All posts by Matter

Architecture, Contemporary Practice, Projects

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH: VIKAS DILAWARI ARCHITECTS

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Afflicted with bureaucratic hurdles and unsettling realities, the condition of living heritage in the country is grave. At a time when the practice of urban heritage conservation has seen a paradigm shift to ‘beautification’, the meticulous restoration of St John the Baptist Church by Mumbai-based Vikas Dilawari Architects resurfaces the need for patronage in conservation.

St John the Baptist Church, Thane

With the onset of economic liberalisation, the early 1990s witnessed generous patronage from the private sector for the Conservation of Arts and Culture. Inheriting a rich legacy of Continue reading ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH: VIKAS DILAWARI ARCHITECTS →

Architecture, Design Thinking, Dialogues, Drawing to Find Out, Interviews, Visual Culture

DRAWING TO FIND OUT [06]: PERCY ADIL PITHAWALA

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Percy Adil Pithwala’s practice moves through intersections in art and architecture. While analysing his work at the Red Studio in Vadodara, we discuss and discover his way of looking at drawing – the abstract and the architectural. 

Images and Drawings: Courtesy Percy Adil Pithawala
Author: Vedanti Agarwal
Curation & Film: Matter

Percy Pithawala has developed a unique approach to architectural practice over the years. Situated between pedagogy, art and architecture, his practice forages for intersections, unions and relationships between the three fields with ideas moving fluidly between the three. Percy Pithawala transitioned from working on conventional architecture projects to testing new grounds in competitions, abstract explorations and experimental pedagogy. While growing into both an artist and an architect, Percy closely engaged with ‘drawing as art’ from his schooling years at Pratt University, New York. His process engages with various modes, methods and mediums of drawing, some meant to bring about resolution in thought, while others: a vivid intuitive activity; each one producing expressive outcomes. Continue reading DRAWING TO FIND OUT [06]: PERCY ADIL PITHAWALA →

Architecture, Contemporary Practice, Interviews, Praxis, Projects, Studio

STUDIO: BPS ARCHITECTS

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Studio culture is the embodiment of a pattern of work that nurtures the craft of building. Architecture workspaces are especially readable in this context as architects are, in this case, designing for themselves. With every workplace as distinct and specific as the work it produces, the people who design and work in these environments reveal their ideas about space-making.

In this edition of the STUDIO series, we enquire about the processes, approaches, work ethics, and the trajectory of a Rajkot-based practice BPS Architects led by Parth Shah and Brinda Shah.

In conversation; photographed by Aman Amin

Q: How long has it been since the completion of your studio space, and how has it transformed?

Parth Shah [PS]: Our studio was completed in August 2007. Since then, it has transformed in more ways than one. Some of the immediate physical changes are visible in the way the ‘green’ has become a part of the building over a period of time. Continue reading STUDIO: BPS ARCHITECTS →

Architecture, Design Thinking, Dialogues, Drawing to Find Out, Interviews, Studio, Visual Culture

DRAWING TO FIND OUT [05]: SHUBHRA RAJE

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Shubhra Raje, principal architect of shubhra raje_built environments closely engages with different drawing practices within her studio. By excavating and analysing visual material in Shubhra’s studio, we attempt to decipher the draftsmanship cultures, their relationship with the design process and the way in which they inform her practice.

Images and Drawings: Courtesy Shubhra Raje
Author: Vedanti Agarwal
Curation and Film: Matter.

Shubhra Raje’s practice emphasizes the act of drawing as a means of critical thinking. Her rigorous drawing habit traces back to schooling years at CEPT University, where drawing by hand was ingrained in the academic rigour. However, her perceptions on the necessity to draw as a mode of thinking (as against drawing to represent) evolved through learnings during her time at the Cornell University. Representational drawings command a style that is conscious of its viewers. Design-thinking drawings are undisturbed collaterals between the engaged hand and the searching mind, oblivious of another eye. The scale of Shubhra’s practice enables her to engage with all stages of drawing in the design development process.

Continue reading DRAWING TO FIND OUT [05]: SHUBHRA RAJE →

Architectural Education, Contemporary Practice, Discourse, Essays, Lectures

[TML] The Takshila Lecture on Architecture and Society

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To mark the opening of the 2018-19 cycle of The Merit List, The First Takshila lecture on Architecture and Society was delivered by Prof Neelkanth Chhaya on August 14, 2018. The lecture was followed by a dialogue with Bijoy Ramachandran and an interaction with the audience.

Continue reading [TML] The Takshila Lecture on Architecture and Society →