ARCHITECTURE...??? SERIOUSLY!!!!

Dear Friends and readers,

Its been ages;that is almost 3 years since i made a post on this blog. It has been a roller coaster ride for me since then. attending lectures, working simultaneously, thesis on head,my diploma in photography etc.
Now, that i have finally completed my Graduation in architecture, i have decided to keep posting on this blog at least once a week. As per my previous reviews, the vedic civilization post has got the maximum views, i know its a part of the syllabus of architecture and you don't find answers anywhere( i Had the same problem then); that's the reason, i read books, researched and came up with it. I know there are few more topics that are not present on the web, if you students could just let me know, i shall publish posts related to it; so that its helpful to you and as well as others and myself.
I hope we have a really exiting journey through this.

PS: just comment or email me the things you require, even drawings if you need.

VEDIC CIVILIZATION

·         Vedic civilization is the earliest civilization in Indian history. Written records of these people have been found.

·         This civilization is named after the Veda’s, the early literature of the Hindu people.

·         The Vedic civilization flourished along the river Saraswati in a region that now consists of the modern Indian states of Haryana and Punjab.

·         The timeline of Vedic civilization is 4500 BC – 1800 BC whereas that of the Indus valley civilization is 3300 BC – 1500 BCE.

Geography:-

The texts describe geography that serves to believe to be in north India. The greatest river described in the Rig-Veda is Saraswati which dried up around 1900 BCE. It began in the Indian state of Uttaranchal and passing through Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan; reaches the Arabian Sea in Gujarat.

Political Organization:-

The grama(village), Vis and Java were political units of the early Aryans. Vis was probably a sub division of Java whereas grama was smaller than two.

Vedic Village:-

·         Also known as Aryan village

·         The early Aryans who had invaded cities of Indus valley civilization had seen the use of brick in their cities

·         However the descendants of Early Aryan people did not use brick and chose to build their village settlements in timber, bamboo and thatch, which were readily and abundantly available from the forests.

·         This can result of their knowledge of carpentry which already excelled in making chariots for the fighting Aryan tribes. It is likely that they adapted their carpentry skills to build wooden structures.

·         Timber structures and bamboo dwellings were also easier and simpler to maintain or rebuild in case of damage by rains and floods.

·         These temporary structures were built because the builders wee for them were symbolic of a re still nomadic by nature and permanent structures were against their natural instincts.

·         Also, maybe be brick structure for them were symbolic of people they had conquered and with whom they chose to differ.

Types of Housing:-

Aryan village was an incorporation of timber and thatched huts of different types:

1] Circular hut

·         The most elementary hut was circular in plan, this was the simplest to construct with bamboo and thatch

·         Circular huts, through easy to erect had obviously functional limitations.

2] Rectangular hut:

·         An addition was made to the circular hut and its form was changed to elastic

·         Elastic nature of bamboos was used in roofing. A barrel like effect was created for the roof by bending the bamboo in the form of an arch and bending the bamboo over bamboo walls.

·         The huts were arranged in groups of the threes or fours around an open courtyard, a conglomerate of such units was a typical Aryan village.

·         The village was defined and screened off from the wildlife of the surrounding forests by a timber fence.

·         A gateway was installed in front of the entry portion, constructed much like a fence and having its horizontal ties raised high enough to provide a controlled entry through which cattle passed to and fro. 

DESIGNING THE FUTURE WITH HELP OF PAST IN THE PRESENT!!

Celebrating the past and designing while protecting the future!!

What is India? India is a very unique country, like no other in the world. It is world’s largest democracy and republic. It is the only country in the world that is merger of innumerable cultures. It is the only country which has varied climates. India has always had a big impact on the world. This is because we are the oldest living civilization of the world.

As FLW has rightly said “Architecture is that creative spirit which from generation to generation, age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to nature of man and his circumstances as it changes.”As the time changes, as generations keeps moving ahead the mindset of one changes. This change in the mindset of people is seen in the environment, the surrounding.

The culture and traditional values of a particular era is seen through the architecture of that place. The myths, the beliefs of people can be imagined and visualized by the architecture. The climate of a particular place plays a great importance while talking of architecture.

The built and un built places are designed by keeping in mind the ‘need’ of that hour. All places are generally designed thinking of privacy as a major concern. The built and the un built together forms the architecture. The culture is reflected in this built and un built places. All these built and un built places show the regional difference. This built and un built places get the feeling when people live with it. The people at that place make the spaces lively. The content of one’s heart i.e. the values and beliefs can be seen in the space which in turn turns humane and a heavenly feeling is brought out.

The structures of the past reflect the religious and cultural history of India. Structures of the past were designed taking the ‘vaastu shastra’ and the functionality into consideration. All structures by default are built to functions. All structures by default have form otherwise the society does not function. The caste system, ashrama system brought about with the various kinds of structures built in the past. All these structures existing today show the great and glorious past of the nation. These structures show us the rich Indian heritage. They relate to the social, economical and political conditions at that time.

Man perceives a space the same way man perceives other things : - through senses! Haptic spaces are defined by touching and bodily interactions, Pictorial spaces are understood by visual experiences and Trans perceptual spaces are learned through inference. Man binds himself to the society through these spaces. Life space known as cognition in space; which involves about the world which one lives in. Physical space known as cognition about space and involves how world works. Intellectual space known as cognition with space and involves thinking with or through the space of medium.

Is the culture still reflected in the designs? Structural features and cultural features are two opposite things when it comes to design but both cannot be separated from each other. The culture always influences the design. The strengths and weaknesses which amalgamate in the design are far beyond to be noticed.

By studying the past and its influence on architects the present is formed. The future is dependent on how the present influences and also the need today. The function that was needed a century back does necessarily be needed today. The structure and culture speaks what was FOR the people; BY the people. Hence, I conclude “ARCHITECTURE” is FOR THE PEOPLE AND BY THE PEOPLE.ALL ARCHITECTURE IS BUILDING; BUT NOT ALL BUILDINGS ARE ARCHITECTURE. ARCHITECTURE FOLLOWS PEOPLE.

-JANKI.VENKATARAMAN

Photography In Architecture!

Vortex!!
Way up!!
Void of Silence!!
The Taj Mahal!!
Swirling At An Angle!!
Lost in Lines!!
High Way Up!!
Hyatt Lobby,Atlanta!!
Golden Ceiling Of Budapest Parliament!!
Esplande!!
Cloisters Of Durham Cathedral!!
Cathedral of Stairs!!
Caracole!!
Balcony Harmon!!
Australian Arch!!
Vertical up!!

American architect Julia Morgan once said, “Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.”

Indeed, architecture serves as a voice to express the artistic stance of the architect at that time. Photography takes a step further to interpret architecture in several ways. What used to be an accurate portrayal of the structure has now gradually evolved into a manipulation of different perspectives to bring out the interesting elements of a single structure. The art of photographing architecture takes on many forms. Whether it is photographing the exterior or interior, many awesome images can be resulted with the correct techniques and more importantly, the observant eye to spot the different points of view.

Like other types of photography, what lies ahead is always a series of challenges for photographers before an excellent shot is taken. However, there are two main challenges in architecture photography – Lighting and Image distortion. When photographing the exterior, natural lighting is all you have got and you have to capture the building at its most glamorous moment. Image distortion occurs when the building has lines running horizontally and vertically and they appear distorted. The right equipment and the right angles would prevent that pitfall.

Interior architecture with repeating patterns and geometric shapes is a bonus to photographers. Employing the use of different camera angles would reveal the beauty of these designs. Architecture with unique and unusual structures also tends to catch our attention. We can’t help but start to ponder how it was made (or maybe built) possible. Photography comes into play as it does justice to impressive architecture.

P.S: the pictures are not clicked by me!!