Alternative Histories

If at the end of Second year in an architecture course, one doesn't know

that pointed arches do have keystones
who is B V Doshi
that its Frank Lloyd Wright and not Frank Llord Wright
you can not pronounce Antonio Gaudi
the significance of Vitruvian man
Le Corbusier's Modular theory
that Le Corb's Mill Owners' Association is in Ahmedabad, which is in India and not abroad
that Le Corb designed Chandigarh and not Jaipur
that Egyptian pyramids have 4 sides and not 3
that Gallerie des Machines is a Gallery for Machines (the name is the function)
that Triumphal Arches were for the triumph of the Emperors (answer hidden in the question)
that Kanchanjunga is in Peddar Road and not in Colaba and is designed by Charles Correa
that IIM was designed by Louis Kahn
that IIMA is in Ahmedabad; IIMB in Bangalore
that Le Corbusier means "The Crow" and his name is Charles-Édouard Jeanneret
that Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci (having seen the film Da Vinci Code)
that the column beam structure of the Parthenon is called Trabeated system
that the St. Peter's square is an oval (after showing the picture)
that Charles Correa is the last one to be amongst the pioneers of Modern Architecture
that "Less is More" was the statement by Mies Van Der Rohe
that the prime contribution of Romans to our social space is democracy
that Mosques have no idols
that Renaissance was before Industrial Revolution / Modernism
that Eiffel Tower has no vertical but inclined lifts
that escalators are conceptually 'lifts'that iron was discovered and not invented!

then

what does one actually know for one's future  architectural practice?

No, it's not to laugh. It's the reflection of the interest level. In an age of media, where one has access to information 24x7, we see students killing all their time on facebook! But one can even share these facts and discussions on FB! Perhaps, our fundamental perceptions of FB do not match. But FB is killing the age of 12-25. Atleast the others know how to use it! and how much to use it. But it's not only FB. The whole of Internet.

Media has restructured the whole of society. I dont know what it would do to the average architectural practice? Are we just supposed to "learn from them" finding out newer patterns of the market? Its rubbish - what is the content in it - there is not intellectual thought. Should meaninglessness be always proven through a rubbish physical manifest? Our engagements with technology are so half-ripe. At least the developed countries use it right from their birth. We have a condition where such access is not even available to everyone. Weird conditions that the current dynamics of space and time has created. Where children struggle with language, basic spellings (the don't even care for them), what do they really want to do? Are they lost? then why don't they express that they are lost? how will they resolve it? why dont they speak up? what is their problem? I am worried about my place and my space which they could possibly ruin with ugly meaningless monsters! I hope the next three years open them up with their true goals!


(all responses from History VIVA at AOA)

Desires

Heart's earnest desire is always fulfilled.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Passing thoughts

Since the past few days, i have been feeling extremely exhausted and bored to upload anything here. There are lots of thoughts that come and go, but articulating it into text is becoming difficult. Also perhaps because my theory classes have started becoming heavy and they have puzzled my a bit. There is a lot of abstruse stuff that people are thinking...I am wondering if i must indulge myself in all this hi fi gyan.

However, there are other new things that have opened up. Like this book of Kapila Vatsyayana. Prof. Punde says she is like Kishori Amonkar in classical music. Kapila's command on history, he said is excellent. I read some essays from that 1000 page huge book, and they seemed interesting. I hope to catch up on that book again from the library.

We discussed Kracauer and Heidegger in the past classes and nothing of it was absolutely clear. I need to re look at all of it. We need to also make a time line of some 20 people who we have discussed by far in our class. We also have to write an essay on "What is design process? " for Sen Kapadia's class and I just cant get myself to write anything. Although I started to write something on design.
Everytime I think of a new idea to theorize, I talk about it to some people and immediately that idea is rejected, or seems not to make any sense, However, I think thats a part of the learning process.

I feel like traveling extensively now and just write descreptive things about a place. But that never materializes. Anyway, i think i am just putting the random thoughts that are arriving in my mind, but this is the fastest that i have written my blog. 

Mango Madness

I have been enjoying gazing at the growing mangoes on the mango tree in our college campus since the past few weeks. The green raw mangoes solely hanging from the tensioned branches of the trees look extremely tempting. For a long time I wondered whether it looks better on the tree, or if it would be nicer to touch, feel and smell it. A lot of koyals keep on singing these days and none of the crows have disturbed any of the fruits on the tree. Finally, Nandu broke his barriers of temptation and hit the closest hanging fruit from our second floor staff room balcony.



The raw green fruit dropped down on the fabric canopy, rolled onto it and fell in the bushes below. Nandu ran down like gushing water to pick it up. He came back with a big green orb. I wondered how big it was as compared to what I assumed it to be from a distance. We placed it on the table and let it roll. Both Nandu and I kept looking at it  - finally I grabbed it and felt it, its smoothness, its curves, its texture, its skin...

We thought of showing it to all - as if it was a wonder of the world. We discussed its shape and compaed it to the ones we draw in our drawing books - we argued if it resembled the haapus (alphonso) - and both agreed that  it was not that perfect. Still, we were not able to comprehend its beauty and our wonder - taking the king of fruits - and the first one of the season in hand. So I suggested we display it for some time. Nandu was extremely eager and enthusiastic about it. He quickly arranged for a glass and filled it with water. I  felt there was something missing in it: may be more colour. He then got some leaves and flowers from here and there and we almost made it into a momento...

Then we all enjoyed staring at it, praising the fruit and preserving it for some time. But finally, Nandu couldnot resist his gustatory urge and he cut it into slices, soon distributing it to everyone around. It was as if beauty (in all forms) has to be destroyed and finally digested.

We all ate a slice of it.
But memories of mangoes (especially the ones you pluck from the trees on your own) are nostalgic and mango trees inevitably take you to your childhood, if you ever flirted with the trees when you were young.

Building New Grounds

FIRST YEAR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Atul Mhatre | Akhil Kapadia | Anuj Daga | Rohan Haksar                                          
Project 4

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Architecture’s preoccupation with land as its primary resource for operation has led to sharp rise in the density of built form in cities. Mumbai’s land resource has almost been exhausted due to immense pressure of development. This has resulted into either creation of more land (by ways of reclaiming the sea) or sourcing alternative land on the outskirts of the city. Living away from the city creates difficult movement patterns and people prefer to be closer to the city core. Under such circumstances, can architects not look at new unclaimed “territories” to build?

How do we conceptualize living conditions in new ungrounded context? The project aims at exploring resources other than land for manifestation of architecture. 

Following a short research on non-territorial contexts, the project aims at building a dwelling for a family (1-4 people) which exists an any resource other than land surface. This dwelling, although dependent for its basic existential supplies on land, it could perform independently allowing the dwellers to connect to the ground. The project tries to investigate inter-terrestrial relationships (relationship between land and water/air/underground). In doing so, one would also look into the physics of matter, how it influences form and what new conceptual technologies and opportunities can be sought for architecture in the future. Issues of sustainability and generating basic energy for sustaining the dwelling remain open subjects to engage in during the design process. 

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My ideas for the project: (to be elaborated over with more diagrams)
copyright anuj daga


Ofcourse the ideas below have some conceptual errors, but as ideas, i think these can be developed into potent architectural strategies. More than that, I have enjoyed rendering these and placing them in urban context, although they are almost devoid of them being in air or water or underground.

The idea below (the bubble) works on the principle of controlling the air pressure to create pockets of space for different activities.

My screen prints

Untitled

They make their houses quite interestingly. Using rejected collapsable shutters, jaalis, grills, etc. they make the inner reinforcement of their house, which not only becomes the railings for their windows, but also take on GI sheet claddings as wall surfaces. Red and green. The colours, which make quite an interesting collage. They fade in sun and get painted and repainted. Quite simply.

A completely utilitarian logic proportions the massing and visual aesthetic. The openings do not seem unpleasant. The slopes of each of the house give a flow - not only to the architectural fabric but also to the water that has to be drained in the monsoon. 

Across the train, I always try to see beyond what my eyes can look. The scrap that makes up their domestic space may be our own...

Containing oneself

Can a spoon contain itself? Dushyant once asked in the class. I think after thinking a lot, I can offer this answer:

From sky to earth

Anuj: There is something wrong about these yellow copper pods.

anuj: But they are beautiful.

Anuj: I know they are beautiful, but what goes wrong?

anuj: They look bright and spread randomly on the floor.

Anuj: Yes they do

anuj: then?

Anuj: They made a nice combination at Bharat Bhavan on the red sandstone.

anuj: Do you mean to talk about their background?

Anuj: I guess so. Yes, i think they do not deserve this silly faded pink paver blocks.

anuj: C'mon, they don't design paver blocks for flowers now.

Anuj: But why cant they? And why should the paver blocks be only diseased pink and yellow? Or the concrete grey? Do they think about what colour the paver block should be?

anuj: you've gone nuts

Anuj: Imagine how beautiful it would be to have nice backgrounds for different flowering trees. The gulmohars look lovely on black tar roads. But when they fall on pink blocks, they lose all their character. The bogen-villas - pink, white, orange, blue: they keep flying off like paper on the streets. Aren't they almost theatrical?  

anuj: hmm, actually i never thought so.

Anuj: If they planted pavers according to the trees, or if they planted trees according to the pavers...they would build up a beautiful urban landscape.

anuj: then why only pavers, i would say walls too.

Anuj: yes, absolutely.

anuj: hmm...

Anuj: but we haven't finished sussing out on the paver block issue. I hate when the sweeper sweeps the yellow flowers from the college entrance floors every morning. Those lovely yellow dots, although random, call for finding a pattern. I love looking at them from the first floor large window. Why does he sweep them? His sharp toothed broom must be hurting the peltaforums.

anuj: but they dry out anyways

Anuj: Yes, and the wind would wash them away anyways. Dont you like walking on a yellow carpet of flowers, gradually turning golden?

anuj: I do, but...

Anuj: Exactly, I am talking about these dead paver blocks - they suck. They don't suit our environment. They need to be sensitively designed.

anuj: dont you think that's too small an issue.

Anuj: Unfortunately, that is what most of us end up thinking and giving up for.

anuj: okay, you can keep this thought for your future practice.

Anuj: May be. But i surely think paver blocks can respond to the trees they jacket. 

anuj: sure. For now, may be you can take pleasure in watching them fall on you as you walk under the trees. The weightless flakes - you can keep in your books, if you like it so much. 

Things yet to be Introduced

When I was about 12 years old, I used to maintain this book called "Things yet to be introduced". In this book, I used to sketch out things that might be useful, but not yet been made. I don't remember what was the inspiration for all of them? The cartoons perhaps. Also sometimes they came out of strong concerns of energy crisis. My maternal native place being Bihar (now Jharkhand), there were massive power cuts, sometimes for 5 days in a row or telephone lines would not be there for months. We used to visit our native place in summers when it would be terribly hot and without electricity, the place would be as good as hell. Some of these techniques were therefore a resolution towards these issues. Others came out of pure fascination for mechanics, or techniques or some science fundas. I used to draw them out, in plans, sections, elevations or even views. Today when I look back at them, I wonder how did I ever understand, at that age, "top view", "Section". At any stage in my drawing, I do not call them so...

Notice also the dotted lines that show displaced positions of moving parts...the nature of hard lines versus the soft (wires, cables, etc.). All of these contraptions were accompanied by a short writeup about what all they perform. Some things here might have even been introduced or been there in some other part of the world! They were only not exposed to me then!

And why would I so neatly keep them, archive them? It was the Diary of Anne Frank I guess. In 11th standard, we studied about Anne Frank and how she maintained her Diary during the Nazi war. And later all her writings were published by her father's efforts. I kept maintaining my things after that, thinking that one day all of my work will be published!!

However, what I do not understand is that why did I decide to draw (and not write)? And so accurately? And I wonder if all this was building up towards my choice to be an architect?