Academic ethos of Wadiyar Centre for Architecture, Mysuru
Background:
Wadiyar Centre for Architecture (WCFA) is one of the few institutions in the country set up by a Trust founded and managed by Architects. The College is born out of passion to contribute to the fraternity and the architectural discipline at large. The institution is preceded by a history of collective thinking & discussions on Architecture and Architectural Education among the founders and the fraternity that has influenced the methodology of knowledge transfer in the College. Some of the accomplished members of the fraternity have magnanimously accepted to be in various advisory capacities like the Academic Council that guides the Academic agenda of the College.We accept that the ethos will also evolve over time with social change and with the institution gaining wisdom through practical experience.
Core Ethos: ‘IDENTITY Rooted in Context’
WCFA believes strongly and encourages all its stakeholders to “Look Within” and discover the sense of ‘who one really is & can be, as an architect in India’, as academicians and as an Institution. Through experience and deliberations, the members recognise that in today’s global scenario, “it is only, ‘THE TRULY LOCAL’ work, rooted and committed to a specific context that relates effectively”.
The key academic objectives of WCFA are to build the
- Architect as a Craftsperson: looking at inherent local strengths & inclinations
- Architect engaging with the real & practical issues of Society around us
This would necessitate a style of working moving clearly between:
- Hands-on & practical engagement with a particular place / material
- Critical assessment looking at different parameters & overall context
Key Implementation Aspects in Pedagogy:
- Developing Liberal & Critical thinking
- Exposure to variety of contexts & disciplines, encouraging to develop ‘positions’
- Isolating a Design Issue and Evolving a narrative / story around it that leads Design
- Method: Study, Observe, Distil, Write and Discuss writings to bring out approaches
- Encourage DIVERSITY towards ‘possibilities’, hence giving WCFA & students AGILITY
- Equal importance to all subjects (not predominance of Space Design) – as an attitude by faculty – with emphasis on the practicality of each of them, encouraged by making / doing
- Primacy of Settlement Studies / Survey and locating the Design Opportunity in the Settlement as per the local needs, increasing in size/complexity with the maturity / ability of student
- Allow for intuitive exploration and guide / inquire post-facto,rather than base on instruction or rely excessively on teacher discussion and inclination
- Develop Faculty Strengths in distinct Streams of Subjects – Aesthetics & Skill-based, Thinking-based, Technology-based and Design (putting together)-based, encouraging Research while constantly stimulating with invited external expertise
