Studio Overview - "Commoning the Landscape"The erasure of Urban Commons is probably the most recurring phenomenon in post Independent India. That can be traced through environmental history as well urban policies. Resulting in de-commoning through processes of land transfer and conversion into ‘public projects.’ It is here that a distinction needs to be made between ‘public spaces’ (a formalized anti-thesis to private property) and ‘commons’ – wealth of valuable assets shared by everyone. Building upon the voices of associated disciplines, calling for ‘recognition of commons’, the intent of the studio is an enquiry into the role of Landscape Architecture to both strengthen the ongoing argument as well as position its contribution. The methodology of this enquiry will stem primarily from delving into the concepts of commons, through qualitative documentation across a geography. The process is to foreground the occurrence, and the fundamentals of the space, enabling one to sieve their distinct relational attributes. Thereby not only disseminating knowledge of commons but its possible reconfiguration and strengthening in contemporary society that represents imbalance, both social and ecological. More importantly, is derive an alternative expression of representation of a landscape space.

Architectural Journalism - This course aims to introduce writing on architecture as a method to study and interpret the built environment through analysis, criticism and review. The course shall equip the students with the fundamentals, relevant skills and techniques of various genres of architectural writing and journalism.

In the transmission of human culture, people always attempt to replicate, to pass on to the next generation the skills and values of the parents, but the attempt always fails because cultural transmission is geared to learning, not DNA. Gregory Bateson, Steps Toward an Ecology of Mind The AA is a school that produces its share of great architects, designers or educators of immense stature, importance; even talent. The AA is above all a convenor: an aggregator, collector and promoter – of new architectural ideas, ambitions, agendas presented to and not only evolved through audiences, crowds and groups of minds too numerous to count. The AA seeks these out, unhesitatingly. This, in the end, is our ultimate form of architectural genius: seeing ourselves less as an immutable institution, a place with a reputation, than as a long list of malleable platforms, venues, spaces and infrastructures, all seeking out new groups of inquisitive minds.

INDÉ (Integrated Design) has been involved in providing professional design consultancy services in the field of environmental design, regional planning and landscape architecture since 1993. The principle that governs the working sphere of the firm is that of “ sustainability”. The idea that is concentrated towards both the built and the unbuilt spaces. The firm specializes in sustainable development of land and resource management, rain water harvesting and soil conservation.It specializes in the spheres of in-site planning, regional and urban planning, environmental analysis, landscape conservation and architecture & landscape design and related disciplines to accomplish innovative and workable environments.The firm along with the idea of sustainability at the micro and the macro level also explores the idea of landscape as a matrix generated by complex urban issues, all of which may operate on local, regional or global scales. Secondly it integrates landscape as the reciprocal agency to shape its context outwards under the same criteria.