Sarcastic Sabotage of the Succumbing Shapers.

                                 

                                 It has become a paradox that architects are told to be the doctors of the buildings, as such a thing no longer is found to abide and exist, or at least found to resist in the current milieu of the society. There was a time when the architects were regarded with decent recognitions for the full scaled projects where as now, almost a major sector of them are hired purely for interior and exterior designs, as they are given their spectrum of limitations and scopes of implementing their skills are drastically narrowed down. Nevertheless, architects still fail to understand the importance and significance they are supposed to obligate in the profession, for, they tend to surrender and fall short when it comes to the basics. The very architect who has learnt that a space has to be designed and defined in accordance with the users, convincingly forgets the latter  following statement that, “if the user’s needs aren't genuine, they are to be either convinced and worked upon, or confused and differently worked upon.” However, textbook ethics have never been found in action when it comes down to practice, be it law, medicine or architecture.                    

      

                            Here, one of the major ideologies has been contemplated for its uprightness and welfare.  Predominantly, architects have been and still are supposed to be the spatial definers/designers, as they have been and still are expected to take full command over the functional and aesthetic part of the building. Of late, the basics and fundamentals are found to have been  tampered as the clients (users) have started being half architects, more like the situation where the patients treat themselves with presumptuously and expectantly correct medicines. Only complicated situations are brought to the doctors and so is the situation subdued with architectural fraternity.  

                                

                          India is a land where people used to bathe thrice a day, even when the rest of the world was running short of water. Health and hygiene have always been an unparalleled measure with the Indians, however, along with the phases of Industrialization and Modernisation, water ceased to be used to clean the bottom, as tissue papers started to take over the world. This must have been the turning point in the field of architecture, more virtuously in Indian context as people who squatted were made to sit. The Indians got proselytized as they started adapting to new mechanisms of excretion and since then, stylish & innovative diseases and physical disorders were welcomed to invade India, of which Colon Cancer, appendicitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc are few of them.   

     

                             Architect Alexander Kiro, in his book “The Bathroom”, stated, “human physiology  is better suited to the squat”. More or less, the same was experimented by an Iranian radiologist Dr. Saeed Rad, where he monitored 30 people (21-Male and 9-Female), ranging between the age groups 11-75 and subsequently concluded his study stating, “complete evacuation was found in the squat while the sit recorded faeces stagnation.” Keeping apart the facts and figures, Indians primarily had the practices of doing the right procedure, which was bothered  by a lot many external forces over the period of time.  

                             In the current scenario, almost 80% of the toilets are European (EWC) as this could be undisputedly understood as a choice of extra comfort that the human races have resorted to. The compromise that has been made for the extra comfort or rather the luxury is not to be forgotten as the negotiation done by retaining self waste within the body. Despite these physiological particulars, it is also proven that IWCs when compared to EWCs, are identified to be more easy and flexible In the aspects of cleaning and maintenance. 

                    In spite of understanding or rather inferring facts and factors  through 5 years of architectural education, architects are yet to develop the audacity to recommend at least one or two squat type closets per residence, without which, they are subjected to be understood a failure who got the basics wrong irrespective of however good designers they are. In general, this very exasperation has been compensated by framing the incompetence of the elderly people in the house, but, on the contrary, they are subjectively found to be better off healthier than the current generation.  

                          Having explained the dyslexia that the architectural fraternity is undergoing, it would be inappropriate to forgo condemning the society, which the clients are also a part of,  for ignoring the cultural and contextual significances of Indian practices by pacifying the westernised culture in the basic petty practice of excretion.  

This could perhaps frame the elucidation for the ever trending, plagued and hackneyed set of words, “Oh Shit!” 

Contemplatively Yours, 

Arun Shankar.M 

The paradoxical Janus of Architecture

(Establishing an eternal language between the form and function)

(Article penned for "The Indian Arch'17", NASA, India)

                            
                                 It is a notion of affirmative manifestation that, “Appearances, most of the times are deceptive, rather than being receptive.” Having said this, it may be understood that the importance or the significance of a building being notable amongst, should not just be for the decoration and fabrication it could possess, but for the vivid and the extensive functional ability of the built form, serving the ultimate purpose of it. Interpretations without a substantial base would end up being insensible and so, here, an architectural institution has been cogitated to be visualized, in the square one of the evolutionary process to decipher the relativity between the form and the function in a practical domain and not just in the philosophical elucidations which deciphers the conventional concepts of the uncertain veracities.
                             Principally, an institution or precisely, an architectural institution should be extremely user adaptive, responsive and vibrant to the students to ensure a healthy and workaholic atmosphere. For the psychological bonding between the building and the users (students) to be cohesively strong, the building is subjected to be an extravagantly designed space unlike a shack. Being it an educational institution, it may be right and highly practical to follow and adapt ‘Brutalism’ in its architecture. This particular movement of architecture depicts and exhibits the properties of being plain, exposed, transparent and original in its forms. It has been a practice in earlier decades to use the style of Brutalism on institutions. One of the main hindering facts is that the building is left brutal to signify the truthfulness and honesty eternally, that has been intended to be predominant in a civic or an educational institution, so that the ethics and professionalism is well respected and reflected. The building being brutalized, gives the users a very good positive vibration and energy passively, through the muscular and strong bold characteristic built forms.                              The architectural institution could be formulated and proposed to be a combination of rational aspects those that define it physically through its built form, socially by becoming a landmark or a space of reference to demarcate the surroundings and psychologically through the language it chooses to communicate with the users. Firstly, the buildings could be licensed to remain brutal, for the various reasons discussed above. Secondly, the most important space in an institutional complex happens to be the library and so does it eventually require special contemplation and a sense of design dormant in it. Hence, the opening into the library could be made massively huge in terms of scale and proportion, so as to transfer the superiority of knowledge and wisdom over the students. It alongside triggers an itch in the wanting brains of students to conquer the unimaginable, thus creating a divine atmosphere in the library.                              Green is said and so has it been proved to be the colour that emanates freshness and embarks life. Hence, landscaping the spaces of the institution claims high priority. Greenery could also blend along with the slender structures alongside the corridors or major transition areas, for, it gives a beast-beauty effect and so does it create a striking picture. The classrooms could well be enabled to natural light through specific roof designs like that of the Chandigarh College of Architecture by Le Corbusier, since the use of electricity could extensively be cut short. To justify the primary statement of the institution being user adaptive, responsive and vibrant, a combination of the brutal concrete, which elevates the morals and disciplines of the profession and the beautiful greenery, which keeps up the livelihood and the very substance of happiness and enjoyment, ought to be in balance. The inclusion of water bodies further anchors the life of the building as it blends well with greenery. The picture of brutal concrete  becoming submissive to the beautiful greenery, reflecting on a shallow water pool, cannot be any better than excellence and wonders.                            On introspecting the performance of the institution in an Urban mundane scenario with respect to the neighbourhood context, it is by nature of human notions, proved that the institution could attain a recognition of quality and excellence mainly with ornamentations and fabrications that may or may not blend with the necessity and functionality of the building. A visually subtle building, despite its excellence in the functional ability, significantly get to fail in the eyes of a layman or the public, as they psychologically abide and resort by elegant buildings, those that are visually and aesthetically pleasing. A visually dilapidated group of brutalised buildings would never be accepted by the users or be it public for contemplated, cynical and skeptically cited reasons as function is contended within the building, but the physical expression of the built form is something that gets projected in the first place of public  recognition and reputation.                            Hence, the example of architectural institution, in other words, the built form, transcripts and establishes communication through a new language between the users, neighbourhoods and the building  with regards to the function it is serenely containing within. Through these analogies and scripted factual interpretations, it could be stated or justified that a form irrespective of being on the backfoot, could well be a pinnacle and a matter of universal acceptance as long as it does not fail in blending, encompassing and performing the denoted function in it.‘Not that the form follows the function always, but that the function could also be the second face of the same Janus, which ensures that neither of the faces are double crossed.’Author’s note- (I, Arun Shankar. M doing 4^th Year, B.Arch at Karpagam School of Architecture, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, hereby declare that this article is purely a work of mine and not a copy from any other source except that of the reference to Chandigarh College. Alongside, this article may be understood subjective and hence I request all the readers to understand it so in good spirits.)
 Contemplatively Yours, Arun Shankar

Unmasking Of 'The Manchester'

                                        Around the globe, each and every city is identified, recognized and reputed not just for its treasured wealth and the urban fabrics, but also for its deep rooted history, architecture, cultural heritage and the social context of the very subjected city. When viewed in a macroscopic level, there are exemplary cities that are known for its agricultural production, industrial agglomeration, technological creation or contribution etc.. One such city happens to be Coimbatore. The city, for its rich textile production, since the industrial revolution by Robert and Thomas Stanes, got an opulent pump in the domain of recognition and acknowledgement, as a leading industrial city. Eventually, over the period of time, it got to be titled, “Manchester of South India”. The big embodied word “Manchester” not only uplifted the morale of Coimbatore, but also did it set a standard for the city’s outlook and profile. With the establishment of Stanes motors, industries and subsequent schools in and around the city of Coimbatore, the revolution was said to have topped and triggered its pace. On deeper understanding, it could be understood that this elevation or the so called revolution happened due to the growth of cotton in the city, which apparently led to the ostentatious outpour in the textiles. On a side note, the city is also regarded as the “Pump City of Asia”, for, it supplies pumps in larger quantities, very dominantly, throughout the spectrum of the Asian continent. On having narrated the glory  and greatness of the city with respect to the industries, on a serious note, it is high time to introspect the accuracy and correctness in having titled the city, “Manchester”.

                                       

                                                 Taking the stances of a devil’s advocate, it is undoubtedly agreed that the city holds deep rooted culture, contains very old temples and a discretely unique slang in the language of Tamil. The city is said to have a temple of age 1500-2000 years in terms of richness in heritage and history. The accent and dialect of Coimbatorean Tamil has been regarded as the most respectful and elegant forms of communication when put in comparison with other slangs of the same language, Tamil. Excluding or convincingly pretermitting the marvels of the grand old legendary temple of Perur and  the renowned culture,  ought to be understood as a phenomenon where water is made thicker than the blood, so as to voluntarily or involuntarily suppress the significance of motherland. It is against the ethics of humanity, to address the city, a ‘Manchester’, for the nature blessed resources and not the inconceivable man-made cherished wonders that could redefine the city. The tracks and trails of the British rule being celebrated over the history and culture, portray the city’s hardship and alongside, gives an impression as if the city has nothing for itself, but the foreign contributions, to be known for.

                                        As long as the statement, “India for Indians”, said by Swami Dayananda Saraswathi is found to be fragile in terms of understanding, titles such as Manchester could well prolong to exist for denoting the greatness of a place which has better contextual enriched contents. It is not to be understood wrong to address the city of Coimbatore, “Manchester of South India” until it is for the wealth and richness it has got in the deep seeded and rooted history and not for the British remains and residues.

Contemplatively Yours,
Arun Shankar

Uncertainty in the certainty...

                                           It is a dilapidated manifestation that life on earth is dependent on the Cosmic Laws of nature, the ultimate eternity of life. Each and every subject in the mother earth,  be it living or non-living, passively imparts through the nature either repelling against or being attracted to the ecological cycle proposed, involuntarily. In cases where the repulsion happens, the cycle gets to be deformed depending on the magnitude or the intensity of the impulsion. On having understood the basics of the nature, it is highly essential that the investigation ought to go deep the roots in a microscopic way.

                                          It could be observed that the lifestyle, culture, food habits, tradition, physique, language, etc. of humans differ between regions. This is due to the climatic influence on the humans as the colour, body constitution and other aspects differ according to the different regions across the globe. Same happens with the animals and plants as they fall in place with respect to the cohesion between the nature and its components. To interpret with an example, a camel could be considered evident, since its physique ie: the body constitution is designed in a way that it takes the heat and the extreme cold climatic fluctuations. Similarly, a cactus is by its form spherical, so as to distort the heat radiations through its surface without absorbing it. Hence, a small quantum of water is always retrieved from it when cut. This happens to be the standardization of nature and so do we now have to understand the concepts of  standardisation in humans, for, they are the dictating and commanding species of life existing on earth.

                                          The anthropometry of  humans have been standardized around the world and so has the buildings been designed. The concepts of veracious standardizations ought to be for the betterment of human comfort and not for causing a chaotic and erratic  living atmosphere. Evolution happens through standardisation and the claims of certain affirmations, which ensures that the subjects abide by proclaimed standards, for, inevitable contradictions drastically affect the evolution. Hence justified that the necessity of standardization is nevertheless important.

                                             Every person, every case, every impeccable cosmic law is subjected to have a “Rashomon Effect” dormant and subtle in it. Having spoken so much about the significance of standards for humans, I hereby would choose to leap to the second phase, so as to justify the other side of the coin, ie: the contradiction against the assertion. Despite the fact that a subject ought to be standardized for its existence after the evolution, it is highly in command to break or rather bend the conventional concepts that withholds it from further rational amendments, for, scopes of development and improvement prevails only when standardization and branding is curtailed and diluted. Though there are opulent overflow in the creations of the creative, effective rationalization with respect to the human races fall in the right place, not until the tracks and trails of nature’s dilapidated theories are implanted within, nor by mere replicatory methods, but by adhesive understanding about the needs of the humans in a defined region and by abiding to the climate responsive standardization.

                                         Not that standardizing human scale becomes an erratic outcome in the practice of living, but that microlevel understanding and separate living standards ought to be set more like the Laws that differ between nations despite it all focussing towards the same motive. I hereby conclude by opening an arena for discussion pertaining to the above narrated complex juncture with a neutralized and an unbiased stance.

Baffle between Brothers

                                 It is quite significant that people start their day with a beverage and the very beverage has been, nevertheless, Coffee or Tea, at least in Indian context. It is inferred that Coffee is considered to be ostentatiously opulent drink while tea is not, not only for the reason that tea costs less than coffee, but also for its composition and processing and many other reasons. This could be well understood from the notion that Coffee Shops certainly are more starred than Tea stalls. It dates long back to the history to know how and why Coffee started gaining the upper hand over tea, despite tea being consumed in abundance.

                                 There was a time not only for mother India to have struggled under the British East India, but also for the great America, who were under the same for quite a considerably long time. It was then that tea was so fanatically associated even for the Kings and Queens of the Britain. The famous ‘Boston Tea Party’ and subsequent Tea parties that happened in America were not apparently happy and merry making celebrations, rather pure outburst of discontent by boycotting Tea and consuming Coffee over tea against the practices of the British. John Adams, the ex-President of America happened to remark Tea as a “Traitor’s drink” and so, most of the Americans gave up tea in addition to the persistently consistent rage through Tea parties. For over two decades, Tea was resented and it was in this process where the Americans found an inclination and liking towards Coffee.

                        
                                        Having stated the reasons for America’s coffee interest, it would certainly be perplexing and abrupt to state that the interest of Indians has been figured out to be Tea, not for the regards towards the British, but for its affordability, irrespective of the differences being very marginal. Lately for over a decade, India has been witnessing an aggressive increase and hype in the Coffee production asserting their position in the subcontinent’s beverage marketplace. Chains of Café Coffee Day, Barista, etc. have set up examples for the push and promotion of Coffee. This rapid growth of Coffee consumers is considerably one main reason for the ministry to not declare Tea, the national drink for its preference and popularity.

                                  It could be termed illogical insensibility if stated that the above discussed reasons were and still are the reasons for Coffee, Tea preference. It perhaps ought to be agreed that the preferences and choices lie within the subjective person on a microscopic level of observation.  Hence the uncertainty in the certainty of the individual predilection of a person could be well justified as the passive reflection of tracks and trails of the historic conflicts over the Tea and Coffee.

  “Not that people love tea less, but that they started loving coffee more.”

Yours controversially,
Arun Shankar. M

Unforeseen Decider of Progression

                                     It is an anomaly that human races have a persistently consistent worry all the time about the ‘TIME’. Be it past, future or present, Time has unarguably found an important veracity and significance in everyone. A clock decides our motion from the bed and the same decides our commotion. In the phase of life where time rules, everything has become a goal to be achieved and a target to be attained to survive. In parallel to time, travelling has equally become something mainstream in everyone’s life, for, most of the people travel to reach their workplace, college, school, etc. In the case where a normal man, in a country like India, has to travel a little long from his home to his workplace, ‘DISTANCE’ turns out to be the most concerning factor since travelling absorbs a major part of his watch. Hence, the need for ‘SPEED’ becomes inevitable. Distance, seemingly, rather apparently being constant, time and speed turns out to be two parameters to be pressurized on. Since reaching the destination always is predominantly important, time gets to become constant with speed left out as the only variable parameter. When this is the scenario in India, developed countries like America, Dubai and China rely on ‘time’ more than the distance they ought to travel, for, the distance is nevertheless compensated with the speed they could afford to travel at and hence time is constrained.
                                        On asking the question about, “How long is your workplace, school, college, etc. from your home?” to an American and Indian, it could be observed that the replies would be in two different, but relative formats, one being in minutes or hours and the other in kilometres, miles or meters. This is very much due to the relativity of time, speed and distance and hence, it could be inferred that an American is time bound. It would be hard to conclude India being length bound since the country’s culture plays a role. India is one such country where, right from the books of history, men work to earn the family’s bread and the women takes care of the family within the boundaries of the walls. This system despite having changed to a phase where women have started working, still statistically proves that men are on the front foot as they eventually are the most employed. Hence, with reference to the process of travelling a man would undertake in his day explained earlier, it could be understood that at least 90% of men measure distance in terms of length. While the men do so, 12 out of 15 women in India, on an average, measure distance in terms of time, since a clock is more or less what their day is dependent on.
                                         It is a fact that the vocabulary, maturity and knowledge of a man and a woman of the same age is nevertheless same since women tend to attain and infer them at a greater pace. This is yet another reason for the bride to age less than the bridegroom in Indian context, so as to match the level of maturity and ideologies. Having told this much, yet another important linking notion that ought to be brought in is that scientists and people with high level of Intelligence Quotient expressed distance in terms of light years, which is nothing other than the bettered version of hours or minutes that the Americans and Indian women choose to follow.  These facts passively proclaim the reason for America being developed and India still being in the process of construction. It lies in the insight of a man to perceive, conceive, visualize, measure and progress in the level of thought in a supreme way. These manifestations of truth affirm the probabilities of further explorations and discoveries in the concepts of time, distance and speed, since they could also likely be a hindering factor for the respective subject of matter.
                                                                                                                     -Arun Shankar .M

Critique on Fun Republic Mall - Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu,India)

                                  Around the world, every city gets to be famous not for its fabricated fame or decorated name but for the significant places that attracts people making it the centre of attraction. One such elegant and flamboyant city is Coimbatore and so has it been rightly called the “Manchester City of South India.” The city of Coimbatore is known for the couple of malls primarily and for the Isha Yoga Centre, which is an apt place for rejuvenation of human life along with few other places, including Race Course, R. S. Puram, etc. In the city, one of the most important arterial roads connecting to other neighbouring cities is the Avinashi Road. The Fun Republic Mall has been rightly placed on the busiest road of Coimbatore. It could be prominently observed that the Fun Republic Mall is the next important hangout place after Brookfield mall. Having understood this, it is essential to critically analyse the building, i.e. Fun Republic. The mall provides a spacious parking and so is it very much accessible from the bus stop. This particular mall being at the very reachable radius of colleges of the Avinashi Road, ropes in numerous students enabling them to hang out. Hence, the location of the building could well be understood perfect. Yet another fact that could be inferred is that the cinemas are the most significant and important options for which most of the people are there for. It could also be observed that this particular mall is being preferred by people to an extent where they spend almost half a round in the clock. Apart from these merits, the mall also encounters a lot of demerits just like the science of Rashomon Effect showing bipolar characteristics and facts.

                                                          Firstly, the escalators that take people up and those which bring people down are placed in the best possible disorganized way that it needs to be searched for walking around the mall. The mall irrespective of being small does not have a map with which people could find and reach their place. Now, the most intelligent part of the building is the cinemas. After having watched the movie, the exit leads not out of the theatre, but to the Food Court, which could be understood as a psychological play forcing people to take food from the mall before moving out. The richness and pinnacle at which the mall is at could be understood as the entire complex has been air conditioned (centralized) but still does not mind making it conservative or energy efficient as openings for entry and exits are left wide open most of its working hours. Yet another fact about the mall is that it prevents people who aren’t well dressed or put up to the social standards from entering the building irrespective of their ability or efficiency to make a decent purchase apart from the window shopping mainstream practice that is predominant in the mall. Hence, in a nut-shell, it could be summed up that appearances are deceptive and so does the Fun Republic mall fail to impress under these criteria.

Article penned for Architectural Journalism at Karpagam University.