What guidance do you have for students wishing to join a School of Architecture the near future?

The above question is answered by Prof. G.Sunil Kumar, Director, Gitam School of Architecture,Hyderabad  

A student joining any institute has to look for the following information to take the decision,

1. Necessary permissions needed for the course: Institutes have to be accorded permission to start the B.Arch course by Council of Architecture, GoI. CoA inspects the institutes and after verification of the infrastructure and all other requirements grants permission to start the course.

2. Necessary infrastructure needed for the course: Architectural education is a unique course the infrastructure needed for the course is also unique. CoA recommends in detail about the infrastructure needed for course. There are Class rooms and Design studios for regular class work. Carpentry workshop to learn carpentry as furniture, doors and windows are part of any building. Model making workshop to learn and make models of the buildings designed, these models help the architecture students in understanding many issues related with architecture. Building material museum and Building construction museum where building material and construction technologies are showcased for better understanding. Climatology lab to understand the effect of climate on design of buildings. Construction yard to experience first-hand how construction is done. Computer lab to learn latest software such as Auto-Cad, Revit, Sketch-Up, Photoshop their application in the profession of Architecture.

3. Experience needed for the course: Experience of the institute in running the course. Every Architectural education institute has a unique flavor, this is very important when someone wants to choose the institute. The experience of the institute is showcased in the academic calendar that is taken by the institute. How the course work is charted, who will be teaching what, how the students are being exposed to the course work, how the monitoring of the course work is done all this is very important when choosing the institute.

4. Faculty needed for the course: CoA governs the teacher student ratio and also the quality of the faculty. Any good institute not only attracts good students but also good faculty. The faculty of the school should have demonstrated good academic skills by way of Paper presentations or research or any other method. Visiting faculty comprising of practicing architects is also important aspect of faculty of the institute. Who are visiting faculty what are their contribution to the profession of architecture will also become an important issue while selecting the institute by the student.

5. Overall development of the student: An Institute which provides opportunities for the 360⁰ development of the student is an important point of concern. Student along with education should be provided with opportunities for him to develop into fully matured citizen. They should be provided with platforms to showcase their inherent talents and skills. Students should be given chances to perform responsible roles needed for the society.

what message do you have for students pursuing studies under the influence of their peers and society for example taking up engineering when you have been interested in fashion designing or architecture?

what is architecture and how unique is a career in architecture?

what do they teach in architecture program?

what are the qualities that any B.Arch aspirant must possess?

how is architecture different from civil engineering?