sanctity of spaces by making the right use of people instead of expanding outside energy to build. The design was participatory. Sustainability and contextual sense were more than just fancy jargon; they were ways of living.
Since the modernist era, a distance has been created between the architect and user, with each seeing the other as an abstract entity. People experience their lives and form communities around the local environment. While a student has a sense of community with the school, an older person living in an assisted-living facility has it there. The structure of the buildings and the rest of the facility defines the kind of interactions that are facilitated.
The same is true for the people who live at Alejandro Aravena’s half houses or the diplomats at Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Centre—their identities are defined through their local environment. Thus there is a need for designing specific local solutions.
The Vedas refer to Ekam, the one absolute, the one God. But the nuance that most people tend to miss is that while Ekam is One God, He comes to us in many forms. So, even under the huge umbrella of architecture, there should be variety and specificity. Creating an entity that is emblematic of the permanence of the minority in the society, could bring dignity to them. When effort is taken to ensure that all the voices are heard, they constitute building an inclusive local community.
Entering into the United Nations Decade of Action this year, the global pandemic has further accelerated our need to focus on building sustainable urban communities. Here, we can act as a blend of creative forms of design and construction, merging with technical as well as ethical, emotional, and social aspects of community building.
Architecture cannot be caged into being either a snobbish, glamorous service for the elite or being a social weapon aiming to solve “all” of the world’s problems. My perspective about architecture will be to bridge the gap between the two extremes, brick by brick, and build from a divided past, a shared future. This is a social revolution of equity, wellbeing, and flexibility.
