Indian Architecture

In a nation grappling with a severe housing shortage for its economically weakest sections, the concept of "low-cost housing" has surprisingly faded from public consciousness and policy discourse. A crisis impacting millions of the nation's poorest, the need for affordable housing has become even more pressing as India's population overtakes China to emerge as the most populous nation. If left unaddressed, the housing crisis may result in mass homelessness and undignified living conditions for citizens.

When we think of the word "tropic," the image that typically comes to mind is an exotic space, characterized by perpetual warmth and humidity, with frequent and heavy rainfall nurturing lush vegetation. Throughout history, this tropical climate has been romanticized as a paradise and criticized for potentially fostering weakness due to its perceived clemency.

As construction materials costs increase, builders and developers are seeking alternatives to traditional home construction methods to address housing shortages. In response, an expanding construction technology field is the 3D printing sector. This technology promises quicker, cheaper construction and the potential to extrude local and recycled materials. However, due to the slow-changing nature of the construction industry, a radical shift involving large-scale 3D-printing machines on-site and a complete overhaul of the construction process seems unlikely shortly.

Modular homes are houses either partially or fully constructed in a factory. This process involves creating a series of three-dimensional 'modules' delivered to a site in a predetermined spatial pattern and assembled into a complete product. These homes have become popular solutions to housing crises as they can be produced 50% faster and emit half as much pollution.

Between now and 2050, worldwide installation of cooling appliances, like air conditioning, is projected to triple, resulting in a twofold increase in energy consumption. This reliance on such devices, often seen as exacerbating global warming, poses a paradox: how can we fight rising temperatures in cities while simultaneously contributing to them through our dependence on these solutions?

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Alero Olympio (1959-2005) was an architect and builder known for an intimately ecological approach to architecture. Born in Ghana, she divided her practice between Ghana and Scotland. She focused on work that prioritized people and was sincerely committed to social and environmental sustainability, prioritizing using locally sourced materials.

Sloped terrain offers a tantalizing prospect for developers. With breathtaking views over either natural or urban landscapes, often without the realistic possibility of being overlooked by future development, a parcel of land on a slope provides a high reward. However, whether it’s the extra excavation involved to cut and fill or cantilever out on a flat surface, the complications of water drainage, or the loss of light and difficulty of access at the front of the property, building on sloped terrains is not without its difficulties.

Formally, transparency usually takes the shape of a window, a door, a curtain wall, or a skylight. These are commonly created through rectangular punched openings or in the form of glass curtain wall systems or translucent screens. The following projects play with traditional notions of transparency and window-making in playful and unconventional ways. They create visually striking facades and dynamic relationships between their exterior and interior. They filter light and frame views through their glazing and opening articulation to craft memorable architectural experiences.

The Victoria & Albert Museum is set to present an expansive exhibition focused on Tropical Modernism, an architectural movement that emerged in the late 1940s. British architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry were instrumental in developing this approach, combining modernism’s functional goals with local climate adaptations in warm and humid weather. This movement, which embodies Britain's unique contribution to international modernism, evolved against a backdrop of anti-colonial resistance, blending colonial architectural principles with local needs.

India's urbanscapes are characterized by a negotiation between the formal and the informal; permanence and impermanence. Structured amidst the concrete high-rises and planned neighborhoods, makeshift markets and bazaars form the core of city life. Often composed of sustainable structures, these transient commercial hubs exhibit a form of rudimentary architecture that spreads its roots deep in India's cultural and economic traditions.