Interview with Ar. Shivank Sharma

Ar. Shivank Sharma : Congratulations Vishaan on winning the "A3F Architectural Thesis Award 2017" !! 😊👍🏼 Interesting work done and nice sheets (though personally I don't like sheets with black 😋😉) Nicely done work.

So the questions are - How did you decide to take up this project, what things helped, what points were in favor of this project for you to take this up ?And what problems you faced in the initial stages ?

Me : Thank you sir for the feedback. 😀🙂I think the extensive research that I did during my pre-thesis helped me with selecting such a topic. I always wanted to pick a topic that I was genuinely interested in and could commit myself to explore for the next six months. Initially, I wanted to do a school for my thesis as I was always interested in how architecture can play a role to improve our education system. I went to different colleges to learn what other students have done in this regard and also to pick my other two options for the thesis. During selection stage, I failed to pitch for the school in correct manner and the other two topics were already taken. Suddenly, I was back to where I had initially started from. Then, one day out of nowhere I was introduced to this topic called "Light Museum and Energy Centre" by a friend. It had already been attempted twice before. Something about it just clicked with me. The 'lighting' aspect of it is what caught my attention. I had already been indulged in lighting design during my training period. Also, I had done my dissertation on Emotive Architecture before, during which I learnt about the architectural language of Museum and its emotive quotient. Still, at this stage I had questions in my mind that needed answering. I somehow managed to convince the teachers about it but my lesser acquaintance with the topic meant that I had to face a lot of problems in the initial stages. I picked up mid-way and went on an incredible journey with it for the next few months.PS - My advice to my juniors would be to take this initial research phase before thesis very seriously. It was more my luck than my hard work that saved me. The same may not be true for everyone. I know that teachers tell you this thing all the time but it is now that I realize it more than I did back then. Cheers 👍

Ar. Shivank Sharma : That's a great description by you. And the last PS is actually very important, and good more coming straight from a senior.Next question will be - how did your journey, post- topic selection, began ! What initial work you had to do. (And I think answer to this question will be true for every design assignment that we start and we do). So what were the initial phases and stages from which your journey progressed ?

Me : As I stated before that my lesser acquaintance with the topic meant that I had to face a lot of problems in the initial stages. In the synopsis stage, I did not had a clear idea about the project (this is where initial research comes in handy) but with the support of jury members I managed to progress to the next stage. I had done my bit in the research department but it was not enough to get me a better vision about the museum as I did not possess the DPR(Detailed Project Report). Then, I went to Bangalore to know the actual whereabouts and project related information. As I had done my research part correctly, I was able to extract the right amount of information from the authorities that were incharge of the project. (There I realized that going to authorities with not much information about the project and what to ask would have been a different story - the mistake that many of us conduct during our case studies.) Then I came back, did my literature, case studies and everything. Still, all this hard work could not save me from what was coming next. During my next stage of jury I faced some harsh criticism about the validity of my project and could not even show the work that I did in my case studies and site study properly because of that. I have no shame in admitting that it shattered me completely. Thanks to my mentor (Akriti Mam) and Deepashree mam, I made some corrections in the scope of the project, I came back strongly in my next juries and never looked back from then on. Looking back at the that time, I can only say that "It was awful tasting the medicine, but I guess the patient needed it." as quoted by Steve Jobs. 😅🙂

Ar. Shivank Sharma : 😅 Thats a great story to tell. So we can sum up a little that - Research and Library study and Vase study - All are IMPORTANT. But can you define these 3 - with respect to your thesis. What was your reserch , what in the Library Study and then what was there in Case study !! And Akriti and Deepashre maam both are fine teachers, whom I respect.

Me : Since the light museum was first of its kind in India, the live case study of the same was not feasible. However, case study of constituent components had been done on an individual basis to infer major design consideration.

Live case study of following had been undertaken to gain in-depth knowledge of exhibition space and usage of lighting (both natural & artificial) in such spaces and how built form has responded to the contextual lighting requirements.

- Virasat-e-Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib

- Government Museum and Art Gallery , Chandigarh

- RETREAT, Gurgaon

- Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi

Prototype case study

- Kimbell Art Museum

- Salk Institute

- Centre for International Light Art, Unna, Germany

I did research on museum and its constituent spaces, technical considerations, lighting design in museum and I also did some research on work by some famous architects wrt light and architecture.Some of which I would like to mention.

Church of Light, Tadao Ando

Features -

• Differently oriented slits captures contrasting tones of sun and sky, painting some walls pale yellow and other violet.

• Two kinds of atmosphere fill the void, a thick darkness that hides what is solid and cover the physical limits of space and slivers of light that cut through walls while spraying on them a faint afterglow.

• The overall blackness enlarges our pupils, and sensitizes our mind to search for a light.

Salk institute, California - Louis I Kahn Features - • A pre-condition for his ultimate aim: to enchant space with wondrous moods. • Constant awareness of the simplicity required for buildings to transcent their physical limitations, while avoiding busy surface effects that might interfere with light's subtle and marvellous, yet tenuous appearance. • Play of light on simple geometric forms with lots of open spaces enhance the building with silence mood.

Ar. Shivank Sharma : And how do you differentiate between those 3 types of studies- Research, Library, and Case !!

Me : For this project, I think that the research was most crucial. It helped me to not only understand the project but also to design and organize the manner in which I had to conduct my Library and Case studies. While library study helped me understand the general design considerations and technicalities of the project, different case studies helped me realize the practical aspects and how these considerations are taken into account in real life situations in a museum.

Ar. Shivank Sharma : Whats the differentiation between Research, Case study and Library study in general according to you?

Me : These are three different stages of any design project. In research stage, you find out about all different details related to the project eg. the authority, the proposal, project requirements etc. In Library Study stage, you study all the general data related to the project eg. standards, different types of spaces in the project etc. In Case Study, you take particular instances/projects that have been already built and use the inferences drawn from these studies to better design your project.

Ar. Shivank Sharma : So all 3 are required ?

Me : Yes sir, absolutely. Without a doubt!

Ar. Shivank Sharma : 😊👍🏼 Correct answer 😊

Me : Thanks Sir 😊