by Ipshita seth
If we go by the textbook definition of Architecture, it is stated as " The art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.". But what could be so easily explained in one line, is in reality a complex procedure that involves the blood, sweat and tears of a lot of different types of people, at various stages.
The process of making a building is a very complex one, involving inputs from various people with various ideas. What starts as a simple request of a client, ends with considering everyone's views, from the architect themselves, to a structural engineer, the contractor given the project and sometimes even the meager labourer working on the construction of the building.
When the client comes with a demand, sometimes even downright outrageous, it's the duty of the Architect to convince them to reach a compromise by taking into consideration by-laws, climatic and social factors. But the job doesn't end there. Once a project is given the green light and contractors are involved, an Architect has to make the contractor and the labourers working underneath him understand the design and even the materials to be used, right down to what kind of chips will be used while making concrete. But even when the construction finishes, an Architect's job doesn't finish, they have to continue supervising whether any damage is occurring in the building.
The labourers, while construction of any project, probably work the hardest. They have to completely understand what the Architect wants them to do and then follow their instructions to a t to make the building happen. They work the longest hours, sometimes even risking their precious lives, to fulfill the dreams of a person who is practically a stranger to them.
There is also the contractor, who may either follow the Architect's instructions or consider their own profit by using cheaper alternatives for the materials and compositions specified, which leads to a poorly stable building, the collapse of which gets blamed on the unaware Architect.
Architecture thus, may seem like a procedure of the people, by the people and for the people, but dwelving deeper into it will reveal that the involvement of different people in the construction of one single project is only on the surface level.
Though the construction of any project involves the inputs of people regarding the structural stability and cost-effectiveness by using alternate materials, their input isn't considered while designing the space. One can argue that their input does not need to be taken if it's a building for the client's individual use, but the same procedure is followed even when it's a public service building - educational institutions, community centres, office building, et cetera.
Even while approaching the designing of a public service building, the inputs of only the people sanctioning the project are taken, be it the government, any MNC or even NGOs. But the input of the people, for whom the spaces are being designed and constructed, their inputs are never even thought about considering, let alone actually doing it.
For example, while opening a branch in India, a MNC might want to have an exterior glass facade in the building because that's the pattern followed in their headquarters, say in USA, but they fail to realize that in Indian context, glass facade causes the interior temperatures to rise, leading to spending more money than required to create comfortable working conditions in that building. In another example, the government might want to set up a industry near a village, albeit to create job opportunities for the people living their, but in doing so, they also harm the environment of the village, affecting the health of every single person residing there.
The sanctioners of the projects often fail to consider the aforementioned aspects in a building, and they cannot be completely blamed for it too, because they have a lot of other different factors to consider and keep in mind.
But, if the inputs of the people who are ultimately going to use the building are taken into considerations, these aspects will be thought of, along with the solutions to three problems arising. A person using any building on a daily basis will have a better understanding of it than people sitting in an office somewhere else, having enough money to sanction the construction of it. Having discussions with the community of people ultimately going to use a building will result in designing of spaces that are more beneficial and maybe even cost-effective.
When Architecture becomes by the people, of the people, but not for the people, it leads to designing and construction of spaces that make problems arise instead of solving any issues. Only when Architecture becomes for the people, taking into consideration the views and demands of the public, do we get buildings that are as close to perfect as it can get
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