Ar. Rajiv Khanna & Ar. Sabeena Khanna: Studio KIA

Architecture as a profession is ever evolving and changing. Transformation in architecture, simply put, is the process to convert one form or space of architectural representation into another, owing to changing needs, demands, trends or advancements, ideally without a loss of identity or concept through discrete designing and permutations. Architecture must keep evolving to address the present and future challenges.

Architectural transformation is not merely an aesthetic odyssey across time. It embodies our technological prowess, philosophical paradigms, socio-political upheavals, environmental adaptations, and Artificial Intelligence, symbolizing mankind’s steps towards spatial manipulation, sculpturesque ornamentation, high-tech expressions, and now 3D concrete printing. Architecture reflects a transformative journey through history, cultural roots, societal trajectory, regional context, and a narrative woven through space and time.

Architecture as a profession must constantly evolve, adapt, and transform with the new challenges, changes and opportunities arising in technology, sustainability, and diminishing livable spaces, in terms of building materials, construction techniques, processes, modelling methodologies, precision construction combined with alternative energy resources and reduced carbon footprint.

Indian architecture has undergone significant transformations over time. Beginning from the Harappan civilization of the ancient period, Indian architecture experienced the Medieval period with the entry of Muslim rulers and distinct architectural elements, features, and techniques, to the Indo-Islamic influence with Rajput and Sikh styles, to the British colonial era and European architectural styles of Neoclassical, Gothic and Baroque, to post-Independence Modernist architecture. It has evolved dynamically from ancient marvels to modern sensibilities, reflecting cultural shifts and societal needs, and continues do so in keeping with the rapidly transforming Artificial Intelligence and adaptation to technology, and integrating it into the designing process and vision.

Indian architecture today takes its roots from the ethos of our ancient planning practices and is reinterpreting it into contemporary, experimental architecture. Though architecture changes aesthetically through time but it must always be contextual in its functionality and a continuous work in progress.

It must be forward thinking, collaborative, communicative and take a contextual design approach that transcends time, use, purpose, aesthetics, and function, to create meaningful architecture. Creativity has no bounds and technology has given wings to ideas. In present times, we are seeing a surge of technologies, materials, techniques which are supplementing our thought processes and approach to design. To offer experiential environments and spaces, creativity is challenging the senses to engage beyond the art and science of architecture, with technology, to design out-of-the-box solutions that are smarter, innovative, sustainable, and adaptive. The future of Indian architecture is currently undergoing an exciting transformation that promises to be dynamic and fascinating.