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TRANSFORMATIVE ARCHITECTURE: RE-INVENTING THE PAST

- An inquiry into the contemporary interpretation and translation of traditional architectural spaces.
- Sangeetha Priya Draft thesis proposal, Masters in Interior Architecture and Design , CEPT

INTRODUCTION:
Theres something about temples, palaces and structures of the past when one moves through them. Besides the feeling of archeological importance, that it belonged to a bygone era, there is something about the way that the building speaks to u s: the language of architecture. But, then is it possible that one can isolate the cause of these emotions evoked by these structures and recreate them in another language? In other words, is it possible to understand the embedded values and systems in the se structures and isolate them out in a new building, new manner to recreate the same experience ? When we look at architects who have travelled down search for that something in the architecture in the past and recreate them , we may come across different paths/approaches taken for different purposes and each with a different level of achievement in this attempt of re -inventing the architecture of the past. Through studying their journey, the process of translation from one language of architecture to another, retaining the essence they want to recreate, we can come to an understanding, not only of the richness of the past architectural heritage but also of the process of this transformation. Transformation here is understood as the process of converting on e syntactic form into another - The transformation of the spatial experience through one language of architecture into another.

NEED FOR THE STUDY:

Indias heritage does not confine to historic accounts of the events and objects frozen in their own time and space, but rather as cultural and architectural traditions which have transcended the time and space to remain alive and appropriate even in the present. Thus, in India we simultaneously live in three time zones. Legacies of past and aspirations for the future effectively combine with the realities of present. (Pandya: 2005) Architect Charles Correa distinguishes between transfers and transformation by explaining that one was about the literal quotation of historical forms grave digging while the other was about the assimilation and reinterpretation of those forms in the contemporary context. Similarly architects like Raj Rewal and Balkrishan Doshi, have emphasized the relevance of traditional architecture in their works.

The hybrid architecture that results from this translation of traditional architecture, must be recognized as a new architecture, rather than hastily derided as the debasement of older models (Krishna Menon, A.G: 2010). Professor Krishna Menon writes that there is a strong need for assessing these architectural developments.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
Architecture constitutes of static and dynamic/tangible and intangible aspects, which enable us to asses and understand it. The dynamic components are the values in architecture that make it meaningful and appropriate. Values are the substance on which the architecture is build upon and it is these values that manifest as perceivable architectural systems and components. These manifestations are the tangible aspects that can be isolated and recreated. The success of the process of translation of architectural language lies in how the values are translated in a different language rather that the manifestations or much these manifestations when recreated links back to the original values. A brief example of this phenomenon can be , in architect Charles Correas residential architecture the living patterns (value) evident in traditional architectural spaces are translated in modern language (not the elements of architecture/manifestations) . In architect B.V.Doshis institutional campus in Bangalore, the experiential and interactive nature of space (value) in traditional architectural spaces are translated into a modern language. From understanding which of these values are retained and which are rejected in the process of translation (e.g. aspects of climate responsiveness, quality of light, tectonic form, notion of identity, spatial form or spatial experience ) we can understand the dynamics of change in the architectural language and the richness of traditi onal architectural spaces.

RESEARCH QUESTION:
How have architects inspired by the architecture of the past, attempted to translate it into an architectural language of their time, in contemporary Indian architecture?

S UB-QUESTIONS:
What are the different approaches taken by architects in re -inventing architectural spaces of the past? What values/aspects of traditional architectural spaces are changed and which aspects are retained in the process of translation? What is the design process / the manner in wh ich the architect carries over this translation? How successful is this process, how have the architects achieved what they intended to re invent from traditional architecture?

REFERENCES:
Able, Chris. Architecture and identity: Response to Cultural and Technological changes Ed-2, 2000. Newyork: Architectural Press Print Curtis, William. Balakrishna Doshi: An Architecture for India, 1988. Ahmadabad: Mapin Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Krishna Menon, A.G, The Invention of the Modern Indian Architect . Arch+ Journal, Oct,

2010. Pandya, Yatin. Concepts of space in Traditional Indian Architecture , 2005, Ahmedabad: Mapin Publications Pvt. Ltd Lang, Jon, Desai, Madhavi and Desai, Mikki . Architecture and Independence: The search for Identity in India: 1880-1980, 1997. Delhi: Oxford University Press.