SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN SEAD MIRROR – Edition 4 Talk Series Mr M Annamalai is a leading structural engineers, having completed many projects all over India. He has frequently tied up with Larsen and Toubro and has been the structural consultant for many hotels and resorts including Woodlands. Being a visiting faculty in many leading architecture colleges, he had delivered plenty of guest lectures as well. Students of IV year were fortunate to receive a guest lecture delivered by him on the topic of Basics of Earthquake resistant architecture with a brief of structural detailing and earthquake resistant techniques for buildings. The lecture covered aseismic technology, their working and performance levels and relevant building codes in the field.

Insight: Faculty Speak- Ar. Shanthini

Q: Formulating concepts is still a hurdle for many architects and architecture students and the infamous ‘creative block’ has become a common phenomenon within the fraternity. What do you suggest one can do to tackle this? A: Yes, it is difficult to overcome the ‘creative block’. I consult the masters to overcome it. I look to the masters of architecture at varying scales for inspiration. Borrow their ideas, their concepts, even just to test them on the problem at hand. We have been taught in our schools to conduct precedent research before designing. Practicing this is even in our professional life can spark a fresh approach to the design process.

Q: Do you often notice a “trend” in design approaches among your students or is there always a variety? What do you do to produce variety in approaches in the studio? A: Visual exposure is the best tested tool. I feel teaching is a continuous interaction with students. There is an option in teaching to alternate, experiment, have varied options & principles. It is the duty of a teacher to open up several vistas of knowledge & create various interfaces between the 3 major streams in architecture education; such as the design stream, the technical stream & the humanities stream. The focus should be to open the students’ mind, arouse their curiosity & motivate them. I start questioning my students about their ideas, suggest them reading materials & encourage them to create their own mind maps. The idea is to help them become sensible global citizens, who will create & appreciate humane architecture &respect sustainability.

Q: While studying, students usually incorporate lots of theoretical and exploratory concepts in their projects. Does this habit get lost when it comes to practice due to regulatory/practical limitations? How can students hold on to these complex thinking processes even in the real world? A: I generally suggest my students not to do anything in architecture without a reason. Sometimes the architect loses the command. It is important for an arch to hold command and respect. Every building one creates should be unique. It will be difficult for one or two years to sustain….one established complex thinking process with proper reason can be practiced.

Designing with Birds in Mind by Reshma Mannivannan Architecture, as we know it, is the art or practice of designing structures or spaces for the comfort of people. But when these structures are satisfying the needs of human beings while posing a threat to other living beings, are they really serving the purpose? Architects nowadays are challenged to a greater scale of not only catering to the needs of humans, but to the needs of the environment and living beings in it. Many bird species, one in eight to be exact, have been facing many life threatening situations in the form of natural events like the destruction of habitats and environmental occurrences; and human inconveniences such as pollution, radiations or signals from mobile devices, destruction of habitats and availability of resources, due to the building of structures. In addition to this, a high percentage of birds die every year due to difficulty in navigating their way through our rapidly developing built environment, where they are especially challenged by mild pollution and glass facades. This problem has been taken quite seriously with new designs and techniques being put into practice to completely mitigate the death of birds caused by erection of buildings. A recent renovation is the replacement of commonly used dark- mirrored glass with a surface providing greater clarity and transparency. These are glass surfaces with subtle fritted patterns onthem. Not only does this discovery help with the termination of mortality rates, but is also key in sustainability, by cutting down solar heat gain of building interiors. In actuality, designing with less glass increases day lighting performance and visibility. Another ideology that was deliberated was the introduction of green roofs to buildings that could temporarily lodge bird species while providing them with nesting and feeding spaces. These propositions have found to be very constructive and have reduced bird death rates to about 95%. The Aqua Tower in Chicago is one such bird- friendly design. This 82 story tower is safe for birds because of its undulating wave-like balconies and fritted glass that break the reflections- the main cause of bird collisions. All in all, architecture with its designing of spaces and structures, is merely a problem to be solved. A problem that decodes all clauses, tending to each and every hindrance to create something that not only pleases the primary user, but every other being and system around it. - Reshma Mannivannan

Fine Arts Club- SASA The pencil/chalk carving workshop took place in November for the students of architecture and interior design. They say God is in the detail. With eyes glued to the tools and hands carefully carving the surfaces, students put their patience and dexterity to test by creating miniscule designs on the tips of pencils and chalkpieces. The workshop was conducted by the Fine Arts Club of SASA with 5th year student and artist Keilaash heading the session.

Spotlight- Mohanapriya IV Year

The Arvi Dhayan: Arvi- water as a natural element in any form.(since my resort's name was 'The Shore Arvi') Dhyan- meditation The tunnel structure is designed along the shore and merges with the surrounding landscape. Function- To activate the five senses within the space. Ventilation through the terracota gratings facing the south and east. The gratings are partly covered by the climbers with colourful and fragrant flowers. The gratings breaks down the noisy environment, making it calm and still. The noise of the sound waves enters through the terracotta gratings and creates a soft soothing sound and makes the inner environment comfortable. Early morning sun rays enters the gratings which gives interesting light and shadow play. Difference in height of the roof-Low and high lying roof-creates a sense of closure within the space. Trivia 1. Which country’s architecture is known for traditionally using rice paste as binding material in construction? Japan 2. Which Pritzker laureate is credited with frequently combining traditional Japanese sensibility with Western postmodernism and was called the “Emperor of Japanese Architecture” by Tadao Ando? Arata Isozaki 3. Which neighbourhood in Chennai is famous for housing many Art Deco buildings such as the Dare House? George Town Feathers in our Cap

1. Sahana, V Year has been awarded the title Chennai Time’s ‘Fresh Face’ in the 12th Season of the national-level talent hunt. She is also a seasoned dancer who conducts regular dance workshop.

2. Jijendiran, III Year, secured the second place in the photography contest of ‘Elect Era’ -the national level technical symposium hosted by the Coimbatore Institute of Technology.

3. Sriram, IV Year, has helped to revitalize water bodies to its full capacity, such the pond in Manapakkam and a lake in karanai Puthucherry.

The COMIC STRIP

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