My Kind of Architecture- Part 1

PAs architects, we often come across this question: 'What kind of architecture do you like?' Of course, this question doesn't really take into account the technical aspects of architecture, and we know that, but we have to admit that we're all inclined towards some particular style.

The whole point of today's post is to share my kind of architecture with you. I hope you'll leave something in the comments section to tell me about the styles you favor, too.

What I'm going to do now is divide some of the buildings I like in categories based on function and list and show them to you using pictures.

1. Houses

i. Stone House, Portugal

I discovered this building while doing a study on stone as a construction material in first year and fell in love with it. I think it's the Flinstones-inspired quirkiness that drew me in. The house is built completely of stone and perfectly blends with it's natural surroundings. Ins spite of it's unusual shape, the house is said to be very cosy inside, and the unique shape and construction doesn't hamper the functionality of the house, something that often happens in interesting-looking buildings.

ii. Houses in Troglodyte village, Iran

The houses shown above were carved out of volcanic rock. Some of them have been around for over 700 years. Since they've been carved out of the existing landscape, they blend with the surroundings completely. Let's see some charming interior shots:

Who doesn't want a living room that looks like this?

And have a courtyard like this one?


iii. Lots of not-so-famous houses in Kerala

In an age where many opt for the Western minimalist look, the people of Kerala often embrace their traditions. The tiled pitched roof, the courtyards with the tulasi in the centre, the porches and balconies- there's a scientific reason for why they came to be a part of the architecture of the state in the first place, and it's good to incorporate them in designs even in present times.

2. Schools

I have always wanted to design schools. When I grow up I hope to design lots of schools for all kinds of children everywhere in the world. So, of course, this is a special category for me.

i. METI- Handmade School in Bangladesh

This shool, made entirely of sustainable materials, was designed by Anna Heringer nad Eike Roswa. Frankly, I'm not very impressed aboutt he 'sustainable materials' part or 'manual construction' part, because such things are common in countries like Bangladesh and India. But I do like the design as a whole.

Elevation

I really like what they've done with the light here.

Niches for play and study- my favorite part.

ii. Project Frog's Eco-Friendly Schools

Sometimes, we need prefab architecture, and it's best if it's sustainable. This school is a prefab school with repeating units made with recycled materials and utilizes only solar power for it's use. Somehow I like the repetitive nature of this school, and it's admirable how quickly and efficiently it was built.

iii. Orestad High School, Copenhagen

Just look at the picture below and tell me you don't wish your school were like this:

Am I right, or am I right?

That's all for the first part of this series. Be sure to tell me all about your favorite school and residential buildings in the comments section below!

As An Architect, I propose...

It's great that the current central government is giving so much impetus to Internet accessibility for all. Today, all our information comes from the Internet. Access to Internet can easily divide the population to haves and have-nots, because one side is so dependent on it and uses it just as much as other essential resources, while the other side barely has any idea how to use it.

There's a lot that can be done for the development of this country. I'm no economics graduate. My ideas are obviously flawed. Nevertheless, I'd like to share some of my ideas for the progress of India, and hope PM Modi takes note. (Yeah, right!)

1. Solar Power for all Urban Households

India under-utilizes the solar power available to it. That's not an observation; it's a fact. According to Wikipedia:

With about 300 clear, sunny days in a year, India's theoretically calculated solar energy incidence on its land area alone, is about 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year (or 5 EWh/yr).^[1][2][3] The solar energy available in a year exceeds the possible energy output of all fossil fuel energy reserves in India. The daily average solar power generation capacity over India is 1.0 kWh/m², which is equivalent to about 1,500–2,000 peak (rated) capacity operating hours in a year with the available commercially-proven technologies.

How many fo us actually use solar power? Do we have it in our homes? It takes money to install, but many of us can afford it. And once it's installed, we get electricity for the rest of our lives without paying lofty bills. It all sounds good, but the fact is that the use of solar energy hasn't been promoted as it should be. Newspapers and blogs are questioning whether it will reach rural areas soon, but my point is that given the hundreds of thousands of housing societies and houses in major cities, and the out-of-proportion large quantities of power they use, wouldn't it make sense to make it mandatory for all of them to use solar power. The cost of the solar panels plus installation can go up to 3 lakhs, but how much is that when you consider that flats in Delhi and Mumbai these days can cost more that 1 crore these days? So maybe, if we start with upper-middle to high-class residential areas, major office complexes and commercial centres, we can reduce our dependence of fossil fuels to a great extent. I mean, one of the major reasons why solar power isn't widely used is the initial cost it entails, so why not start with people and places that can afford it. Whatever money is saved by doing so can be used to give away solar energy to the next economic strata at a lower price, and this tier-based approach to make solar power available to all can continue till we reach the lowermost economic strata. It might sound discriminatory, but it might just work.

An interesting fact: Gujarat (the state which has Narendra Modi as it's former CM), is the leader in Indian solar power generation and usage. Gandhinagar may soon become a solar power city. Gujarat is also home to Asia's largest solar park at Charanka.

2. Make compost toilets cool. 
Most of my non-architect friends can't believe that an average Indian uses approx. 110 L of water in 1 day. In case you're wondering, yes, that's a lot. However, it is the minimum. One of the major culprits for this high demand of water is flush. Flushing once can cause a loss of about 5L of water, which is basically more than we need to drink throughout the day (think about a thirsty kid in a desert somewhere before you flush next time.)

A compost toilet doesn't need you to flush. It separates solids and liquids and decomposes them separately without the use of water. Check this out:

It might seem a bit gross at first, but it's not. In fact, it's very hygienic if you think about the fact that no blackwater is produced here. However, it doesn't go with Indian habits. We are more comfortable with flushing and we don't use toilet paper that often (most people aren't comfortable with it). So how about fund all the IIT's to design a compost toilet that flushes and allows for our tendency to wash and not wipe? It all sounds funny, but each person can save upto 30L of water per day. Think about it.

Once an appropriate compost toilet is designed, maybe it can be marketed and popularized, and we all know Mr. Modi's great with that.

3. Biogas isn't just meant for rural areas.


We talk about biogas like they belong to the villages, but there's no reason for why urban areas cannot use them. We can use biogas at least to cook food, but the simple DIY types of biogas generators are messy and hard to maintain. We need proper plants at key locations that can supply biogas to a number of homes. Might take some time, might not even replace LPG completely, but it's a start.

For information on biogas generated electricity, check this out.

4. Double-use schools.
Instead of building new structures every time we need to a vocational training centre or community hall, just use school buildings in the evenings. School's out by 4, and after that, the building just stands in it's place. It would be much more useful if we could have adult education classes there, and the building should be designed in order to be used for various purposes. Even tutoring services can be provided. If a school is a temple of learning, let's make sure it's open to all 24/7. And this goes for private schools too. If nothing else, the school courtyards and corridors can serve as sleeping areas for the homeless at night.

5. Solar power the buses.
When I was young, Delhi decided to embrace CNG buses and autorickshaws and, yes, it did make a difference. It's been almost two decades since then, and we're still running on CNG. It's about time we started using solar transportation. And don't talk about money. We pay taxes when we earn and more taxes when we spend. Use it wisely, and very soon each and eveyr bus will be solar-powered.

Check Out These Views

As an intern at an arhcitecture firm, one of the worst things you have to do is make views for unbuilt projects. It's fun for some people, but those like me pray the work be given to some graphic designer or image designer. I mean, we're here to learn architecture. Teach us how to lay out pipes, let us work out some bathroom details, let us design. But views? Please, no.

Well, I guess I'm just bored of making a SketchUp model and rendering it on Lumion. I've been working ona chuildren's home in Takhel, Manipur, and the project has revelaed my lack of skills (and interest)in making 3D views.

Here's some stuff I made:

Clearly my work isn't as good as it should be. The above images were rendered only using Lumion as I am not familiar with any other rendering software, and because Lumion renders quickly and allows quick landscaping.

My sir showed me this awesome website a company that only generates views and yes, this is what views should look like. Although I'm sure they've used other software and probably have rendering farms, their work is still worth a look.

Rooftop Gardens

The Cave

Nordic Countryside

And this, my friends, is what views are supposed to look like.

For more, visit their website www.mir.no. And if you have tips for Lumion, please let me know.