Ar.TAHIR

Here are the 7 reasons that could convince anyone to take up Architecture as a profession…

1. An Architect is a sort of an inventor. Like an inventor who goes about making and designing new gadgets, you go around designing new buildings. Architecture is a very satisfying profession You’ll get a tremendous sense of delight after your concepts on paper transform into real buildings. You’ll know the joy of creation in this field of Architecture…

2. A course in Architecture is a lot of fun. Unlike traditional colleges where you must slog yourself in study halls and libraries, reading and writing all the time, a course in Architecture gives you the liberty to use the right side of your brain, the creative part. You get a lot of opportunities to showcase your creativity and ingenuity while designing structures.

3. Architecture is a very high paying field. Once you get through the course and pass out with good grades, you’d be pursued by large firms looking for fresh talent and new ideas. And compared to most other fields, Architects make a lot more money.

4. It is easy to define Architecture but the word has far deeper meaning than it implies. While you study Architecture, you get to study various fields of human endeavor, including Art, History, Material Science, Physics, Engineering… anything and everything that can help improve the living environment of human beings. It is the most diverse subject you can find. And yet, this field attracts the most creative and romantic minds in the world.

5. The work of an Architect one of the most challenging and enjoyable imaginable. Every building is different. Every project is different. There is absolutely no monotony in life. The thrill and the challenge of work is exhilarating to say the least.

6. If you’re the kind of guy (or gal) who likes to work with his (or her) hands, then Architecture is the right profession for you. In Architecture study course, you get to work with your hands. Its not just about reading and writing all the time, but you must have a hands-on approach on many assignments. Building scale models, making surveys, talking to people… its a very active field.

7. Architecture may sound like a 9 to 5 office job, but its not. Its a lot more than that. Even as a student of Architecture, you get to work on real-life problems of designing functional buildings. If you like to hit the road every now and then, you’re in for some luck. In this profession, you get to travel a lot. You have to put your feet on the ground, and visit construction sites.

What is the purpose of conducting a Case Study?

As the term Case Study suggests, it is the study of a particular case that is similar to your topic of design project. Doing a case study will help you understand the various aspects that you have to consider while designing.

Literature Case study

Before you start with your live case studies, first of all do a complete literature case study. Literature case study consists of reading everything you can find on the subject. You can refer books in a library, use Google to look up research papers, check out Standard Code books and statutory laws or from technical journals.

A literature case study would give you a vague idea about your topic. There will be various questions arising in your mind after you are done with your literature case study. To find the answers to those questions, you will have to go for minimum two live case studies….

Always possibly go for more than two different case studies, because a comparative case study of two or more different cases is very important and helpful.

While you are doing your first case study, say a Villa, go for a smaller Villa first so that you can figure out the basic minimum requirements.
In your second case study, go for an extremely lavish Villa so that you are aware of the maximum requirements you could give.

(Being able to provide maximum or minimum requirements in your design is very important)

If there are some requirements that you haven’t come across while doing your case studies but you went through it while you were doing a literature case study, then try implementing those requirements in your design.

Eleven most important things to analyze in any Case Study

Environment and micro-climate
Analyzing the surrounding environment and the micro-climate of that place will help understand the reason of the orientation of the structure, the kind of roof chosen and the materials used in its construction.
User behavior and requirementsStudying the functioning of a particular place, say a Hospital, is very important; without which you will not be able to figure out the requirements and the area that should be allotted for each of the requirements.Talking to people working at that place (Hospital), will help you figure out if the requirements that are provided are adequate and he area that is allotted is sufficient for its efficient working.
Utility and space enhancement
Study of Utilitarian facilities of a particular case is also important. Various measures taken to enhance a particular space should be analyzed.
Form and Function
Analyzing the reason behind the form of that particular building…and how it merges with the surrounding environment. Form and Function go hand in hand. The form of the building should be able to convey the function of the building. A lot of Architects say “Form follows Function”.As an example, an institutional building should not end up looking like a museum or a disco.Some other Architects might disagree with that philosophy. They’d say that the function of a structure keeps changing but changing the form of the building everytime its function changes is not possible. They say, Adopt a “Universal Design Scheme”.
Horizontal and vertical circulation
Horizontal circulation consists of elements such as the corridors and lobbies. Vertical circulation includes elevators, staircases, ramps etc. The efficiency of the placement of these services should be analyzed.
Site Planning and Landscape detailing
Refer to the Article on the blog “A Guide to Site Planning”, which deals with different aspects considered in site planning in greater detail.
Structural details such as Column and Beam Design, Steel and Composite structures
Understanding and analyzing the structural details is also important. For example, large span structures such as Auditoriums use trusses or heavy I-section steel beams and sometimes shell-roofing that involve construction of Ring beams whereas in small span structures, RCC construction is used.
Building Services such as Fire Alarm system, HVAC, Water supply systems
The working of Fire Alarm system, HVAC and Water supply systems should be examined and their space requirements are to be analyzed.
Design detailing considering the Barrier-free environment
Implementation of the Barrier-free architecture for comfortable access to disabled people. Most public buildings have mandatory accessibility systems for the disabled. Check out Guidelines to the Disability Standards for Access to Premises 200X.
Socio-economic profile of user group
It might also be important to find out the socio-economic profile of the people using the services so as to determine their requirements and available resources.
Parking details and standards
Measure the allotted parking area on site, say for ten cars, then calculate the average area for each car and compare it with the areas specified in TSS (Time Savers Standards).

Conducting a case study is hard work. Sometimes, it is so small, it could be done in days, but on other occasions, it takes weeks to document and compile all the data. It involves going on-site, meeting and taking to people, lots of traveling, plenty of photography, and some fun. It is the most important of assignments you might get as an architectural students.

This is where you learn from reality, actual stuff, as opposed to only theoretical knowledge. Looking at places first hand and documenting information would give you many insights and ideas and let you peek into the minds of professional architects and designers who have used years of experience and improvisation to design and create incredible structures.

Site Planning

Site planning involves arranging structures on the land and shaping spaces between them. It is an art linked to architecture, and city planning. The site plan locates objects and activities in space and time. It may be concerned with a small cluster of houses, a single building and the surrounding space, or a small community built in a single operation.

Environmental Factors

Environmental study for architectural design involves collection of data, reconnaissance survey, creative ability and imagination, and the design of solutions to solve building problems.

When an architect is given a design assignment, there are many environmental factors that are to be considered. The site is the major factor that has to be considered. Site means the area or the land that is meant for the construction of the proposed project. Site Planning is the art and science of arranging the various portions of a particular piece of land according to their uses. The site planner decides on the uses of the site in detail by selecting and analyzing it for the various characteristics of soil, slope, vegetation, etc.

The landscape involves the design of outside space. This should be thought about carefully to make an architectural design complete. The climate at the location at the site is very important as it affects the building that is to be constructed. Services such as water supply, drainage, sanitation, electricity, fire protection, air-conditioning system, etc. also have to be considered in order to make an architectural design complete.

Identification of site and its preparation

Each site has a unique nature of its own. The purpose for which it is to be used should be clearly understood. Every site when disturbed takes time to experience the mutual adjustment of its elements. For example, the flow of water creates a drainage pattern. Many factors are involved in the analysis of the site. These include the factors above the ground, below the ground and on the ground, as discussed in the following.

Natural Factors

Geology
Topography-slope analysis
Hydrography-streams, lakes, swamps
Soil – classification of types and uses
Vegetation
Wildlife
Climate factors – solar orientation, summer, winter winds, humidity, precipitation

Geology

The type of rock below the surface of soil, the depth, and the characteristic features of rock should be identified. Such rocks could act as a foundation for many buildings. These are natural and could form visible landforms. The stability of such geological formations is also important.

Topography

The form of land is called its topography. This is the most important factor to be analysed. Geology and the slow process of natural erosion (soil being worn away because of wind or water) are responsible for landforms and slopes. A topographic survey will reveal the badly drained areas and natural drainage channels. It will be also reveal places that have good views and parts of the site that are visible or hidden from any selected point outside the site. The slopes will decide the roads and paths; a steep slope will increase building costs.

Hydrography

Hydrography provides information about all types of water bodies present in and around the site: lakes, streams, any marshy land(swamps), or natural wells. It also reveals the availability or otherwise of a groundwater table and the depth at which it is available.

Soil

The different types of soil present are analysed. Soil decides the stability of land, foundation, suitability, excavation, erosion, drainage, and plant growth(as the top soil is essential for good plant growth). The bearing capacity of soil is an important factor to be considered while locating buildings.

Vegetation

A study of vegetation helps in locating large existing trees, which can be retained. These can be used for providing seating. The ecology of the area should also be examined to know what plants or shrubs would grow in that area.

Wildlife

This is an important consideration when choosing sites for parks and recreation. Fishing and hunting are major recreational activities. The selection of land suitable for such activities depends on natural wildlife present in the area. Wildlife also adds form, colour and movement to the landscape.

One might also want to be informed about the wildlife present in the area to preserve it and not disturb the animals natural habitats due to the construction.

Climatic Factors

Across a piece of land, the elevation difference, character of topography, vegetation cover, and water bodies influence the climate of that area. On the other hand, precipitation and temperature are the major factors affecting vegetation. In cool and temperate climates, vegetation may be used to block winter winds.

Cultural Factors

Existing land use – ownership of adjacent property and off-site nuisance
Linkages
Traffic and transit-vehicular and pedestrian circulation on or adjacent to site.
Density and floor area ratio
Utilities – sanitation , water, gas, electricity, stormwater drainage.
Existing buildings
Historic factors – historic buildings and landmarks.

Existing land use

This implies a survey of the present status of the land-whether it is residential, commercial, industrial or recreational. The ownership of the adjacent site will also affect the land being surveyed.

Offsite nuisances: Disturbances from outside and around the site have to be studied.

Visual nuisance elements: Power lines, water tower, certain industrial complexes, highways, advertisement boards, junkyards(waste dumps), etc., are some examples of eye-sore elements that have to be taken into account.

Possible auditory nuisance: Noise produced by heavy automobiles, trains, air traffic etc. and the surrounding population has to be studied.

Olfactory nuisance: Dumps, chemicals, other wastes in and around the site have to be taken care of.

Safety Hazards: Severe or sudden changes in landforms, such as a steep cliff at the edge of the site have to be noted.

NATURE and ARCHITECTURE

Most cities built in the near past seem to separate man from nature. An office building in Tokyo may look like an office building in Munich or in Chicago despite the fact that these cities have different cultures, climates and topographies. Thanks to growing interest in Nature, there is hope that in the future, buildings will be better adapted to their environmental and cultural context.

They may not necessarily look like flowers and trees, but try to operate like them instead. Buildings in hot, dry climates may focus on ways of recycling water while buildings in cold climates would try to find ways to conserve heat.

More and more architects see benefits of using Nature in architecture and plans for buildings are being made that incorporate this science. It will influence future buildings to create safer, healthier, economically and environmentally responsible structures.

Architects can find inspiration from nature. Nature provides us with an amazing solution for many complex problems that we face today. At times what may seem as simple in nature can translate to better design solutions that are more efficient, sustainable and healthy. Nature can teach us about systems, materials, processes, structures, and aesthetics. Nature fits form to function. Nature has had millions of years to finely tune mechanisms and structures that work better than current technologies as they require less energy and produce no toxic waste in other words we can have eco-friendly structures. I find hope in the principle that, in nature, there are no hard boundaries or edges; materials merge together seamlessly. Perhaps through the emulation of nature, we will come to live more symbiotically with it, and our environments will become both closer to nature and less invasive to it. The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the real engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival. Nature does many other wonderful things we would do well to learn from. Arctic fish and frogs freeze solid and then spring to life, having protected their organs from ice damage. Black bears hibernate all winter without poisoning themselves on their urea, while their polar cousins stay active with a coat of transparent hollow hairs covering their skins like the panes of a greenhouse. Chameleons and cuttlefish hide without moving, changing the pattern of their skin to instantly blend with their surroundings. Bees, turtles, and birds navigate without maps, while whales and penguins dive without scuba gear. How do they do it? How do dragonflies outmaneuver our best helicopters? How do hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than one tenth of an ounce of fuel? How do ants carry the equivalent of hundreds of pounds in a dead heat through the jungle? If we will try to understand these facts we can really make wonders!

About Me