..in conversation with Ar. Jayakrishnan & Ar. Chithra


We are blessed to have so many friends around to respond to our invite to be a part of our de 12x17 workshop, and interestingly most of them were architect couples. Ar Jayakrishnan and Ar Chithra from Trivandrum, added a lot more depth to the whole discussion, by preparing a well drafted counter argument and also by showcasing their own attempts as examples for their arguments.
As per JK and Chithra, identity is a miss conceived term. There is absolutely nothing like kerala identity or indian identity. These are all certain political boundaries, while architectural identity is purely based on climate and available resources. Architecture around the world has different identities, as the responses varied with the change in climate and change in locale. Even culture is defined by climate, so the size and type of settlements
Whatever we perceive as kerala architecture is purely a response to tropical climate, with the available materials and resources at a point of time. So essentially it’s the word “ tropical” that matters. Architecture forms basically responded to the need for humans to survive in a particular climate, while settlements gave rise to several degrees of symbolism through art and crafts to satisfy their emotional needs in relationship to a particular time.
As a result of several cultural and political invasions for past many centuries, architecture of a particular place will have multiple layers. When you de-code these layers with relevance to climate and time, the theories of political identity will fall apart. It’s the aspirations of individuals and a society as a whole, which later defined so called “styles” of architecture which has little to do with collective consciousness. Symbolism is only a response to a particular situation arising out of man’s urge to group and re-group for power and better survival.
It was more interesting when JK and Chithra opted to support their arguments by showcasing three of their projects. One “ house at crossroads”, a totally contemporary response to a housing settlement in modern era, another a renovation of a traditional palatial house for an expat and third a completely context specific minimalistic response to a riverside site. All three had different stories to tell and hence different responses.
Question of neighborhood became very valid in the “house of crossroads” project, being located in a redundant urban environment with no particular character. The idea behind the design is to create a spatial idiom and develop a dialogue with crossroads, a junction in front. The form created were very minimal with straight lines, while finishes responded to locally available materials and crafts. JK and Chithra, both agreed houses cannot be museums, but strongly felt spatial responses need not follow a set traditional pattern.
In the “house of memories “ which was purchased from a royal family by an expat, the quest was to relate to the set of memories which defined the context, yet respond to the totally modern and contemporary lifestyle needs of the family. Materials were adopted from the existing structure while additional forms were amalgamated. The third house, as per JK and chithra, is a interesting example of how a design can organically grow within the site, when the site and a set of craftsmen inspires the design. Totally responding to the context and climate, the house had a flowing plan with multiple openings. The decision to avoid drawings and to develop the design hands-on on-site, made sure it involved all artisans in the process of design and execution, and the design grew organically responding to each material in its true forms. This project also challenges the idea of traditional and organic forms, as a clean minimal form takes birth from a very pragmatic and contextually relevant process. An ideal example which exemplifies the importance of the process.
The decision of the form, is the debate on whether to go with the neighborhood or resist the growth. Adaptability  and response to climate reflecting the client becomes the key of any good design. No house is permanent. In 5 years or 25 years many aspects may change, including the family structure and their aspirations hence a house need to be adopted for this change and need not always dictate the life. Context basically provide many parameters, which need to be looked at, with priorities depending on each project. Aesthetics cannot be forced in, but is a derivative of a sensible attempt to respond meaningfully. Architects should be like a conductor of a musical orchestra and encourage each mason and craftsman to perform at his best to attain a romantic scale and proportion. Being comfortable is the key to any good space and clients aspirations should be given the top priority. Why do we ever want to push our aspiration to a client who approach us ? Be flexible and have some fun too.

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