THE “THEN AND NOW” OF INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

Indian architecture is rooted purely in its history, culture, and religion. It advanced with time and assimilated the many influences that came as a result of India's global journey with other regions of the world throughout its past. The architectural methods practiced in India are a result of mix-and-match of its established building traditions and cultural interactions with other countries. Among many architectural styles and traditions, the contrasting Hindu temple architecture and Indo-Islamic architecture are the best known.

FIRST KINGDOM

The first main Islamic kingdom in India was the Delhi Sultanate, which led to the build out of Indo-Islamic architecture, combining Indian and Islamic features. The rule of the Mughal Empire, when Mughal architecture evolved and is regarded as the pinnacle of Indo-Islamic architecture, with the Taj Mahal being the crowning point of their contribution, and till date credited as the most famous architecture in India. The Indo-Islamic architecture even influenced Rajput and Sikh styles.

INDIAN ARCHITECTS

During the British Raj, European styles including neoclassical, gothic revival, and baroque became pervasive across India. After independence, modernist ideas spread among Indian Architects as a way of moving ahead from the colonial culture and design. During independence, India only had about 300 trained architects in a population of 330 million, and just one training institution, the Indian Institute of Architects. Thus, the first generation of Indian architects was educated abroad. Today, skyscrapers built in the international style are becoming increasingly prevalent in cities.

THE CHANGING CULTURE

Architecture firms in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and other metropolitan and developing cities are moving fast towards the next level in architecture. The varying scenario of architecture in modern India, both as a lifestyle and as a profession, has been eye-opening. When it comes to a perfect lifestyle, we never predicted the extent to which architecture and design could affect us as well as the society and culture we live in. With the constant need for adopting more sustainable practices in order to stop the deterioration happening to the environment, “green buildings” are something that has been largely overlooked in India. With India having ratified the COP 21 climate change agreement, green buildings promise to be a great source to reduce the overall Carbon footprint.

Green Architecture

Green Architecture has a variety of environmental, economic and social advantages. They have a hugely positive effect on the environment. They use less natural resources as compared to a normal building. A green building also ensures that the surrounding eco-system is protected and further enhanced. They consume fewer resources and improve the overall productivity of occupants. Green buildings also entail higher real estate value. Besides these benefits, incentives are also given by local government bodies in order to achieve a sustainable future. It is vital that more state governments start providing incentives in order to push more and more people towards green architecture.