Design is undergoing a huge transition across the world. The designer today, is exposed in an unprecedented manner; he/she is travelling across the globe and attending seminars, exhibitions and participating in competitions, and at the same time, the global design fraternity is coming to India for doing projects, or as speakers in design forums. So, a global exchange in design is happening across countries. A cyber design revolution is also happening. There is a flood of organized design, which is available at one’s finger tips, and never in the history of architecture and design was so much information available.
In this transition phase, I can see many buildings blindly following the design of the West, irrespective of the geography and climate we live in. But, a lot of matured design is also happening simultaneously. Sustainability is gathering more support, and professional bodies have become more proactive. I foresee lots of good and bad design happening simultaneously in this phase.
Soft skills are here to stay, despite the generation gap and differences in opinion.
I have a very proactive approach towards all the soft skills. Software like BIM, Rhino etc. have made life extremely easy. The end user/client, who is investing all his hard-earned money, gets to know the look of his project well in advance. A designer has to deal with many services like air conditioning, electricals, plumbing, acoustics etc. Integration of all these services with design becomes extremely complex. That is where soft skills come in handy. However, the old charm of pencil sketches adds a lot of value to the imagination.
Traditional materials, which are natural/organic in nature, are making a big comeback.
Ironically the comeback is also happening in the most affluent society, which has seen and experienced richness in all its multi-dimensions. This, somewhere, has a spiritual connect. Having experienced affluence, life takes a full circle. That inner desire to connect with Nature takes a strong seat, which gets reflected in all the actions and ways of living. The invent of simplicity and minimalism in design and architecture took birth from this approach to life. However, some isolated incidences of intelligent use of modern materials like steel, glass and concrete is also happening in our country.
MKDC green office buildingConstruction techniques like Precast, PEB, Drywall, etc, will not become the norm.
When we say norm, it signifies their adoption by the masses, and I don’t’ see this happening as India still has cheap labour available. These techniques will gain momentum in metros, where the emphasis is on space saving, timely construction etc as these techniques will reduce the construction time for a project. They will also be useful in areas where the site has a space crunch. Drywalls using gypsum is already gaining significance in interiors by saving precious carpet area and reducing water consumption.
I foresee every home in India having the potential to become a solar energy generator.
Sustainable and green buildings are gaining a lot of importance. Although the model of the rating system is adopted from the West, but the newer developments are giving more importance to Indian geographical conditions. Many state governments are giving additional FAR, rebate in property tax, and subsidy on solar equipment to promote such projects.
India is blessed with sunlight for almost 300 days in a year. The potential of this natural energy source is yet untapped but is going to increase in the coming years. Many state governments are actively propelling this growth by promoting NET metering, and I foresee every home in India having the potential to become a solar energy generator. The challenge lies in the implementation of policies at the government level.
