Archicrafts

Built environments in India were designed/constructed by master carpenters and guilds of craftsmen till the advent of the modern era. The modern discipline of architecture is therefore relatively young emerging only during the British rule. In spite of there being three wings of a discipline: practice teaching and research practitioners dominate the field of architecture while the crucial research component is relatively neglected in India. There is a lacuna in several areas of study and it is not easy to find well-researched and documented publications or analytical studies on the Indian design sensibilities that are historical regional or critical in nature. This limitation is acutely felt in the areas of teaching where a heavy reliance on western publications still exists especially in courses on theory history and technology. With the information revolution and growing globalization there are going to be tremendous changes in the future in the discipline of architecture and we require sustained research and other activities to keep up with it. Our organization is engaged in practice research and documentation during the past 25 years developing a focus on vernacular and colonial architecture as well as gender and the built environment in India. It has also conceived and prepared architectural exhibitions.