B Geethu Gangadhar

HT4003

The methodology of the semester required an enquiry of the constructional process by the process of decoding details of a structure (in my case, Newman Hall or Premal Jyoti in Ahmedabad). With the help of discussions and contemplations with not just the professors but engineers, peers and literature sources, the decoding process was not just enlightening but enjoyable as well. It also gradually induced interest in the historical development of windows. From the several patterns which rose from the element detail grid made during our studio sessions, the interest took shape when combined with theoretical frameworks which were introduced during the reading sessions - making, modernity, agency. I decided to explore my chosen research study through the primary lens of 'making' and the secondary lens of 'modernity'. The project journal hence starts from the sectional perspective of Newman Hall leading to an academic essay on window designs throughout the 1930s to 1980s in Ahmedabad.  About the essay: The research essay explores and traces various changes of critical importance to the progression of window design. It first started with the identification of a few defining parameters which aided in the deconstruction of the windows of the buildings used as case-studies. This allowed closer and a sharper focus in locating various shifts in the variables of the windows.