Department List
ANAND COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
Vision :
Architecture is one of the world’s oldest professions and has always been characterized by a broad multi-disciplinary approach. One aspect of architectural practice that has never changed through the millennia is its all-inclusive nature. Architects need to simultaneously be artists as well as technicians, dreamers as well as pragmatists, emotional as well as intellectual. They must learn from the past, yet look to the future. Their skillset must include long-established dexterities as well as cutting-edge technologies.
Anand College of Architecture (ACA) whole-heartedly accepts these principles and, in beginning its journey toward providing quality architectural education, firmly roots itself in the foundations of a multi-disciplinary approach. At ACA, we believe the education of an architect should actually begin with the formation of a complete human being, where not only does the human self unfold, but also the self in the larger context of human society and community. At ACA, our goal is to place students on the road to self-discovery and augment it with understanding of one’s environs, not just in the tangible sense, but also in the conceptual sense.
Our long-term academic strategy at ACA is to create an atmosphere of holistic, collaborative and innovative learning. We will employ old and new pedagogies in the advancement of the ideal of “complete” architectural education, beginning with fostering an understanding of “Design” in a sense that incoming students may heretofore be completely unfamiliar with. Dispensing with rote learning and formulaic template-based design methodologies, we will attempt to awaken in the student a new way of perceiving the world as well as the self and giving meaning to design gestures through a combination of intensive self-introspection as well as thorough research, interpretation and analysis of the world around us.
PEDAGOGICAL PHILOSOPHY :
Teaching methodologies at ACA will incorporate the following broad qualities:
Learner-Centricity | Social Responsibility | Ecological Awareness | Research Methodologies | Collaborative Learning | Holistic Approach
Learner-Centricity. At ACA, the student comes first. What does not contribute to the physical, intellectual and ethical maturity of the student will not be considered. An experiential – not dogmatic – technique will be implemented in which the student learns by doing rather than simply being told what to do. The learning will be less focused on providing answers and more focused on making the student aware that there are more questions to be asked. Design is about giving expression to the way we interpret the world around us and the primary goal at ACA will be to urge the student to critically evaluate the world, see it in a different way, and provide innovative solutions to the needs of society. Rather than expect the student to meet outmoded standards of mediocrity, we will encourage the student to live up to his or her full potential and develop fresh and unique modes of thinking.
Social Responsibility. Architects are ultimately service providers and at ACA we will encourage students to respond to the needs of the community and humanity at large. Self-expression in design will be encouraged but not without full awareness and understanding of what role a particular architect fulfills in the social arena as a model citizen. Students will not spend the bulk of their time in the classroom; rather experiential learning will be implemented. Students will visit cities, neighborhoods, villages and towns and attempt to understand the pressing needs of a rapidly changing country. Students will be asked to interact with the full spectrum of society, and engage with the people for whom they will ultimately be serving, whether it is the poorest slum-dweller or the richest industrialist.
Ecological Awareness. Partnered with social concerns are the needs of a sorely taxed ecological environment. Sustainability, “green” design, and efficient building practices will be encouraged at every step of a student’s education. Not only will they stay up-to-date with the latest environmentally-friendly technologies, but they will also learn from tried-and-true techniques that have been practiced in the Indian vernacular for millennia.
Research Methodologies. At ACA, all the cutting-edge information technologies that are in place will be put to good use for research, even at the foundation levels. Students will be made to understand that design research goes beyond cut-and-paste techniques and into actual in-depth analysis and interpretation of research findings. Also, students will be shown that research does not start and end with Internet searches alone. They will be encouraged to implement primary research in the field, to employ ethnographic techniques and engage in design anthropology to better understand the design problems. Field trips, training, and interaction with industry professionals via workshops and seminars will facilitate this understanding.
Collaborative Learning. Every effort is being made at ACA to stimulate the “studio culture” that is so critical to architectural instruction. Students will be continually encouraged to work in the studio with other students, where a feeling of collaborative learning will be fostered. A wholesome, comfortable environment will be created to break down the barriers that obstruct collaborative learning. In particular, the traditional student-teacher barrier will be dismantled so that the student sees the faculty more as a mentor than as a stern authority figure. Integrative and innovative exercises as well as group assignments will be implemented at every level. The great advantage that India has which has allowed it to propel in the global arena is the tolerance and cooperative response to our rich cultural diversity. Students will be encouraged to work together and appreciate the different cultures and backgrounds amongst themselves in order to develop a well-rounded understanding of design issues rooted in societal needs.
Holistic Approach. We at ACA are committed to implementing a holistic understanding of architectural education. Art and technology will go hand-in-hand. Aesthetic sensibilities will amalgamate with pragmatic systems. Students will learn and benefit from the historical context but will be encouraged to always create “something new”. Their education will be rooted in time and place, absorbing the past while creating the future. ACA’s fortunate situation in the heart of the Agra-Mathura-Delhi region allows the student to learn directly from its rich heritage, yet they will be using cutting-edge technologies to develop innovative designs, appropriate to time and place.
| Name | Mr. Nidhip Mehta |
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| Designation | Senior Lecturer |
| Qualification | B.Arch. (Magna Cum Laude); PG Dip. - Theology |
| Profile | After graduating with a Bachelors in Architecture in 1998 from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA), Nidhip Mehta has been continually involved in the professional practice of architecture and design, specializing in multi-family housing, commercial and institutional buildings, and interiors. In 2006, he received a PG Diploma in Theology from Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Agra) with a dissertation on the impact of religion on communal societies. Now primarily engaged in academics, he has taught architecture, design, and graphics as a visiting faculty at several institutions, namely:
He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Architecture. |
