Career Plans in the Environmental and Sustainable Architecture

The cities of 20th century were built on the basis of function and rationality, technical innovation and changes in social structure which led to concentration of human population and habitats in urban area. While entering into the 21st century what we can see around is the crisis facing the global environment and the rapid increase in the carbon footprint emissions. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, buildings account for nearly half of the world’s energy expenditures. This relationship between buildings and environment is not just a recent concern; it has been a vital force throughout the history. Now it is time to return to our point of origin, to deepen our understanding of the environment and an essential way to move forward to minimize environmental damage and reduce energy consumption.

After completing my degree course in architecture, I chose to work with Sandeep Shikre & Associates (SSA Architects), one of the top architectural firms in Mumbai for my professional practice, where I joined as a junior architect to work in the concept and design development team. As the firm believes in inculcating sustainability as the main ideology behind designing any project, my main purpose to work with this firm was to understand the technical concepts of designing a sustainable building, how to convert the conceptual design strategies into reality & gain the practical knowledge required for shaping my future. I have worked on both government and private projects for this firm, which includes designing projects like Dandi Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Gujarat, an initiative by Indian institute of technology (IIT),Kohinoor Square in Mumbai which is India's first Gold rated LEED building, Designing housing colony for the Fisherman community in Mumbai & Redevelopment of B. D. D chawls in Mumbai and private projects like environmental friendly International School in Mumbai for J P Infra Pvt Ltd,and concept development for many residential projects for leading Builders in India.

This encounter with various types and scaled projects, with different concepts and requirements programs, helped me gain more knowledge about integration of architectural design with technical disciplines, filling the niche between architecture and engineering. Sustainability is a field that is extremely fascinating to me. I have this innate desire to explore how it is possible for Science and Technology to enhance the overall performance of buildings in both social and environmental architecture, and how I can contribute towards having a Sustainable future. After gaining as much knowledge from my academic & professional experience, I would like to expand my horizons to pursue an international education in the subject of my interest of environmental and sustainable architecture, to gather more experience, knowledge, interaction and better prospect.

After completing my Master’s Degree and gaining the necessary knowledge, I plan to seek employment for a few years with an internationally renowned firm that will enable me acquire the necessary hands-on practice. Latter, I will open my design firm either as an individual or in partnership with an equally experienced architect. Since India is a diverse and populated society, I will seek to change the lives of people in the community by promoting the construction of houses that are safe, sustainable & comfortable for living. I intend to change the architectural language in India, by creating & implementing designs that will leave a mark on every observers mind. Exploring, understanding, researching and designing for five years of Architecture has provided me the exposure in various aspects of architecture like basic design, architectural design, urban planning, interior design, graphics, model making, workshop jobs and has helped in developing my interest in these basic modules of architecture; Subjects like Engineering Mechanics, Materials & Construction Technology, Surveying, Steel Structures, Climatology, provided me with a strong knowledge in the theoretical and practical concepts of Architecture. I had undertaken LEED green building rating system as my elective in sixth semester as a specialized course which helped to generate my interest in sustainable and environmental architecture. It made me realize the architectural language of the future and provided me a new perspective for my higher education.

My final year graduation thesis was the synthesis of the same; where I had proposed 'Shilpgram: A Cultural centre & Artisans village' in Bishnupur, West Bengal, which intended to create holistic architectural experience showcasing the culture, arts & crafts of Bishnupur in all aspects & to also solve the existing issues in the Panchmura Kumbhakar’s village & develop an artisan’s village & also set a platform for the local people to explore their socio-cultural practices. The final design had been developed keeping in mind the sustainable and environmental issues; where I had marked all the existing trees on the site and tried to retain and incorporate all of them in my design. Also the design utilized maximum utilization of the open spaces in order to maximize the wind flow inside the structures. The field of Architecture holds enough challenges to motivate me to delve deeper in this area. Apart from the undergrad curriculum, I have also attended a summer course (certificate course): "An Urban Village in Mumbai: Culture & Community in the Maximum City" conducted by CEPT University in Ahmedabad. The course focussed on research & development & solutions to the existing problems faced by the residents of Worli Koliwada, one of the earliest fishing villages in Mumbai. The study was an attempt to refocus on the local-by minutely observing embedded histories, acknowledging the ordinary and enabling an inclusive, bottom-up approach of working with the community and culture. In addition to this, I have attended one more Certification course conducted by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute): 3 Day - Training & Capacity Building Programme “Performance Evaluation Tools for Sustainable Buildings”. The intent of the programme was to meet the shortage of trained manpower to undertake sustainable development and green building practices in India. The programme comprised of sessions on Sustainable Development, Codes and Standards, Sustainable Site Planning, Microclimate Analysis, Solar Passive Building Design, Principles of Sustainable Lighting and HVAC, as well as Life Cycle Thinking. I have also been a part of many Seminars & Workshops which included: Pani Ki Kahani, a lecture series conducted by Indian Society of Landscape Architects, Hands on workshop conducted at Laurie Baker Centre in Kerala, Tensile structures & Ferro cement workshop, seminar on Reclaiming the city: Conserving spaces. Sites & the built fabric of Kolkata & Lecture series by Saint Gobain & Schindler.

The University coursework focused on theoretical aspects rather than practical aspects. Therefore, to gain practical experience, I had interned for 4 months with an Architectural firm in Mumbai. During my internship, my knowledge of architecture and interior design increased significantly. As an Intern, I worked on several cases which have broadened my understanding tremendously. For example, I worked with clients who wanted to renovate their indoor designs, and I consulted with clients and my supervisors regarding various design options that could best meet their needs. One such case involved the design of residential housing unit; other, more prominent cases, included my participation in the design of International School, Residential buildings, Landscape designs & Residential tower Elevation massing. Through my work on these projects, I have gained practical experience and abilities that cannot be learned in the classroom, such as the ability to carry out plans, supervise, and oversee the actual construction process. The contrast between my academic training and my internship experience helped led me to a new understanding of architecture and design. I have also been active in all the events & activities in my Department. For example, I was the Sports head & Seminars & Workshops secretary in my college.

I was also part of an NGO called Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN) as a Student Volunteer, where my main role was to map all the slums existing in mumbai, create impressionistic maps of each slum, talk to the slum dwellers, know their problems & provide solutions to the problems. I have also participated & won many National & International Architectural competitions which include: Archotsav, A National level competition in India conducted in Delhi, Museum of Science Fiction (MOSF) International Architectural design Competition, Marception, An International level competition where my design got selected in the top 25 designs all over the world. I have also published 2 Magazines which include: An architectural documentation magazine titled "The Galtaji Temple Complex, Jaipur" where I co-headed the team & a Research magazine titled “An Urban Village in Mumbai: Worli Koliwada", part of the Summer school programme conducted by CEPT University. I have a keen interest in travelling & sports & passionate about singing & dancing. I represented my school in Zonal & District Level Athletics, Kho-Kho & Archery competitions & have also been trained for Hindustani Classical music & Karnatic Classical music for several years. (University paragraph – Talk about the curriculum, the faculty and their research work, the lab facilities, the student bodies that you want to be a part of, the Co-op / Internship opportunities)