NAGPUR: "Buildings today are just like sealed boxes where there is no sense of belonging. As architects we are supposed to understand the human needs in relation to the space we require," said Neelkanth Chhaya, a noted architect from Ahmedabad, on Friday. 

Delivering an oration on 'The architecture of life: The life of architecture', organized by the Nagpur branch of Indian Institute of Architects in memory of Shyam Mavlankar at a city hotel, Chhaya said architecture today is more concerned about maintaining privacy, often disconnecting a person from the society. "Architecture is just a design of boxes for an individual. It is in our nature to live as a society. How will individuals be able to cooperate in time of need," he asked. 

Chhaya pointed at two techniques which architects and designers can apply — persuasion and seduction. "You try and make you client understand that a more natural approach in design will be better for him. It is like telling someone to buy a suit which makes him look good," he said. 

"We see people looking dazed when they walk inside a shopping mall. Confusion is one way of quieting an anxious human, the other is fear. Making people believe something bad will happen is one way of instilling fear in the minds of people," said Chhaya. He pointed out to the idea that architecture has become a narrow concept. 

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