The Indian Institute of Architects, Northern Chapter (IIA-NC) has been debating on the issue of Architectural Education for some time & this seminar is an outcome of those debates.
The Architectural Profession in our country today faces a “Problem of Plenty”. The “Graduates in Architecture” (approx 25000 every year) are flooding the Profession. Our number is expanding rapidly. In the last five years we have added as many architects as we had in the ninety years since 1919, when the profession was established in India. This total is likely to double in the next five years.
On the other hand, the nation is poised to invest heavily in infrastructure still to be built offering us unprecedented opportunities of growth. So the Gaps between “Education” & “Expectation of Profession” needs Recognition, Deliberations and Serious Responses in terms of Professionals -Education partnerships to bring about some Reforms in the Architectural Education framework for preparing the “Architectural Professionals of Tomorrow”.
Apparently there is a widening gap between what architecture students are learning and what they should be learning.
Architectural Practices, find it irksome to train “Fresh Graduates” about “Elementary Architecture”, even months after induction. Graduates, in turn, complain that they did not learn much at school that was professionally useful.
The Architectural Practices are financially becoming more competitive & technologically challenging with every passing year. “Client Expectation” is getting fueled by “the increasing International Travel”, “the Spread of Technology/Information due to the enabling Internet”, and it is increasing. Our inability to service “this need” is pushing the Client towards International Architects, irrespective of the fact that, many a time their proposals/design are unsuitable both financially & to local context.
Today’s Profession needs much “Enabled Graduates” to face & counter this challenge, and our Architectural Education must facilitate this.
Yet the increasing tendency for appointing overseas architects to design major projects, both in the government and the private sector raises a big question. “Is our vast resource pool NOT good enough?”.
Seeking placements in MNCs and BPOs offering better wages for low-profile work, our graduates seem to be unwilling or unprepared for an entrepreneurial career as an Architect in India. Like Macaulay’s English-literate clerks, it seems that we are dumping our karm-yogi spirit, cultural wealth and self-esteem to fast become a “truly dominated nation”.
Three very disturbing phenomena are hereby exposed:
- The compulsory practical training is not having the desired effect given that the number of trainees at any time exceeds the possible practices where they can be trained by a factor of four to one.
- Most of the “Recent Graduates” are being absorbed back in the academia as masters’/doctoral students and later as teachers for the mushrooming architectural education industry.
- Many graduates after their first brush with real-life practice, desert the profession altogether resulting in a colossal national waste.
Coming together is the beginning, remaining together is beneficial and working together brings success. Along with the Academia, we at IIA NC Strongly Feel a Need to address the issue and Bridge this Gap in collaboration with Academia. The Front-end of the industry must inform the back-end, on what preparations are needed.
The Indian Institute of Architects, Northern Chapter’s Objective of the seminar is to elicit the views of a wide spectrum of Professional Architects, Academicians, Clients, Employers, Consultants, and Other Users of professional architectural services in respect to “Architectural Education Today”.
It is proposed to deliberate on the issue during the following 3 sessions and then share the findings, with all stakeholders be it Academicians, Professionals & Concerned Authorities for Further Action at their end.
Session Details
Session – 01 : Architectural Education – Turmoil & Dilemma ….
- Growing Number of “Qualified Architects” - Boon or Bane for the Industry.
- Heavy dependence on “Google ” - Is it a threat to innovation ?.
- Lack of Adequately Qualified Faculty - a cause of concern for the Future of the Profession.
- Audience Participation.
Session – 02 : Architectural Education – Challenges & Opportunities ….
- Changing Face of Architectural Practice - an introduction to the Current opportunities
- Impact of the Emerging Opportunities in Practice, on Architectural Education .
- Architectural Research – Its role in preparing the fresh graduates to compete with “International Talent”.
- Audience Participation.
Session – 03 : Architectural Education - Road Ahead ….
- Togetherness amongst Academics and Profession in “Acquisition of Adequate Information” & “Imparting Knowledge”.
- “Innovations” in Architecture Education to create a better Talent pool.
- Contribution of Profession in “Educational Research”.
- Audience Participation.
It is expected that approximately 150-200 delegates from the profession and various Schools of Architecture in Delhi NCR and surrounding regions are likely to attend this seminar.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Would you like to present at the Seminar or send in your Paper to be published as part of the Document proposed to be Published ?
Please write in to iiancdelhi[at]hotmail.com with a copy to Rohit[at]rsms-arch.com