siliconindia | | FEBRUARY 20208ith a shift of lifestyle in modern India, we witness a massive change in trends pertaining to architecture and design in the society. `We' would mean not just the architectural fraternity present in the country, but also any individual who can perceive al-terations in and around his society. In a developing country of ours, where the needs are rapidly growing, the age-old architecture prevalent in India finds itself on crossroads! The UN 2007 declaration on the rights of indigenous peo-ple recognized that `respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practice contributes to sustain-able & equitable development & proper management of the resources.Reminiscing Beauty from the PastIndia started with being the most planned models in the world, creating iconic structures of eminence which are globally appreciated in the world till date. Indian archi-tecture has always been a function of its placement on the map concerning its topographical settlements and henceforth the climatic conditions. Being a tropical coun-try, the development of the architectural characters has always been uneven. We can call it a `need-based' model of growth. The age-old empires ruling the provinces and its rulers have also given a character to their region. In a country with one of the oldest civilizations, revisiting its traditional roots and foundation of Indian architecture is a more `sustainable' way around. Revisiting Relevance of Architecture with a Cultural Identity The form of materials & built environment is culture-spe-cific, varying with different climatic conditions, avail-ability of material resources, and construction techniques which vary from culture to culture. Quoting an example from The Pristine Valley of Kashmir which rests in the heart of the Himalayas and has always been seen as a val-ley with extravagant beauty. The Mughals planted their symmetrical gardens, and the Kashmiri architecture add-ed a further dimension to the valleys. The spatial structure of Kashmir has evolved as a close fit with the topograph-ical feature and water bodies. The scarcity of leveled ter-rain in the valley compelled a large chunk of residents to live on water and furthered the creation of floating houses in Kashmir. The abundance of wood & stone made it an obvious choice as the construction material. The thermal response of wood for the valley's extreme climate was a plus. Kashmiri woodcraft has not merely been a func-tional craft, it is decorative as well and offers immense scope of aesthetic urge of the Kashmiri craftsmen ship. The `Takh system' & `Dab system' have developed in due INDOLOGY: SHAPING THE CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ARCHITECTUREA serial entrepreneur, Arman has incepted three companies ­ Dreams Boulevard, zekeLabs, and EdYoda ­ and has even worked with TCS and BT.IN MY OPINIONBy Rahul Bhatt, Managing Director, Cherry Hill InteriorsW
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