M.Arch. Digital

Welcome to the M.Arch. in Digital Architecture

Dept. of Digital Architecture at BNCA

Undoubtedly, architecture is one of the most enjoyable and creative of disciplines, incorporating the exercise of imagination, organizational ability and the intelligent observation of almost every facet of human and natural activity. Students entering the field deal with a fast-changing world in which imagination, understanding and the creative use of resources are essential, in addition to the development of aesthetics and technology.

In order to prepare for this, students at the MKSS’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture engage in as wide a range as possible of experiences, where they are helped to discover her or his own direction.

The Department of Digital Architecture at MKSS’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune seeks to create a culture of research and innovation in both the faculty and student body. The Department of Digital Architecture recognizes that in the design world of the 21st century, important research is being conducted around the world by innovative professionals and educators, and that traditional academic categories of research are giving way to "research-driven practice", particularly in the areas of sustainability, digital design, material research and community planning. The department can therefore play a pivotal role in the development of this emergent research culture by creating a flexible, adaptable and technically supportive environment where students are engaged in studio and research courses with teaching professionals in their respective discipline. The Department will maintain its commitment to professional evaluation and university and council standards, but will augment these standards with educational experiences in the form of "think tank" or "incubator" models. The curriculum and philosophy stresses on the necessity of analyzing and challenging the underlying history, premises, and future directions of the design professions, even as students are prepared to become accomplished practitioners in their respective fields of specialization.

The two year full time Master of Digital Architecture course helps practicing architects and designers to rethink the design process and use technology to embrace the emergent practice of non-standard architecture. This course enhances students' skills in spatial thinking and takes their designs in a new direction. Architecture as a built reality maintains a close relationship to the modes and techniques of representation. The advent of digital software has released a unique potential that can lead to a significant rethinking, re-imaging and reconfiguration of the built environment. Given the fact that this is a relatively new area of architectural investigation within the academic and the professional context, the department offers students an opportunity to be at the forefront of interrogation in this field.

In the professional and design-related courses, the primary method is design projects in which students engage in their own observation of a community, a process, a series of intertwined issues and find a path through them towards a solution. Alongside such projects there are many open lectures, seminars and exercises. This is a process of exposure to architecture involving a complex web of historical facts and theories, cultural layers, aesthetic fields and scientific trails. This is augmented by parallel exposure to related fields of art, engineering, environmental design, environmental studies and sustainability, cybernetics, writing, recording and communicating.

To spread the awareness of this emerging field, we, at Dr. B.N. College of Architecture have been conducting workshops and lectures detailing the field of digital architecture. Eminent practitioners of the field; Ar. Kapil Gupta, Serie Architects and Ar. Nuru Karim have been involved since the inception, guiding us in the frame work of the course.

The series of workshops have been exploring different parametric tools in designing. In the first workshop the participants were given a local site of a public space with list of possible parameters in and around the site. To renew or form a link between people and nature participants used landforms as an inspiration which reflect organic earth forms. Reinventing the definition for Sambhaji Park and stressing on creating earth forms with modern and futuristic architecture seen in today’s culture to make this landmark a monumental public space which shall portray the contemporary aspects of Pune in today’s technological world.

The form of the Sambhaji park revolves around the city with a lot of its own character, which forms the central element of the composition, creating a continuous landscape that physically links the park and structures together resembling a link between public activities and sculptors’ character of Pune.

The structures as well as the landscape imitate earthforms. The pathways evolved from the concept of dried earth with the pathways forming patterns weaving through the site.

We divided the park into 10 parts, keeping in mind of merging all the parts of the park as the earth form. Each part of the park had a concept in itself by creating landscape forms naturally.

After conducting a few experiments in the design tools with computations, the participants came up with justified iterations and generated 3D Prints of the models. 

The second phase of the workshop was evolved so that the participants self analyze the definition of Digital Architecture. The sessions allowed the participants to explore selected tools for explorations of parametric designing.  Through a series of iterations, participants examined physical (functional, recreational, etc) and psychological (effects of color, material, form, etc.) aspects of spaces. These examinations were implemented through parametric tools to generate envelopes in public spaces, the pavilion.

Groups were formed with varied participants, some from professional field, some academicians, students and some theorists.  These groups had intense discussions defining the built and unbuilt spaces in the public domain. During these discussions, germination of different perspectives helped develop holistic approach generating dynamic solution to pavilions. The pavilions were derived from consideration of the need to the habitat around it. The driving force of the designs marked the cusp of the modernism, vernacularism and parametricism, deriving the dynamism in the pavilion’s form catering as a landmark in the neighborhood.

The conclusion to this workshop was marked by a 1:1 scale pavilion designed by a team of parametrists: Ar. Dhruv Chandwania, Ar. Trushit Vyas, Ar. Abhay Kulkarni and Ar. Atul Rajwade. The structure was fabricated with the in-house FAB Lab. The lab consists of Laser cutting machine, CNC (computer numerical control) Router machine and a 3D printer. A team of 40 volunteers comprising of professors and students came together to assemble the structure. A strong support from the institute in funding the project, Ishanya in hosting the event was the driving force to success to the experiment. Dr. Shevgaonkar, the vice chancellor of University of Pune and Ar. Nuru Karim unveiled the BNCA Pavilion “Parametrized Wave” followed by a presentation on Ar. Karim’s works.