Back home in Bhutan, Architects are highly demanded in the job market. If you were to opt for architecture your job in the future would be considered secured. This made me see architecture as one of the course that would bring pride. Apart from this I thought architecture was all about drawing random sketches. Now at this juncture, what I knew about architecture seems to be very inaccurate. Since Bhutan is at the infant stage of development, majority of the buildings look alike and architects don’t pay much heed to aesthetics. This as I see it now is wrong. I came to know that the personality of an architect should be reflected through his creations. Architects must be able to express himself through his work.
I used to think that to be an architect, we must focus more on science but in reality it seems it is more to do with art than with science. For instance, the great Architect Tadoa Ando (Japan) would be the most suitable example. He was an illiterate truck driver who was interested in architecture. He became a great architect by learning with sight and feel such that he never read anything but looked at pictures only.
Such a self-educated man who taught in universities he could never attend clearly depicts the nature of the course.

Architects make the world a better place for human habitation. Whatever an architect designs, it has reasons and purposes. If an object has to perform a certain function, its design must support that function to the fullest extent possible. I’ve found that the most difficult task in being an architect is changing our mentality. I vividly remember one of my jury saying that we all have preconceived notions and that as an architect we must unlearn what we learned. In other words, we must think out of the box.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio quoted that, “now, that should be so carried out that account is taken of strength, utility and grace”. Firstly Marcus a the author of the “The Ten Books of Architecture” which is a very antique book. Secondly it means that every construction must take into account strength which is firmness, stability and utility which is commodity and lastly grace which is aesthetics, delight, etc. This unfolds a new meaning to me regarding architecture.

Furthermore, as a corollary to the lecture delivered on 10th jan I also came to realize that as an architect we must try to achieve sustainability. Sustainability has three dimensions. Social, economic and environmental dimensions. Achieving sustainability would enable the world to continue supporting human existence.

In my wisdom, with changing time and new challenges there is a scope for further modifications in the future. Global warming is one factor. It causes mass destruction in many forms such as natural calamities. To seek for shelter from new disasters I think architects will have to modify many designs.
Finally I conclude here by saying that architecture at the core is a personality based course. Tenzin Phuntsho Section B Theory of Design

Continue Reading

YUM YUM .. 5 STAR