PERCEPTIONS ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

"What is architecture?" Pose this question to an architect and he will have ten variations to the answer concluding again that it is subject to individual interpretations. But today let's explore the other facet of the perception. So the altered question will be like, "what is architecture to a commoner?"

            One day my housemaid asked me what do you study. I suspect the number of sheets and other weird objects littering around every nook and corner of my house was the culprit in raising her curiosity. Now, this was a new dilemma to me. How do I explain to her that I am a designer? Explaining this simple yet so complex thing required me to conform myself to my housemaid's limited understanding. This suddenly made me realize that are we, "the designers" so aloof to this world. Has wrong perceptions made us as numb as to neglect realizing our work to the society in general?

            What is architecture to me? It is essentially a technical art that becomes a tool to design. Zeroing to the design of buildings, it encompasses the whole environment to which the building belongs. A building to me is not just a mere physical presence but an integral part of the social and urban fabric. This certainly requires sensitivity towards humanity. Bringing down a design on paper involves exhaustive tussles in mind that goes unnoticed. The process of thinking in designing is the most basic as well most essential and unfortunately the most difficult part to explain to others.

            Coming back to my housemaid, I wanted to explain all this to her but in her terms. I attempted to explain her, the basic process and she concluded that I am an engineer. When I tried to defer from her and began again this time she somehow understood that I make drawings or rather naksha in her language. I failed in making her understand the mind work that goes behind it.  

Forget about the housemaid, even well educated people and my fellow students in other field fail to understand the essence behind designing. Somewhere we, architects are responsible for this lack in communication to convey our issues. We need to bring forth our work and responsibility rather than just lamenting that no one understands us.