In the 1930s, the Capital Complex at New Delhi had just been inaugurated as the seat of the Government of India. Of the many talented Brit ish architects associated with the building of the new Capital enclave, only Walter George elected to stay on and establish a private practice in Delhi. There were hardly five architects in private prac tice in the city, as the profession was still in its infancy in northern India at that time. The two existing schools for training architects in India were in far off Bombay and Baroda. An acute shortage of trained professionals was being felt. The outbreak of World War 11 generated a sud den demand for engineer-architects by the Allied forces, and George and a few friends helped es tablish the first training facility for architects in this region. And so the Department of Architec ture came into existence as part of the Delhi Polytechnic at Kashmeri Gate in 1942.

The first Principal of the Delhi Polytechnic was ment of Architecture was Mirza. When Mirza migrated to Pakistan, he was replaced by John Terry, a Walter George protege. The first batch of students to complete the course received their National Diplomas in Architecture in 1950, ready and eager to face the challenges thrown up by Independence and the country's partition. The building of Chandigarh was a powerful magnet for many.

Meanwhile, other young Indian architects and planners were returning home to participate in nation building after postgraduate studies abroad. George took a keen interest in their welfare and helped them organise themselves. He was, for example, the principal motivating force behindthe creation of the Institute of Town Planners (India) (ITPI), in 1951. He encouraged one of his young friends, T.J. Manickam (then serving as a Senior Architect in the CPWD) to consider establishing a School for Town and Country Planning. Manickam was a dynamic personality - a qualified architect, civil engineer, and town planner. He quit government service and took up the challenge.

The School of Town and Country Planning was established by the government in 1955 and registered as a Society. It operated in rented premises in Kapurthala House on Man Singh Road. Due to Manickam's excellent relations with government architects, planners and bu- reaucrats he was able to secure prime land for building both a headquarters for ITPI and the School in Indraprastha Estate. The foundation stone for what is now called the Planning Campus was laid by Professor Humayun Kabir, Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs, on 26 May, 1958. The School was well on its way and has never looked back since. Manickam was thus the Founder Director and architect of this institution.

In 1959 the Department of Architecture of the Delhi Polytechnic joined the School of Town And Country Planning and the newly integrated institution was renamed the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA). The physical relocation of the architecture department took a few years; the architecture campus, also designed by Manickam, was ready for occupation in 1965.

Within twenty-five years of its founding, the School had established a formidable and unique reputation as the nation's leading institution forimparting professional education in the physical design and planning fields. The Government of India thus conferred the status of Deemed University on the School in 1979. This entitled SPA to confer its own degrees and to broaden its horizons by introducing new academic programmes, extension programmes, and to promote research and consultancy activities.

The '80s were marked by many advances: the setting up of Centres for Advanced Studies attached to different departments of study, the initiation of doctoral programmes, and the establishment of the Centre for Analysis and Systems Studies (CASS). The decade culminated in the construction of a residential campus in Taimur Nagar, New Friends Colony. This provided both augmented hostel facilities and a few units of housing for staff and faculty.

In 1992 a few Delhi based alumni of the School established the first officially recognised and registered alumni association, with the Director as patron. SPA Alumni, as the association is known, organised the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Department of Architecture that same year. This association has tremendous potential for playing a very active supporting role in the future development of the School.

The '90s have seen the School enter into several bilateral partnerships with foreign universities and research organisations in order to pursue specialised areas of research, organise workshops, seminars, exhibitions, and so on. An Overseas Research Development Centre has been established by the School to extend facilities to developing countries in Africa and the SAARC nations.

SPA has set itself a number of tasks to be performed and objectives to be achieved in the immediate future. Among the most important ones are:

1. The construction of a new and much needed integrated campus on an eight hectare site owned by SPA in close proximity to Jawaharlal Nehru University;
2. Introduction of new academic programmes in various areas of specialisation, and intensification of research and training programmes;
3. Strengthening of links with national and international institutions of repute;
4. Developing a sustained programme of faculty training and development;
5. Promotion and diversification of extracurricular activities for students; and
6. Participation in and contribution to policy formulation and programme implementation at all levels of government where SPA's rich expertise can make a meaningful contribution.

Policy Making Bodies

Resources at SPA

Library

The two libraries of SPA together house an invaluable collection of 66, 000 books, built up over a period of five decades. This library is reputed to be Asia's finest specialised library dealing with the architecture, design and planning fields along with their allied disciplines. In addition to SPA's own faculty and students, the library is used intensively by a range of visiting research scholars from various cities in India and abroad.

The architecture campus and planning campus libraries are also noted for their collection of Thesis Reports, Seminar Reports, Dissertation Reports, Technical Reports of various expert bodies and commissions, Census Reports, and so on. Bound volumes of back issues of several journals and periodicals, and maps, slides and drawings are also part of the holdings. Referring bibliographic search facilities, inter-library loan facilities and photocopying are among the other services offered.

The library subscribes to approximately 170 journals, and over 60 magazines and newspapers. We receive about 50 journals and regular newsletters from all over the world on a complimentary/reciprocal basis. The library is making steady progress towards computerisation with the technical assistance of INSDOC and the installation of CDS/ISIS software on its computers.

The Library is headed by a Senior Librarian assisted by a staff of fourteen.

Documentation and Publication Unit

This unit carries out three main functions:

1. Publication of the quarterly journal of the School. From the '50s to the mid '80s the journal was titled Urban and Rural Planning Thought and was widely acknowledged as the foremost academic journal in this field in Asia. In 1985 the journal was renamed SPACE, to reflect more inclusionary concept of the many disciplines represented at SPA. SPACE continues to be published quarterly. Its Editorial Board is chaired by the Director, and the current Editor is Professor J.H. Ansari.
2. Preparation and dissemination of a monthly bulletin named SPA Abstracts which contains synopses of significant articles featured in the technical journals subscribed to by the School library. Furthermore, newspapers are scanned daily and items of technical and professional interest to the physical design and planning professions are clipped out, copies are displayed on notice boards, and the cuttings are then maintained in classified files for use as research material by scholars.
3. The unit is responsible for meeting all publishing and printing needs generated by the various departments of study and administrative sections of the School. It also prepares and prints the School's Annual Report to Parliament.

Head of the Unit: H.B.Singh, Asst. Pro Regional Planning, supported by a staff of two.

Audio-Visual Unit

The unit was established four decades ago and has developed into a key resource of the School. The unit has three darkrooms, one of which is reserved only for the use of students. Besides providing basic training in photography to students, its prime functions are to document students' work and provide support to faculty by way of audio-visual teaching aids. Other services offered include:.

1. Still photography and video shooting, editing and sound recording.
2. Preparation of B & W and colour slides as teaching aids.
3. Deploying and manning A V equipment for seminars, workshops and other important School functions.

Over the decades the unit has participated in the preparation and mounting of several important exhibitions; some of these exhibitions have been shown in other cities in India and in Europe. The unit has also documented several dimensions of' the academic, social and cultural life of the School.

The equipment maintained by the A V Unit includes the full range of technology for B & W and colour shooting, processing and enlarging; video cameras, recorders and projection systems; conference and public address systems; and teaching aids such as slide projectors, overhead projectors, 8 mm and 16 mm film projectors, and so on.

The unit is headed by an Instructor in Photography assisted by a staff of four

Laboratories and Workshop

1. The Material Testing Laboratory is fully equipped to train both under-graduate and postgraduate students for undertaking tests of building materials such as cement, steel, aggregates, etc., in the pre- and post-construction stages. Special tests include 'destructive' and 'non-destructive' tests. Use of equipment for undertaking tests which are investigative in nature (e.g. penetration resistance and ultrasonic pulse tests) is given special emphasis. The laboratory has sufficient potential to undertake research as well as consultancy projects in the field of mix-design of high strength concrete and testing of soils.

   Technical Officer: S.P. Srivastava, assisted by other technicians.

2. The Remote Sensing Laboratory was established a decade ago to impart basic training to students in aerial-photo-interpretation and remote sensing using satellite imagery. These techniques have now become indispensible tools for mapping and analysis at various scales for urban and regional landuse planning. The techniques are used extensively in the undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in planning, and are most cost-effective in conducting surveys/updating base maps, etc., in an era of rapid urbanisation

   Technical Assistant: S. Ghosh.

3. The Conservation Material Laboratory was established recently to provide scientific training in testing ancient artefacts and materials. The laboratory is equipped to carry out both physical examination under magnification, and chemical analysis for determining the composition and characteristics of materials, mortars, etc. Visiting scientists associated with the ASI conduct regular courses for students of architectural conservation using this laboratory as a resource. 4. The Workshop at SPA provides a range of training and maintenance services to the SPA community. Students are trained in basic carpentry and metal work and have access to the workshop facilities for making architectural models. The workshop is fully equipped for all categories of carpentry, machine tooling, welding, and so on. The major responsibility for routine repairs and maintenance of the various campus buildings also rests with the workshop personnel.

   Workshop Superintendent: Prahlad Ram, assisted by a staff of six.

Centre for Analysis and Systems Studies (CASS)

The mandate and activities of CASS are:

1. Introduction and support of computer applications in all the departments of study across SPA, with a special emphasis on the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) in our programmes of architectural and planning education. Accordingly, the curricula of several programmes of study are being updated and new courses on computer applications are. being introduced. The major task before CASS now is the introduction of CAD and GIS in planning and design studios. There is also a need to introduce multi-media presentation and bureaux facilities to students and practising architects and planners.
2. CASS has a key role in the discharge of the School's function as a National Resource Centre for other institutions in the field of planning and architecture such as educational institutions, urban and regional development authorities, municipal authorities, and for practising architects. A state-of-the-art CAD Unit is being established with the financial and management participation of Autodesk, Softdesk and Hope. Through such group management we expect to foster closer interaction between the CAD industry and academia. The activities planned include regular training workshops and seminars on CAD tools, and customisation of software for Indian planning and architectural practice. A fee will be charged for all activities of the CAD Unit to make its operations self-sustaining and maintain its status as a state-of-the-art centre under group management.
3. Development of CASS as the main communication centre of the School with an INTERNET connection on a Local Area Network providing for E- MAIL, FILE
   TRANSFER-PROTOCOL, TELNET, GOPHER, WORLDWIDE-NET, USENET GROUP and INTERNET RELAY CHAT, and TALK. The School has a slip account with the Educational and Research Network (ERNET) of the Department of Electronics, Government of India. EMail accounts are open to all permanent faculty members of the School, and students are actively using this facility for international academic interactions and accessing international data bases.
4. Management Information Support for SPA: The library and accounting systems are being automated. The holdings of the SPA libraries are being digitised for key-word oriented bibliographic access from the LAN network of CASS. Progress has been made on the use of computers in various administrative sections of the School, as CASS has been training administrative staff over the last few years, and will continue doing so.

In order to discharge the above functions and activities CASS has built up a large range of computer hardware over the last decade: scanners, digitisers, plotters, printers, modems, etc., with approximately 40 computers ranging from the PC AT 386 and PC AT 486 to the PC AT Pentium.

Software holdings include 45 licences of Auto CAD Ver. 12, with AME, AUTO ARCHITECT, ARCHBASE, electric, plumbing, HVAC, plan and elevation, landscape, productivity tools, DETAILS, AUTOVISION, and AUTOCADDESIGNER. G.I.S. softwares include MAPINFO, AUTOCAD DATA EXTENSION, Facility Management System of AutoCAD, MGE, PC GRID ANALYST, ARCH INFO, ARCH VIEW, and the image processing software ERDAS- IMAGINE. General software includes DOS, WINDOWS 3.1 WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS FOR WORK GROUPS 3.11, EXCEL, WORD, FOXPRO, LOTUS, LOTUS SMART SUITE, LAYOUT d-BASE, CPAV, PC TOOLS, NASHOT, NASHPACK, AC TRACER, STACKER and several others.

Head of CASS: Prof.' T.M. Vinod Kumar, assisted by, Dr. Vinay Maitri, Assistant Professor, and a staff of six.

Hostel Facilities

Applicants to all programmes of Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies should note that the School has limited hostel facilities. Accommodation will be provided only to out-station students based on availability of hostel seats and in accordance with the Hostel Rules.

The Girl's Hostel is located in the Planning Campus in I.P. Estate, and the Boy's Hostel is an integral part of The SPA Residential, Campus located a few kilometres away in Taimur Nagar, New Friends colony, New Delhi- 110065.

The Honorary Hostel Wardens are senior members of the Faculty and will expect hostelers to abide by all Hostel Rules and Conditions as young adults capable of handling both the opportunities and the exacting responsibilities of adulthood.

Student Activities and Cultural Life

Extracurricular activities are an integral component of student life. At SPA, students run a series of clubs and associations which centre on dramatics, western music, Indian music, photography, and so on. The dramatics club Spandan and the Indian music group Sankalp have several excellent performances to their credit. Spakriti is ex- clusively in charge of organising several Spic-Macay concerts each year featuring the nation's most eminent performing artists. FEAT (Forum for Exchange of Architectural Thought) regularly organises lectures and interactions with eminent persons in the field of architecture and the allied disciplines. Various student magazines and wallpapers faithfully, and often provocatively, mirror both the formal and informal dimensions of student life in the three campuses.

Expression, the biannual student exhibition, gives an opportunity for students to exhibit their work, both academic and spontaneous statements of creativity : in photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, and other media. Students also conduct an annual cultural week, Utopia, which features art and crafts competitions, debates, discussions, and a variety of cultural events.

Students of architecture are members of NASA (National Association of Students of Architecture), and those of Planning are members of NOSPLAN (National Organisation of Students of Planning).

Through the activities of these bodies students get an opportunity to interact with their contemporaries from all over the country and to view work approaches in sister institutions for mutual benefit and learning. All these student activities are managed by a Student Council and UG and PG Student Associations, whose members are elected annually by the students' body. However, faculty guidance is available as and when requested, both at the formal and informal level.

Sports and games too have a significant place in SPA campus life. Despite restricted physical infrastructure, the students have access to a swimming pool in the Taimur Nagar Residential Complex, and facilities for tennis, cricket basketball, volley ball gymnastics and aerobics are available between the three campuses. SPA students have made a name for themselves in inter-university sports, by winning medals and trophies. Hiking and trekking expeditions are also organised each year, particularly during the summer vacations.

Faculty of the School of Planning and Architecture