ANCIENT PRACTICES OF ARCHITECTURE AS APPLIED IN MODERN CONTEXT

Abstract

As long as human beings exist on the earth, they are continuously in conflict with the nature. This conflict results from the human desires, to live longer and healthier; however, those are limited by nature. The various forces of different origins are continuously acting upon the earth and, hence, upon the human beings. The energies from these forces and the continuous changes in those forces and energies have a critical influence on the human health and, hence, on their life span. The physical weaknesses and the body composure have bound the human beings from overcoming the influences from the external forces and energies. In the past, human beings, through the use of the intellect, started the observations of the happenings in the surroundings and understood the various forces and energies that were ruling and ruining health and life span. Hence the importance of shelter was realized.. The shelter became the weapon in the channelisation of the forces for the well being of the residents. The settled life resulted from the adoption of agriculture that created the necessity for the permanent shelter. The concept of the permanent settlement gave birth to the art of construction. This art of construction sowed the seeds for the evolution of the sciences of architecture. These architectural sciences were meant to study and to figure out the proper architecture of the shelter so that the therapeutic atmosphere gets created within the microcosm. With the different regions where different cultures resided having different geographical and climatic conditions, the different sciences of `pyramid' in egyptian cultures, 'feng-shui' among the chinese cultures, and `vastushastra' among the indian subcontinent emerged. Even though they evolved out of the same necessity, each of these cultures became unique largely because of the role of the beliefs and the environmental conditions. Of these three, the `vastushastra', through "...the complete understanding of direction, geography, topography, environment and physics," recommends the placement for the various openings and for the various equipments in the construction to get in harmony with the nature and, thereby, helps in achieving mental stability and peace, essential for the human development. Our daily experience in the physical world is riddled with conceptual boundaries and enclosures in order to define our life in relationship with space. As we enter the new century, conceptual and physical boundaries in architecture have been significantly blurred by the proliferation of interactive technologies. We will find ourselves interacting with buildings and building typologies through digital mediations more and more, but can such interactions improve experiences of living within established tradition? Architecture in India has been evolving while balancing the traditional with the modern. Like ''Feng Shui', 'Vastu Shastra', the ancient science of architecture in India, has been the basis for organizing space in urban design and architecture. It suggests minor arrangements in orientation and alignment that are believed to have profound effect on well-being. What is the role of interaction design in such a scenario, where inhabitants desire new experiences of living crossing tradition and interactive technologies? Based on the principles of Vastu Shastra, this dissertation aims to enhance the experience of living in harmony with the forces of nature. w