Studay Architecture

Architecture is among the few exciting disciplines that an aspiring student can pursue. Studies of ancient civilizations in India like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa {dated to be around 2600 BCE} have revealed an impeccable sense of architecture in the men and women who built it. Both Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa had well laid out streets, street lights, good sewerage systems, and had centers of administrations and religious organizations.

All throughout history, great empires have always sought to distinguish themselves with great monuments, magnificent building structures and statues. Persopolis, the great Persian city located in Iran, the Egyptian pyramids, the structures of ancient China, are all still preserved with great pride. One common bond that links all these great civilizations of the past is the combined accomplishments of their architects and their creative genius.

Architecture as a discipline encompasses a wide variety of other disciplines like design and engineering. Its applications are also wide. Architects are not only involved in designing buildings and commercial establishments, but also entire cities and towns. The city of Chandigarh was designed by the renowned French architect Le Corbusier and New Delhi was designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

If you are a person who is enamored by design and aesthetics, and who has spent a lot of time being a keen observer of built space, then Architecture is surely the field for you. The field of architecture offers unlimited creative opportunities to experiment and innovate, and to see one’s creations becoming part of the built environment.

Our daily lives and comfort is therefore largely determined by the skills an architect has. The aesthetics of the built environment also plays a large part in determining our feelings for that space. A space with a clumsy and hideous design is largely going to evoke the same feelings in people who use that space.

About 600 years ago, the Florentine architect Alberti laid down the first few rules of architecture in his book, di Re Aedificatoria, published in 1485. The architect first of all, should be concerned with construction. This involves the on-site management people and materials. The second concern is articulation. The building should please and suit the needs of those who use it. The third and final concern is of aesthetics.

The field of architecture has evolved a great deal from these early beginnings, but its principle concern remains the same. That is, architects must have the skills and the knowledge to plan, design and oversee a diverse range of projects that may include the small residences, apartment complexes, large commercial establishments, to big sports stadiums.

Schools in the US offer both undergrad and graduate study in architecture and both degrees enable students to enter the field as soon as they graduate. Some of the prestigious schools in the US offering courses in architecture are MIT and Cornell

Architectural practice in the US would require a candidate to fulfill the requirements necessary to obtain a license to practice. Candidates would require a Bachelor of Architecture {B. Arch} or a Master of Architecture {M. Arch} degree from a school affiliated to the NAAB with a further experience requirement fulfilled through the Intern Development program.