Department Overview

Welcome to the Department of Masters in 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 (refer to the link below for workshop details.). 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.

This department offers two year maters degree course in Digital Architecture. This course is designed and detailed as per the norms of Council of Architecture of India and University of Pune. This course will be starting in August 2011. The intake is of 20 students for this course. We are proud to be the pioneers in introducing this stream of Architecture at an academic level.