As architecture continues to garner respect as an honourable career option by the youth, it becomes imperative to find an academic haven to help them recognize their potential and prepare for the professional world. One such institution in the country, which is a centre for excellence and has been a pioneer in the field of architecture, planning, and research, and has given the industry innumerable stalwarts is the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, or as it is fondly known— CEPT University, Ahmedabad. It is one of the leading architectural and planning institutions in India.
As per the National Institute Ranking Framework, the university ranks fourth in India for Architectural studies. The institute aims at helping its pupils develop into outstanding professionals. The qualities that make CEPT stand out against its contemporaries are not one but many.
The Campus | CEPT University
Every aspiring student hopes for a campus that allows for free-thinking, speech, and growth. The very principle on which CEPT university was established is—to provide an atmosphere of learning without boundaries and allow uninhibited curiosity. This vision was embodied in the campus design by Pritzker Laureate Dr. Balkrishna V Doshi, who was not only the architect and planner of the institute but also one of its founding members. As the school continued to grow under his guidance, so grew its spatial extent. Presently, the campus is spread over 12 acres of land. It saw additions to its architecture by leaders in the profession like Rahul Mehrotra and Christopher Benninger.
The campus boasts green lawns and mounds, open-air theatres to promote dialogue between students and faculty alike, a massive and impressive library, and well-equipped workshops and laboratories. Large, airy studios promote an environment for free-thinking and creativity. The campus also has excellent infrastructure, providing for all of its student’s needs. It also boasts of spaces for gatherings, sports, and other extracurricular activities.
Culture
CEPT is well known for its inclusive and open environment, where students are encouraged to ask questions and have open dialogues to promote learning. All around the campus, instances of pupils gathered around their faculties with a teacup in their hands and engrossed in deep conversations is a common sight. The university promotes diversity, which makes the campus life a fusion of cultures from across the globe.
The student body holds various festival celebrations to allow for intercultural exchanges. The Navratri festival at CEPT is renowned for its pomp and energy. The student body at CEPT is very energetic and active. They help students escalate their issues to the intended authorities while also arranging various club activities. Literary Club, Dance, Music, and Movie clubs are student-led initiatives that help relieve academic pressures. The university truly prepares students holistically by training them to shoulder responsibilities and build professional relations.
Academics at CEPT University
CEPT university started as a school of architecture, intending to change how human habitats are perceived, understood, constructed, and managed in the built realm. It went on to expand on this ideology. Currently, the university has 5 main faculties namely planning, architecture, technology, design, and management.
While the ‘Faculty of Architecture‘ concerns itself with the design in the private realm, The Planning division deep dives into the public domain. The ‘Faculty of Technology’ concentrates on engineering and building construction, while the ‘Faculty of Design’ explores the design of interior spaces, crafts, systems, and products. ‘The Faculty of management’ includes habitat and project management courses. The university provides both graduate and postgraduate courses in these streams. The courses are centred on studios or labs, to engage students in life-like problems, to help them build professional capacities to tackle real-world issues.
The summer and winter school at CEPT has hosted over 500 different courses since its inception in 2013. These also include travel and skill development and create a learning environment outside the usual studio classrooms. These courses are open to students from all over the globe. CEPT University has ties with various prestigious educational institutions all over the world. To promote an intercultural trade of ideas, the university participates in exchange programs with institutions from countries like the USA, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany.
CEPT also actively participates in research work and provides consultancy under the CEPT Research and Development Foundation. The foundation has various research wings in urban development, policy, and planning, management, building science and energy, water and sanitation, infrastructure, and geomatics. The research wing gives students and alumni a chance to engage in research and impact human habitats.
Experienced and Trained Faculty
The university has faculties with rich and varied experiences. They have worked with government bodies, written and published research papers, and have led world organizations on matters of urban planning, policy-making, and habitat management. Academics and practitioners working as teachers, together equip the students with both practical knowledge and critical thinking.
The university also invites professionals from all over the world to interact, participate and exchange ideas and thoughts with aspiring students. It holds various programs throughout the year to encourage healthy discussion. Some of the famous names associated with the University are Barjor Mehta, Bimal Patel, Christopher Benninger, Rahul Mehrotra, and many more. The large network of alumni also serves as a bank of information and network, that propels the student’s careers in the right direction.
Grants and Scholarships | CEPT University
The ideology of promoting learning has pushed the university to come up with various grants and scholarships for its students. Such initiatives help bridge economic divides and give a fair chance at excellent education to all. The university provides merit-based, work-based, and special needs scholarships and Subsidies in bank loan interest. These scholarships and grants make it possible for innumerable aspirants to pursue their academic interests irrespective of economic constraints.
The availability of grants and scholarships makes CEPT University an extremely desirable destination to pursue higher education in Architecture and Planning in India.
CEPT University’s ideology to promote education without boundaries, abetted by its unparalleled teaching staff, makes it an icon in architectural education. The institute’s continued efforts to achieve excellence keep them apace in a competitive world. These efforts also help CEPT to function seamlessly in the trying times of a world pandemic. Their success in integrating their curriculum onto a digital platform, while adhering to their ideology, has helped the university achieve the ‘In-Principle Centre of Excellence ‘ by the Government of Gujarat. Their success in times of pandemic is only indicative of the institute’s efforts towards excellence and a bright future for its students.