“Home
is where the heart is”, is perhaps a saying that comes to many a people’s mind
when they think of constructing a house.Approaching a professional expert in
buildings, can add value to your house says Architect PrashanthNandiprasad.
“An architect is an artist who follows his instincts
guided by the insights of the Client”
What is it that people dream of when they
think and want to build a house? When does a house… become a home? These are
some of the basic questions that an architect of a house needs to work on when
approached for his professional services.
Apart from budgetary considerations, the
psyche of the owner who is getting the house built needs to be understood. The
architect has to consider the clients’ spatial requirements, their likes &
dislikes, what their spouse is looking for, (which can often surprisingly be
very contrasting to the clients’ needs), specific views and sometimes wayward
opinions of other family members (viz. children / elders / sometimes
well-wishers /family friends etc.), while designing a house. The immense level
of patience required to listen to the client is a quality that an architect
ought to possess and nurture.
Sometimes it may be difficult for clients
to express what they are looking for in a house. Trying to understand the
thoughts and aspirations of the client is an art in itself, to say the
least. An experienced architect can read
the client’s mind and assess what they are trying to communicate. While drawing up the designs, (read drawings
& sketches), the architect has to marry all these requirements, expressed
or otherwise in a harmonious way, often within a specific budget. An architect
is an artist who follows his instincts guided by the insights of the client.
When engaging in a project, architects also
have their own agenda, their own likes / dislikes to certain form &styles.They
can relate to certain taste they have acquired, to a certain language of
expression they may have evolved or developed over the years, which they lend
to the project. A completed building form expresses & communicates to the
viewer in a certain visual manner. Often the architect would have foreseen this
while conceiving the project for their client.
Clients need to understand that although
they are approaching an architect to design their house, they are also
entrusting and respecting a professional in rendering services they cannot have
done themselves. And often the value addition an architect does to a client / project
is manifold than the fees they have been paid for. An experienced architect can
also advise or read legal documents / rent - lease agreements, prepare civil /
budgetary project estimates for bank loans, draw up building sanction drawings
based on the finalized design, know how building structural loads work while
engagingwith a structural engineer, foresee / supervise a building construction
&advice if the various civil elements are being executed with good
construction practices, design a building with the interior / furniture layout
in place, select building material & suggest their harmonious integrity
with colours& textures from other surrounding material, select essential
furnishing components (such as light fixtures / upholstery / furniture etc.),
make an artistic visual statement with the overall shape / form & structure
of the building etc.
Many a times,clientsare unaware of
practical situations that might affect the construction of an ideal space.
Architectsby virtue of their training & experience foresee such issues, (be
in about the lifespan of materials / construction issues / client’s spatial
requirements / current budgets / future expansion etc.), that can affect the
outcome of the building process.Often in the process of drawing up the designs
for a project, the architect exchanges ideas and educates the client about the design
aspects, while sharing his thoughts on how the house should be. The concept of
space, lighting (both natural & artificial), climate and nature etc.,
themselves play an integral part in influencing the sketch plans of a project. The
architect represents his vision through these sketches and explains to the
client through drawings, renderings etc. The client on his part checks if these plans
& designs are shaping up as per their requirements & needs. This often
long drawn, back & forth process is known as the “Design Development” in the
professional parlance. Any design based profession such as Product Design, Interior
Design, Landscape Design, Furniture Design etc. is a patient,but a vastly rewarding
experience to both the parties involved.
“My house should hug me when I walk in…”was
apparently a statement my father-in-law said to his architect, when he was
building his farm house many years ago. One can only appreciate an evolved
client, who could have said such a statement to his architect. And looking back at the completed house, one
can appreciate how this intimacy with the built form, the architect has made it
possible.
Ar. PrashanthNandiprasad can be contacted
at +91 9886124035 / wip.code@gmail.com