There has been a growing awareness amongst professionals in a variety of disciplines, that an unhealthy gap has developed between the expectations of well-being for society at large and the norms and values of professional practice and behaviour.
It is clear that in rapidly evolving societies, especially those with a living tradition of values and skills, the need for rapid change often conflicts with the rooted value-frame.
The TVB School of Habitat Studies was established by the Tulsi Vidhya Bharatiya Educational Society in 1990. The research and development for starting the school was done by GREHA. Until 2000 the school, with recognition from the All India Council of Technical Education and the Council of Architecture under section 20 of Architects Act 1972, was awarding a 5-year Diploma in Architecture.
The educational programme at the TVB School of Habitat Studies aimed to provide meaningful resolutions for such conflicts through processed of learning and doing. In the long term, the objectives the programme were to research knowledge, relevant to our conditions and traditions, is gathered, developed and used for the well-being of our changing society.
There is, in India, an enormous demand for appropriately trained architects who can cope with the challenges and new requirements of the development process.
The shortfall in the availability of qualified architects is only one dimension of the problem. The task of developing and improving the quality of design and construction which are simultaneously environmentally appropriate, is even more important and urgent. In order to address a complex set of requirements, teaching programme seeks to equip the students with a diverse range of disciplines and experiences.
The curriculum had been designed to express and realise these educational goals while adhering to the following general principles :
- Generate an atmosphere and opportunity for intellectual growth and development of both the students and faculty through rigorous yet non- doctrinaire academic leadership.
- Develop new knowledge which will materially add to the well being of the profession and society as a whole, by promoting research in the field of architectural education, construction and building management
- Participate and contextualize the course of study in the development of the city in particular and society in general through a programme of learning by doing and becoming the nodal agency for the dissemination of useful information
- Take advantage of its location in the city by involving the diverse resident and visiting professional talent in the education programme.
The diversified range of knowledge and experience would be grounded in the philosophic roots of the profession, with particular reference to aesthetics and ethics. The skills to be developed focussed on language of architecture, starting with basic communication skills, leading to the development of imagination and creativity. This was supplemented by the exploration and development of the craft of building, through workshop exercises as well as onsite interaction with the building industry.
The formation of appropriate attitudes and traits would be fostered by developing the students' capacity for self-awareness and responsible behaviour. The intention being to reinforce the basic human skills of expression and communication, with an understanding of their place and role in the profession and in society.
The course of architectural study conforms to the guidelines of the Council of Architecture and will focus on the following three major areas :
- the development of awareness of the broader technical, cultural and environment factors which determine the limits of the architectural problem
- the comprehension and anticipation of the institutional forces which define the ground on which habitat related decisions can be framed
- the capacity to reconcile the aesthetic, scientific and technical criteria required for the design and management of the human habitat.
As of 2001, the TVB School of Habitat Studies is affiliated to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi - 110006. It offers a 5 year (10 semesters) full time academic programme leading to a Bachelor of Architecture Degree.
