The section is the ‘site’ where space, form and material intersect with human experience. The horizontal cut i.e. plan, helps to develop the functional organization. On the other hand, the vertical cut i.e. section, encases its scale and volumetric experience. It is the building section that addresses the crucial elements: formal, social, organizational, spatial, structural, thermal and technical.
This program offers a clear heuristic structure to establish a dialogue for exploratory and experimental architectural concepts through section design. The brief aims to counter the prevalence of standardized building methods by advocating for diverse and purposeful sectional configurations.
The course starts with the seemingly obvious question “What is a section?” It then makes critical inquiries – ‘what are the different types of sections? What do they do? How to produce them? Why choose to use one configuration over another?’
Through analysis and debate, students engage with various types of sections and their implications. Assignments focus on generating numerous sections for the same plan by exploring distinct approaches such as Extrusion, Shear, Hole, Incline and then comparing it with the original section.
This program enquires the tectonic logic of the section and inculcate the belief that ‘section’ drives the spatial and programmatic interplay.
Studio Unit
Week 1-3 Students works on 'unshaping the shape'
Week 3-6 students work on 'plan to section', a sectional response to existing plans
Week 6-8 Documentation of the Kailash Temple at Ellora
Details, sections and elements of the site documentation
Week 8-16 A museum, gathering space and sacred space response to the site.
