An editorial project by Matter in partnership with Şişecam Flat Glass, PRAXIS investigates the work and positions of diverse contemporary architecture practices in India. In this episode, Mausami and Uday Andhare – Principal Architects of Ahmedabad-based Indigo Architects, reflect on the varied roots that form the position of the practice today. Moulded by a meticulous process and inquiry, their approach is pluralistic and explorative. Themes surrounding appropriateness, materiality, endurance, and environmental concerns feature consistently across the studio’s work. They elaborate on the spirit of the practice, viewing it as an ecosystem that broadens beyond the studio — to sites, stakeholders, academia and society.
An editorial project by Matter in partnership with Şişecam Flat Glass, PRAXIS investigates the work and positions of diverse contemporary architecture practices in India.In this episode, the four partners of Mumbai-based SJK Architects – Shimul Javeri Kadri, Vaishali Mangalvedhekar, Sarika Shetty and Roshni Kshirsagar, elaborate on a few central themes, core ideas and critical questions that shape the bounds of the work produced by the studio. The discussion dwells on the evolution of their partnership, their collective efforts to provide an expansive perspective for each project, and being attuned to wider conversations on materiality, craftpeopleships, gender and public realm.
An editorial project by Matter in partnership with Şişecam Flat Glass, PRAXIS investigates the work and positions of diverse contemporary architecture practices in India. In this episode, Rahul Gore and Sonal Sancheti of _Opolis elaborate on the formal values that shape their outlook and approach to design. The discussion examines in detail aspects of partnerships – internally and externally – especially in public projects, the active role teaching and collegial culture plays in their studio.
PRAXIS is a curatorial project to chronicle contemporary architecture practice in India, with a particular emphasis on the principles, the structure, the challenges and the ideology. This film – a panorama of the first phase of the PRAXIS initiative – documents eleven studios from across India.
A Recorded Lecture from FRAME Conclave 2019: Modern Heritage
In this lecture, Dr Himanshu Burte speaks on the nature of Laurie Baker’s human-centric architectural practice; as an empiricist, environmentalist and extremely critical and creative practitioner.
Edited Transcript
So it is going to take a while for me to recover from one hour of Geoffrey Bawa and after this lush serenity, especially because I have to follow it up with an argument. But, I will go ahead and I am going to be talking about Laurie Baker. I have kept what I am saying fairly narrow and it is mainly in the form of a straight-on argument I am offering, and I am hoping that we can have a discussion afterwards, whenever we are scheduled. I have actually changed the title from what is published or what was originally given to it, because I actually took the title of my obituary for Baker, written just after he passed away and because of the resonance with yesterday’s discussion around Gandhi and Architecture.
I will begin by looking at the context, the objectives and the premises of what I have to say. To begin with, since this is about heritage and we are talking about Modern Heritage particularly, I approach heritage with the understanding that every map is really a plan. It just does not show you what is there, but it is a project. Heritage in that sense, I see as an exercise in constructing the future. By constructing the past in certain ways, by preserving certain memories and ascribing certain meanings to it, we are really constructing and doing the work of creating a future that we want. That I think extends to some extent to Prem‘s point, though I am sure he would not necessarily disagree with this. So, given that this is what is involved in thinking about heritage, it becomes very important to be conscious of our value positions and especially about the ethic of architecture, its politics, economics, the aesthetics and of course, the actual processes and practices that go into making the practice or the product itself.
MATTER 