“…it is clear that only high-income sections of society would have the involvement and advantage of architect-designed spaces.”
– Council of Architecture (1)
If space is a fundamental property of existence, how did architecture become a feature for the privileged few? When did architects become three-dimensional overthinkers who serve a ‘lavish lifestyle’ to those who can afford it?
I would keep my phone on charge at the edge of the bedside corner, as the rest of it was filled with showpieces. Every morning, as I would reach out to turn off the alarm, the charging cable would pull it back and it would fall down, waking me up with the sleepy irritation of having to find my device in the dark.
A quick run at the numbers shows that even in a ‘developing’ third-world country such as India, the last two decades have seen the addition of 35% built-up area which amounts to 25 lakh hectares of built-up land; there is about 92 lakh hectares of built-up space and only 141 crore people. If I forget all the politics, corruption and capitalism that drive this world, every Indian has an opportunity at around 65 sqm of built-up land. In this imaginary world of mine, we don’t need to ‘create’ more space. Then what will architects do?
It was supposed to be a typical Sunday morning: wake up at noon, eat lunch, and back to sleep until dinner. But on this one, I woke up to an empty space on my bedside corner. The usual collection of soft toys was missing, as my mom had decided to wash them today.
As I got up and headed towards the washroom, I noticed that it was not just the bedside shelf that was being cleaned: two empty shoe boxes were lying on the floor along with other potential waste items, waiting to be discarded. And just like that, an idea struck…
But then, you might argue that not all of that space is habitable. A lot of it is occupied by offices, industries and other commercial establishments; and those are important for humans to survive. But are we utilising them entirely? Space is a three-dimensional entity, with length, width and height defining its boundaries— then why are homes gauged on their floor areas alone?
The box itself was the perfect container for my collection of books I wanted to keep for my bedside reading, and since it came with an openable flap instead of a lid when placed upright I got a cantilevered surface to place a warm table lamp and my phone. The space above the box and under the corner shelf was the perfect spot for my stationary, and Et voilà!
As society develops as urban sprawls with ‘better livelihoods’, the value of a space is limited by its commercial value. Furthermore, the scope of architectural services is limited to enhancing that commercial value; through romanticised concepts, glamorous visuals and glittering finishes. And yet, it seems that this service itself has been unable to create any commercial value for itself.
Does architecture have to be so complex? Does it have to involve a thousand steps, material, execution, coordination, budget, timelines, brainstorming sessions and manhours? I redefined my bedside corner with a makeshift bookshelf and a table lamp. Is that not architecture?
Architects as Translators of Human Habits
Architecture is the art and science of adaptation of space to suit human habits and behaviours. If you walk across a grass field along the same imaginary path every day, in a few days the grass will part to reveal the ground beneath it. The path that you imagined is now a manifestation, evidence of your daily ritual. Isn’t this the process of creating architecture?
But don’t humans leave such evidence of their activities everywhere? Is it not natural for anyone to arrange their space to complement their habits– a shoe rack near the entrance of the house, a sofa in the middle of the room, a bed at the corner and storage at the end?
Architects? No. Home Makers as Space Makers
There is only one, unifying space that surrounds us all, and architects divide it with walls and roofs to make it comprehensible and useful for humans.
As Ayn Rand describes in The Fountainhead, architects create ‘nothing.’ It is not the four walls that the architects build, it is rather the empty space between these walls that they create. It is the life lived within these spaces that architects envision, and yet it is this very life they seem to be forgetting about.
Architects want to monopolise everything about space-making but are failing terribly at it. We want to create a fully packaged deal where we want to take care of everything, but instead, we are giving huge discounts just to land the job and get underpaid and overworked.
Space Sensitivity as a democratised art, a way forward.
Does the world today need elaborate plans for its creation and use? Or do we need to simply pause, reflect and absorb our surroundings, spaces, patterns and histories, and find out ways to utilise our existing spaces better? If a multi-tasking human is more productive, does the same principle apply to a space? Why is the room defined by the floor area, when in reality it comprises the whole volume? Do we take that into account, and utilise it fully? Are we really clear on the whole ‘clear-height’ concept?