The practice
This page of the website is dedicated towards the end semester studio-
The practice, guided by Kashikar Vishwanath
Design Ideology
Architecture- collaborative effort for the larger social good driven by people involved in design.
“As a designer, we view architecture as a response to the larger societal issues we face. We aim to create designs that align with the project’s vision, encouraging positive hu-man behavior and contributing towards achieving larger societal goals. Designing not just for the users of the built environment, but also for the people involved in the design process itself, which can lead to more successful outcomes."
WHY is it important?
To sustain meaningfully
Breaking the general notions of practicing architecture. As designers, we always aspire to design unconventional, creative buildings, that break the general notions of architecture design, so why not use the practice as a medium to do so, thus sustaining meaningfully to do what we believe in. The focus of the firm is on 1. employee satisfaction and 2. social issues.
1. Employee satisfaction
We are well aware of the problems in the architectural field and major one is employee satisfaction, which goes down the drain in the attempt to make good architecture. Tackling the root cause of this issue is the major goal for the firm. There are many aspects that affect the satisfaction of employees, such as:
CHARRETTE CULTURE
INADEQUATE PAY
WORK LIFE BALANCE
EMPLOYEE RETENTION
WHERE did it come from?
Past learnings & experiences
The past experiences and learnings played a crucial role in taking this stance. The firm believes the personality of people developed over time is visible in the way they function and practice. The book readings, office visits and the roleplay exercise done during the first half of the semester helped shape the ideology.
1. Book readings
The story of practice- Dana Cuff
The name of the firm 'Design in balance' comes directly from the reflection of the reading of the book. The dualities presented by the author made me realize the importance of maintaining the middle ground or the in-between, to achieve a more balanced, nuanced workflow and output.
Architecture Depends- Jeremy Till
The social/ethical component to the practice comes from the dependencies mentioned in the book.
The role of architects is to build to serve not just the clients needs and aspirations but also the larger community it is a part of, thus looking at the political, social, economic and environmental aspects attached to the field of architecture.
2. Office visits
Employee satisfaction-
Matharoo & Kakani associates
Both the firms achieve a certain degree of employee satisfaction through the design process- Giving the flexibility to take design decisions and making sure everyone is heard, thus ensuring authorship and valuing their presence.
Impact-
Apurva amin architects, HCP
The impact that Apurva amin had on improving large scale housing projects driven by developers over a long period of time, and HCP's goal of solving larger, complex issues is something that the firm would like to put its resources towards. The idea to tackle social issues for the greater good is strongly tied to it.
The structuring of INI- many small firms working collectively over a larger umbrella seemed the best way of ensuring the right balance to ensure the satisfaction of people involved in design and the larger social goals that everyone abides by.
This model is something that has been tried out in the role play exercise and the results were satisfactory.
Structure & organization-
INI Design Studio
3. Role play exercise
Collective>Individual
The design achieved greater resolution as the employees felt more valued, took authorship of the design and felt equally responsible.
Hierarchy
A horizontal hierarchy system did slow down the efficiency of designing in the short run, but the larger goals of the firm through the project was achieved.
Mosaic of specialists
The team comprised of specialists who took charge of their respective fields of work, thus giving them a sense of responsibility and decision-making ability.
Design idea/ concept
The design emerged from larger social problems that people were facing, and all the decisions taken were an outcome of this response.
4. Others (inefficiencies)
Client's desires are not the same as the designer's
Prioritising self goals over the client’s goals which leads to various discrepancies which tend to slow down the process and thus go on forever and ever.
Perfectionism- God is in detials
In trying to achieve perfectionism in everything we do, we fail to filter out what is important to the client or the larger picture.
Repitition is looked down upon
Repetition is always seen as a negative aspect, and thus repeting things questions the creativity of the professional, this leads to making spaces different from one another just for our own sake.
Starting from scratch
Coming from an ideological standpoint of starting everything from a fresh slate, thus negating the aspect of improvization of existing things.
