Drawing a pictorial archi-future

Updated on: Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Growing up, the most formative years of our lives are impacted by our interactions with our home. As children some of the first drawings we make are pictures of homes. As adults one of the dreams we nurture most is that of making a home. Housing has been and will always remain one of the most significant aspects of our lives.

With this comes the importance of people that give shape to these dreams — architects. An architect mainly deals with the planning, design and oversight of a building and the site surrounding it. They are well equipped with information on all building regulations, design aspects and other technicalities of making a home.

"Architecture as a profession is an equal blend of creativity and technicality. It is important for those that want to pursue architecture to really be sure that they have the aptitude and interest for it. Interest in designing and sketching, having passion enough to commit to the task and dreaming are some of the important attributes an aspiring architect must possess," says, Deepti Algani, an architect from Team One India Pvt Ltd.

The fundamentals

The basic requirements for those that want to pursue architecture is 10+2 with maths as one of the subjects. An aggregate of 50% marks is a criteria to be able to appear for the aptitude test called the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA). This test measures the drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity, critical thinking ability of the applicant that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are related to the field of architecture.

Based on the scores, a National Council helps place students in their preferred colleges. The five-year Bachelor's degree, divided into 10 semesters covers all the technical aspects of building design and construction. Aside of this students also get to choose subject aspects of building such as interiors, project management, architectural journalism , Landscape, etc as an elective. The final year of the course (the 9th and10th semesters) is dedicated to the student's final thesis paper and practical training under a practising architect.

Career prospects

The successful completion of this degree enables a student to get registered as an architect under the Council of Architects (CoA). Any architect registered under the CoA is eligible to start practice either individually or by setting up a firm or by joining an already existing firm.

The pay scales differ and vary a great extent depending on the projects the architect is working on. Ravi Kiran, an architect says, "On an average, a beginner starting practice as an employee in a firm earns Rs 15,000 to 20,000 a month. But the growth ladder is very easy to climb. By the end of the first or second year of practice one can be assured to be earning much more than that."

There are also several private-run institutes that offer diploma courses in architecture. However, one has to be aware that only candidates passing out of institutes and colleges recognised by CoA are eligible for registration as an architect.

There is a myriad of options to choose from at the Master's level. The common ones are urban design, landscape architecture and interior design. Also, many students go on to pursue less conventional subjects like product design, photography, architectural journalism, design management, design for retail experience and such. National Institute of Design, IITs, SPA are offering several of these courses.

Sameera Rao, architect, now pursuing Master's in Landscape Architecture in BallState University, US, says, "Often students that want to pursue unconventional career paths that come with a risk tag attached to them, pursue architecture at the Bachelor's level. Apart from channelling their creativity, and helping them build strong technical skills, it acts as a safety cushion."

Last word

Prof Ar Meenakshi Pappu concludes saying: "Architecture of any place is a reflection of its people, culture and progress. And, today, as we progress into a time of real estate and construction boom, increasing numbers of people are being able to afford homes, architects can be assured to have their hands and pockets full for a long time to come."

Colleges offering bachelor of architecture (B ARCH)

School of Planning and Architecture, JNTU, Masab Tank Church of South India Institute of technology (CSIIT), Secunderabad. SVCA, Madhapur Vaishnavi College of Architecture, Madhapur School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi RV College, Bangalore Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai

Coaching centres for nata in Hyderabad

Akademy of Design and Architecture, Masab Tank ARKIN institute, Banjara Hills Coaching by Professional Artist K Laxmikant, Begumpet

Times of India

Drawing a pictorial archi-future

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