Following the panel discussions organised as a part of Death of Architecture last week, a few more sessions continued this weekend at the Anna University School of Planning and Architecture. The key topic was education and the future of architecture. The list of eminent speakers included Sita Lakshmi, HOD of SAP; Arun Menon, IIT Madras; Shoonya, Measi School and Supriyo Bhattacharjee, studio director architectureRED and moderated by Pradeep Verma, an architect.

The audience was filled with a bunch of aspiring architecture students in their masters and undergraduate courses, practicing architects from several firms and professors from the field. “The overall performance of a student cannot be estimated in the first year itself. There are many who fare better as the years progress. Considering the rigourous training schedule and subjects, each one has a different opinion when they join. The learning continues even after joining work,” said Sita Lakshmi, one of the panelists.

A common thread despite the diversity among speakers was the fundamental question of how the social, political, cultural and economic aspects needed to be looked at in order to define architects. Secondly, how the professionals in the field need to be upgraded to keep up with the fast pace of technology. The third question debated and discussed was the need for civil and structural engineers to be more involved in architectural classrooms and profession. To bring about a change, the curriculum needs to be shaped but that is a long process.

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