“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,clients are unaware of practical situations that might affect the construction of an ideal space. Architects by 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
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