21st century is the time of technological advancements and new generation tools. Professionals including architects shall be well versed with such technological advancements and shall also know how to use it for efficient and accurate working.
From conceptual design to construction and beyond, technology is revolutionized all aspects in the architecture design process. Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University curated a Faculty Development Program (FDP) considering this pivotal shift, so that faculty members adopt latest technologies and tools in their pedagogy and further inspire students in their professional pursuits. This FDP served as a platform for educators to delve into applications of technology.
This FDP was a mix of lectures, demonstrations, hands-on exercises, collaborations with experts in the field and industry. It thus emphasized to work on the transformative design thinking and problem solving in architecture using technology. The study program aimed to instill the logic required for comprehensive analysis for the selection of the sites, visualization in the form of 3D, and presentation of the project to the public. The program also included topics needed to build participants’ competencies to transfer and contextualize their ideas with different working domains and environments.
The first week of the FDP was focused upon understanding data acquisition through satellite imageries and various sources, data processing, and use of analytical tools for mapping, visualization, etc.The second week focused upon latest technological instruments used in the field for similar purposes. Various experts from different parts of country visited to the university for lectures, insights and demonstrations during the FDP. Some of the instruments that were demonstrated includes total station, 3D scanner, ground penetrating radar, drones, etc.
The participation in this program was not limited to faculty from Nirma University, but participants from architecture colleges around Ahmedabad also took advantage of this training. The program was coordinated by Prof. Utpal Sharma and Dr. Tanushri Mokde and the training was managed by Indian Geomatics Research Institute (IGRI) headed by Dr. Nirzar Lakhia.
