Course Instructor - Rupali Gupte
Teaching Assistant - Richa Shah
The South Asian Architecture and Urbanism course aims to develop conceptualizations of architecture in the region. The course begins with discussing the problems with present historiographies of South Asian Architecture and Urbanism and goes on to developing conceptual categories through which a new critical understanding of architecture and urbanism in South Asia may be formulated.
To analyze and critique architectural, artistic and spatial works and practices through a critical understanding of their form and contexts, as they relate to life and living.
Developing capacities in archival sourcing of works and field work, analysis of works through close reading of form and context through creating original drawings and diagrams and articulating text.
Analyze one architectural project in South Asia with its spatial configuration, its spatial affordances, material assemblies and discuss its contemporary relevance and affordance for spatial justice. Use original drawings and diagrams for the analysis. The architect may be known or it may be a community generated project.
Output - A 1000-word essay on the project / practice.
Shetty Prasad. 2020. “First Questions”. First Questions. SEA Press (7-24)
Gupte Rupali. 2022. “Of Corrosions, Continuums, Refractions, Seepages and Entanglements: Towards an Architecture of Life” Inside Magazine. Vol3. Issue 01, Matter (1-27)
Gupte, Shetty, Meherotra. 2008. “Contemporary Indian Identity”, Constructing Identity in architecture. ed. Peter Herrle. (199-232)
Ashraf Kazi. 2017. “Building Bangladesh From Pavilion-form to Landscape Form. Bengal Stream, The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh. Christoph Merian Verlag and Swiss Architecture Museum (429 - 436)
De Silva Shayari. 2023. “Introduction: Drawing from the Geoffrey Bawa Archives”. Geoffrey Bawa Drawing from the Archive. Graham Foundation. (27-51)
Bawa Geoffrey. 2023. “Statement by the Architect” Geoffrey Bawa Drawing from the Archive. Graham Foundation. (7-10)
Pant Mohan Moorti. 2022. “Neighbourhood Planning. A Historical Sketch” RICH Architectures Company (Architects Bookshop), Laliltpur, Nepal (1-30)
Shimkhada, Deepak, ed. 2011. “Nepal: Nostalgia and Modernity” Marg Foundation.
Suggested Readings
Carr, E. H. 2018. What is History.Penguin Classics.
Said, Edward. 1979. Orientalism.Vintage.
Frampton, K. (1983) Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance. In, Foster, H. (ed). Postmodern Culture. London; Pluto Press. Pp.16-30.
Fergusson, James. 2011. History of Indian and Eastern Architecture. Mumbai: Rupa.
Sinha, Amita. 2014. “Architectural History in India, A colonial Perspective.” Ed Smita Dalvi. Tekton Volume 1 (Issue 1): 32-47 pgs.
Students went on a field trip to the inner city of Mumbai to Girgaon, Khotachiwadi, Bhuleshwar, and Zaveri Bazaar, looking at buildings such as the Tarabaug chawl, the buildings in Khotachi wadi, an urban village, the building types in Madhav baug that mix religious, trade and living functions, Panjra Pol, a community institutional facility for animal care and other small community institutional types historically designed by the trading communities in the city. The objective of the walk in the city is to make students understand and experience space, behaviour and affordances that support life and living in these places.