Concrete opTION

The easy availability of home loans has put the housing sector on the fast-growth track, creating more jobs for architects, writes Usha Albuquerque

THE sleek multi-storied buildings in Gurgaon inspire awe. So do some of the sheer glass and steel facades of new structures that are coming up across the country. Architecture is a multi-disciplinary field that synthesises design with sociological, technological and environmental expertise in the conception and execution of buildings. More specifically, an architect is defined as one who organises space and regulates enclosures for different functions. This involves a coordination of scientific discipline with aesthetic creativity.

Architects have to work in collaboration with building contractors, town planners, interior designers, and other professionals in related areas. Sometimes architects also collaborate with one another on specific projects.

An architect’s job is to design and plan for the construction of any type of building or complex from an individual residence to group housing, hospitals, hotels, commercial plazas, factories, as also gardens and leisure areas, within the framework of existing laws and regulations.

As team leader and coordinator of a construction project, the architect directs, co-relates and integrates activities, not only in the areas of design and execution, but also in others, like survey, soil testing, engineering, safety, demonstration and supervision. Professionals, therefore, need to have a sufficient grasp of all aspects of building technology. The job also involves a considerable amount of field research and supervision, often outdoors, under all kinds of weather conditions.

The architecture course is conducted at two levels full-time or part-time. The full-time degree or diploma course takes a minimum of five years to complete, and includes a period of practical training of six months or one semester in an approved professional office or project site. The duration of the part-time diploma course is seven years.

There are around 120 institutes recognised by the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), offering courses at the undergraduate level in architecture. Admission is on the basis of an entrance test and the competition for entry is therefore intense.

At the end of undergraduate training, students are awarded a degree of Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) or a diploma in architecture, depending on the institution they join. Qualified architects may register with the Council of Architects for entitlement of practice and become members of the Indian Institute of Architects.

Those who go for further studies need another two years for a Master’s of Architecture (M.Arch.), which is offered at four institutes in India. One can also opt for a degree in Town/Urban Planning available at some institutes.

Requirements for entry to the B.Arch. course include a minimum of 60 per cent marks in the aggregate in plus two or equivalent, with mathematics and English as subjects of examination.

Most institutes, though not all, also require the candidate to have studied science. To qualify for admission candidates must also pass an entry test that examines abilities of comprehension, IQ, sketching proficiency and creativity.

So, besides academic qualifications you need to have a creative as well as a practical mind, mathematical abilities, drawing skills and the self-confidence to put across and justify ideas. Some financial acumen, communication skills and an ability to deal with a variety of people will help.

A qualified architect who is registered with the Council of Architecture can practice in any of the following areas:

• Government departments/ public sector.

• Central and State Public Works Departments and other public organisations related to housing and construction.

• Private architecture firms.

• Teaching institutions.

Architects can also branch out into interior design, product design of any sort, including furniture design.

With a postgraduate degree, an architect can specialise in:

Building engineering management; architectural conservation; urban design; landscape architecture; transport planning; housing and environmental planning; regional planning and urban planning.

While starting salaries for architects may be relatively low compared to other professions, the early years of an architect’s life should be seen as a learning period, and this is adequately compensated for in later years, once experience and credibility are built up.

Initially, architects receive salaries ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 per month.

The Council of Architecture has, however, laid down a standard scale of remuneration for services. This is calculated at a percentage of the tendered cost of the project, and ranges from one per cent on urban design, to 5 per cent on buildings and 10 per cent for interiors.

But architects must be prepared to work under all weather conditions wherever there are building sites. This would involve much outdoor work, especially during construction time, even walking through mud, and climbing scaffolding. Work would also involve dealing with and handling large numbers of unskilled labour.

Some of the well-known institutes offering undergraduate courses in architecture include:

• School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi.

• Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad.

• Sir J J School of Architecture, Mumbai.

• Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh.

• School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, Chennai.

• Faculty of Technology & Engineering, M.S. University, Baroda.

• TVB School of Habitat Studies, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

• Ansal’s School of Architecture, Gurgaon

The writer is a noted career expert