BEST PRACTICE 1

1. Title of the Practice: IESCOA DESIGN CONSULTANCY CELL

2. Objectives of the Practice:

• To promote professional development of faculty and students through engagement in professional projects
• To link academic theory with practice, to expose students to live projects and practices
• To pave the way for more linkages and networking with allied organizations locally, nationally and globally

3. The Context:

ARCHITECTURE is a professional course that involves design ideation based on user analysis and site understanding, functional and technical resolution and detailing followed by execution on site that comes with its own challenges. The Design Cell was formed with the idea of engaging with varied projects where the same scope of work would be taken up, giving the faculty and students an opportunity to experience first-hand the actual world of professional practice.

4. The Practice:

Faculty are invited to work on professional projects of their own expertise (architecture, urban planning, landscape design, interior design, etc.) through the Design Cell. The Cell provides resources in the form of space, hardware and software, access to library and archives and human resources in the form of student interns.

Every project is handled by a Project Lead who is assisted by a Project Coordinator and student interns as demanded by the scale and scope of work of the project.

Since the inception of the Design Cell, the following projects have been executed/are underway:

• Architecture design for Family house at Yavatmal
• Entrance area design for school premises in Bandra
• Interior design for villa at Alibag
• Interior design for multipurpose hall at school premises in Vashi
• Interior design for conference facilities in management college at Bandra
• Landscape Design for private terrace at Khar
• Landscape Design for private terrace at Juhu
• Landscape design for villa at Alibag
• Landscape design for homestay at Khopoli
• Landscape design for temple at Pandharkawada

The scope of work may slightly vary from project to project, but most projects involve the following stages:

• Complete user analysis and site analysis and derivation of the design brief
• Conceptual design
• Design development (includes complete construction details, materials, estimation, etc)
• Construction drawings
• Coordinated services drawings
• Supervision of execution through periodic site visits

Faculty and student interns engaged in these projects are involved in all stages of the work. This also generates an opportunity for them to interact with consultants from allied fields as well as industry vendors and gain exposure to newer materials and technologies.

5. Evidence of Success:

• There has been an active engagement of faculty and students in all the projects since the inception of the Design Cell. Internship positions are filled up as soon as they are announced.
• The Design Cell has had the opportunity to work on Design projects as well as Research-oriented projects. In the design projects, there is interaction with the industry and in the research projects, there is an opportunity to engage with the local government organisations and non-governmental organisations. This helps the college to develop and prove its stance as an educational institution that develops well-rounded, skilled, thinking professionals.
• The Cell generates adequate revenue through the projects to pay the interns and use the balance for research work.

6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required:

No major problems have been encountered except for the working hours for the faculty that extend well beyond the college timings. Faculty are expected to participate in the Design Cell activities after completing their teaching tasks and this sometimes leads to much longer work hours. However, interest in the work and the learning experience keeps them motivated and interested. Resources in the form of dedicated space, equipment and software are provided by the college.

BEST PRACTICE 2

1. Title of the Practice: ARCHITECTURAL DOCUMENTATION

2. Objectives of the Practice:

• To understand the value of our architectural heritage by studying and documenting its history, sociocultural narrative, building materials and technology, climate responsiveness
• To engage with the stakeholders, especially the locals and understand the pivotal role that architecture plays in developing the cultural landscape
• To create, over the years, an archive, a permanent reference of the undocumented heritage in the region
• To generate in students a respect for our heritage, an understanding of local building traditions and materials, and a sensitive approach while intervening in culturally valuable sites

3. The Context:

As our institution is located in Mumbai on the western coast of Maharashtra, it seemed fitting to first look at the valuable heritage locally (along the Konkan belt). While studying the local architecture of Maharashtra, it was seen that the temple complexes of the region exhibited a uniqueness in their spatial planning, climate responsiveness and construction techniques. Numerous temple complexes that were the identity of smaller towns and villages were identified and shortlisted for documentation on the basis of their climate responsiveness (sloping roofs, courtyards) and construction technology (timber trusses, laterite walls, etc.) as well as scale, degree of complexity and accessibility.

4. The Practice:

Once the need and interest in the documentation of temples was established, it was decided to engage the first year students in this process. The key reasons for this choice were:

• The site visit serves as a live laboratory for understanding various building materials and traditional building techniques (which are also a part of their course syllabus)
• The students learn the technique of doing Measured Drawings and drafting, in the process also understanding scale and proportion
• The students also learn the art of making mental maps and narrative mapping, conversing with local communities and analysing their findings
• The trip also works as a team building exercise for the batch that would be spending the next 5 years together

After the on-site study is completed, the students work on the representation part in the next few weeks in college in collaboration with the faculty. The final outcome is an exhibition that showcases the documentation in the form of:

• Sketches
• Measured drawings (drafted by hand and using appropriate software, thereby learning software application as well)
• Physical models (showing the entire complex as well as a detailed model for the temple built form itself)
• Documentary film/videos/photographs/recorded interviews documenting the entire process
• Online Portfolio

To assess that the students have understood the religious, social and cultural value of the place, the assets and limitations of the site and appropriate use of materials and construction technology, the exercise concludes with a Design Intervention in the same location. Students design a small addition to the complex and prepare detailed drawings for the same.

The following temples have been documented till date:

• Rameshwar temple at Chaul, Alibag (2016)
• Rajapurchi Ganga, Ratnagiri (2017)
• Temples of Deulwada, Malvan (2018)
• Bandh Rakshak Bhagwati (sacred waterfront), Dhamapur (2019)
• Kaleshwar temple, Nerur (2022)
• Shree Katyayani Baneshwar Temple, Aversa (2023)

5. Evidence of Success:

This documentation work has been awarded several times since its inception:

• Commendation Award (Central Zone), INTACH heritage Awards 2018 for Excellence in Documentation of Unprotected Heritage
• Award of Merit (Central Zone), INTACH heritage Awards 2019 for Excellence in Documentation of Unprotected Heritage

A compilation of all the temples documented thus far in under publication by the college.

6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required:

Documentation of these temple complexes requires precise scheduling, taking into account:

• Weather (rains are very heavy, especially in the Konkan region)
• The annual festivals and auspicious days (it is good to document the location at its busiest and most vibrant, but also very difficult to get peaceful access at such times)
• Staying facilities for large number of students is not easy at such locations
• Respecting religious beliefs associated with the temples and therefore guiding the students accordingly (eg. wearing suitable clothes that respect the local traditions, not using mobile phones while the pooja/aarti is on, etc.)

The entire process also needs financial resources. The students pay for the trip but hosting the exhibition, making models, printing large drawings and eventually publishing a book incurs substantial expenditure.