TA: Jvalant DevrukhkarSpatial Ecology as a Framework for Design
This studio aims to initiate a learning process in architectural design through principles of spatial organisation, primary response to climate, material and structure. This basis for architectural design will be anchored in the larger global questions of ecology, nature and environment. The concept of Spatial Ecology, where interconnected and networked relations are observed between entities becomes the basis of the studio. It proposes that architecture is not an isolated object, but part of the relations between site and people, manifest through its materiality. The process situates architecture as intrinsic to the negotiation between natural and human. The intention is to disrupt this deeply rooted dichotomy and see them as part of a relational network that emphasizes processes and flows over objects.
The project is also anchored in the intense growth in population, in particular, the youth bulge in India that will need to be supported with suitable public institutions that service localised populations. From the focus on civic and governance institutions, the shift is towards resilience and climate change mitigation. Can the new institutions become benchmarks for the upcoming developments? This repositions architecture as contributing to a significant role in forming the human relation with nature.
