Architect should lead, have vision [June 2013]

Architect should lead, have vision
“I feel that architects need a better camaraderie within the profession and its professional bodies,” said Dikshu C. Kukreja, Proprietor of CP Kukreja Associates
In recent times, many jobs are being awarded to foreign architects. The reason for jobs being awarded increasingly to foreign architects in India is that we as a society are fascinated by foreign brands, says Harvard-trained architect Dikshu C. Kukreja.
Still many buildings in India, especially in the tier-1 and tier-2 cities, are being constructed without advice of any qualified architects. How do you see the situation?It is unfortunate that our cities continue to witness construction which is not professionally administered. The government bodies and local authorities fail to implement statutory norms which can ensure that such practice does not happen. In fact, journals like yours should not only highlight this issue but also take it up as a cause for the sake of the safety of the citizens as well as for better planning and design of our built environment.
According to you, what steps should be taken to encourage participation of architects in building the nation?An architect is one who can lead teams and has a vision; both aspects are in great need in our country. To begin with, however, I feel that architects need a better camaraderie within the profession and its professional bodies. Once we set our own house in order, we are in a position to build the nation. Today in India many jobs are being awarded to foreign architects. What is the reason? Are our architects not competent enough for handling such projects?The reason for jobs being awarded increasingly to foreign architects in India is that we as a society are fascinated by foreign brands. We also admire foreign cities and attribute their aesthetics to the foreign architects which is justified. However, Indian architects are extremely capable of providing similar, if not, better designs provided they are given the right opportunities. In fact, Indian architects have an edge of having better understanding of the locale in terms of culture, climatic and contextual sensitivities.
Are our architects getting recognised globally? No! On the other hand, foreign architects are being admired here. Even a mediocre foreign architect will be sought by not just clients but also by the media. I believe our professional bodies such as the Council of Architecture and IIA should make a concerted effort that Indian architects receive the global recognition they deserve. You have worked in India and abroad. What are the differences you have witnessed in terms of work culture?Having worked both in the United States and Europe, I have experienced a highly professional work environment. Clients give the freedom, regard and value to the architect’s professional opinion rather than merely play an interrogative role. In fact, the architects themselves display great professional respect toward each other which translates into a greater dignity for the profession as a whole.
Some of architects in India are taking up construction job to earn more money, your comments.Personally, I disapprove of architects undertaking construction work since to me this is crossing over the line of professional practice. Unfortunately, the world is increasingly getting more materialistic. To make matters worse, there are certain architects who charge absurdly low professional fee. Therefore, they are pulling down the professional ethics of the entire profession. We certainly do not undertake construction work.
CP Kukreja Associates recently won   national competition for the design of new institutional headquarters for the Election Commission of India. Could you brief us on the project?The Election Commission of India is establishing a highly prestigious Centre for Democracy and Election Management. It is located in the heart of Delhi and will have visitors and users from all over the world.
What are the points you considered while conceiving this project?Since the building is a Centre for Democracy and Election Management, both these elements became the driving factor in our concept and vision for the project. Democracy in India begins with the smallest element which is the panchayat typically held under a tree. Further, the election management primarily deals with managing of political parties which in turn are recognised by their symbols. Therefore, both the tree and symbolism play a central role in the design of our project.  Brief us about the projects you are working on.At present we are involved with projects of various building typologies. We are designing the Central University of Rajasthan and Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida — both are over 500 acres. There is a major 1.5-million-sq.-foot industrial facility for JCB under construction in Jaipur as well as large industrial facilities for Tata Motors in Lucknow. We have just completed the Delhi International Aerocity project which comprises of 5,000 hotel rooms spread across 14 different hotels. Amongst them, the JW Marriott with built-up area of over 1 million sq. feet shall be commencing operation within the next couple of weeks. We are also designing iconic high-rise residential projects including a 90-storey tower in Noida and the prestigious Eiffel Tower in Gurgaon which has apartments of 15,000 sq. feet each. There are other hospital, shopping malls and office buildings being designed by us, both in India and abroad.

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