Is architecture really a social responsibility?

'as architects our goodness is more important than our greatness and our compassion more eventful than our passion.'

Like most people, I am guilty to attend seminars and conferences and accept invitations lured by the hotel where it is organised and the cocktails and dinner that follows. More often than not the conferences are only ways to meet new vendors, materials and are rather boring to be honest. But sometimes… just sometimes... it gives you back much more than what you expect. It forces you to ponder the untouched philosophies of life that have always existed around you without it being realized.Think about something that is so simple, so basic but neglected. I happened to be in one such conferences last night where it somewhere intensely touched my soul. I only hope that the chords it hit so deep within me should rather not fade away any sooner and that is why I thought of writing about it. After all this was my purpose when I started writing blogs. Though I am not a writer nor a very good reader but it’s an attempt to record what inspired me at every step of my life that would make me into an Architect that I would become and not loose my track somewhere in between.

This conference was how I got a chance to get reintroduced to a famous Sri Lankan architect, Philip Samuel Weeraratne, and the ‘inside outside man’, Shirish Beri. It began when architect Philip urged us to remember our childhood, while showing his childhood house. The entire presentation which later was a collection of his work forced me to contemplate how busy we have become copying ideas from pinterest and google. We have lost the zeal to sit in a quite place, go back to our past, our memories of childhood and try to adapt and take inspiration from those spaces deep rooted in our minds that gave so much meaning to our childhood. That platform under the neem tree where I sat for long hours talking to friends, the gardens and spaces where my grandmother used to tell stories, the hideouts, the terrace where we chatted with our neighbours during a power cut, where my dad created bonfire during cold winters and my family sat all around it chatting, roasting brinjals and sweet potatoes in it, watch stars for hours at night while conversing with my Dadu. All these thoughts that flooded across my mind since last night compelled me to ruminate how as architects we have a social responsibility to create spaces that make memories and how we play a major role in generating spaces that might force people to enjoy what really gives real joy and peace- the nature and human interaction.

Architect Shirish beri says-

"My architecture would not like to be in the form of invulnerable contained enclosures but would try to find a kind of vulnerable expression in the meaningful interface between the enclosed space and the open space. It seeks joy, a sense of wonder and a special spatial beauty by befriending the simple, the mundane and the ordinary. I have started realizing the full meaning of what Samuel Mockbee says – 'as architects our goodness is more important than our greatness and our compassion more eventful than our passion.' My works are not designed to create iconic, grand, exhibitionist forms that attract the eye, but to create more humane, socially relevant, more natural and sustainable spaces that nurture the human spirit."

Goodness is more important than greatness and our compassion more eventful than our passion. There is so much meaning in this line for us to figure. Where on one hand there was architect Philip for whom works of Japanese masters Shigeru Ban and Tadao Ando count as major sources of inspiration, nature always forms the heart of its spaces—commercial or residential, on the other there was architect Shirish Beri who instead of opting to do masters from Harvard decided to buy a property in the hills and build his Lake house. He claims, working on hypothetical projects at Harvard would not suffice to what he perceived during his practice in the arms of nature at his lake house on the hills of Kolhapur.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the only place where I find tranquillity in my small 1BHK Apartment in Bangalore, is the narrow utility which opens out to an empty plot that doubles up as a kitchen garden, for the owner, with lush green banana trees and creepers and other plantations. Why the only place I find immense pleasure in my parent’s house in Kanpur is the terrace and the garden? Are we so busy creating spaces that are 100 % vaastu and space effective that we fail to realize what a sight of the green of the trees does to our eyes, heart and soul? Are we so busy to realize why the entire Bangalore rushes to the Cubbon park at the heart of this city or to a close by hill station during weekends? Why do we as humans fail to realise how the elements of nature effect our mind? What is our role in creating such tranquil spaces in a house or an apartment?

There is a role we play that might help the inhabitants of the spaces that we create make memories with their families, drift away from the technology and enjoy a dinner together at a dining table which merges with the garden outside or create an outdoor usable corridor that forces people to sit outside during a lovely weather and chat instead of being indoors inside four walls glued to the phones and televisions, the interesting levelled spaces and niches where children can play instead of their play-stations. How many of us do realise, what a major part we play in the social and mental health of human beings? Perhaps that’s the true reason of why architecture is a social responsibility. There are more factors other than mere vaastu that brings mental peace, pleasure and subsequent prosperity in people’s lives that we are fortunate to touch. Most of us are aware of all of this but still are lost in speed in which our lives run, in a race to earn as much money as possible and make most of our time.

Coming back to the works of these architects, a single blog post would not do justice to their works. But those who believe in this ideology and sustainability, might find it useful to study their work, approach and philosophy. I have collected few of their works below that were presented during the talk. Hope you enjoy it.