Architecture 101 - thinking inside the box.

Strange no, now you must be wondering as to how architecture and “thinking inside the box stands with one another…no it doesn’t!!!

If you’re an architect, must have surely felt like an insult. Yes, but would you rather want to defend architecture or would you like to ask a simple question – “what’s wrong?”

 

Here’s what’s wrong. Hear me out, architecture is supposed to be about innovation, and sustainability and uniqueness and form follows function etc. An architect is supposed to think “outside the box” but the thing is outside the box, also lies another box. And no matter what, we now can’t escape those boxes, in fact here is the harsh truth … we all like to live in boxes.

 

                                               

 

Now this tea comes from my own personal experience. I have my relatives living in Janta flats in Janakpuri. To be honest once you go there, you’d find quietness, security and coziness, sounds fair right? BUT when I visited recently, being a 3^rd year student of architecture, I found quietness, security and coziness very negative. Janta flats are built such that it’s a box within a box. You enter an open box sort of society as though you’re in a product packaging thermocol box.

 

 

 

 

Then you enter another box to get into another box that is the home. And the home is packed and the only sunlight that comes in is from box like balcony. FOUR walls, doesn’t sound appealing now 

Does it ?!

At least makes we wanna run to the wilderness  and set up tent like the flintstones. OH, BY THE WAY, IT DOES EXIST.

 

 

 

Looks jolly isn’t it.

 Now let’s get serious -why aren’t architects and common people alike aren’t able to come out of the box?

Firstly, there are various environmental factors like over growing population, climatic changes, constant rise and fall of the economy and to a certain extent and second, WE OURSELVES. I won’t go farther; Delhi is the best example to show you the larger picture. Over 300 migrants come to Delhi everyday and the population increases by a 1000 everyday!!! Delhi’s infrastructure is far from handling such a large demand. Majority of the area is semi-rural which is yet to see vertical expansion. People do not want to leave the old mentality of jadh sameth houses and to prevent losing property, so called bacha flats are being put on rent. Even garages have become haven for a struggling family of three. 

 

 

 

Climatic change – there’s too many limitations on what material can be used where, people having the money to hire architects in the first place can afford high tech material but the ones who barely make it through the day are found at the mercy of contractors who are more worried about making money than the lives of people hence they have to go through the wrath of climate.

Which brings me to the next point, in a place like Uttam Nagar where you can see nothing but flats, you’ll often find p.o.p cracking and falling from chjjas, broken grills, cheap plumbing work and what not, reason? Economy? … yes and no - well let me tell you this description is of a home sold at 70 lakhs, not a small amount !!! but the things like architecture and comfortable living doesn’t ring much to a local contractor nor the person living in it. Its more like “ sir ke upar chath hai bas wahi bahut hai”

Coming to what I wrote previously about finding quietness, security and coziness NEGATIVE

You see the reason people prefer boxes is because they are frustrated, afraid and tired – hence the need of quietness, security and coziness. And we are conditioned to believe that by being in a box we can achieve this at a very cheap price. But what we aren’t being told about is that these 3 things can be achieved in a properly designed house too, but it lies as an illusion of luxury to many.

 Affordable housing, buildings following building codes… ISNT THAT DIFFICULT, now the only thing that can be done is to educate people and to actually do what you stand for as an architect. Stand for the things you turned into concept during your bachelor years, come out of the crazy money blindness and actually start making people see through the nasty illusions. Make homes, not houses. Make places of work, worship and play, and not JUST buildings.