My observations regarding ‘Emergent Customization by People’ in an ‘uptown’ housing project.

A very prominent developer built a fantastic project , premium apartments located in east of Pune near Airport.  Designed by well known Architectural firm from Bangalore, the project showcased superbly modern elevations flanked by equally wonderful landscape in posters and hoardings all around the city. The construction quality was equally good and while construction was on I had taken around eighty students of Architecture to study the quality, also how well a project can be detailed out. This was around two years back when the project was yet unoccupied.

I  recently happed to visit the same project on a typical enquiry ‘to change a few things’ from a family residing in this very project. When I walked in to the campus, I could observe some very interesting things

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a) The wonderfully designed modern elevation was all looking ‘ Hoch Poch’. People had covered terraces with tin sheets. 

b) Many people had put on grills to windows in want of security .The developers in a vain attempt to protect the look had not provided grills to windows.

c) There were external ducts in form of a false faced to hide toilets & dry balconies which were encroached upon in want of more internal space by people.

d) In some places , where rain water seemed to enter the windows, external tin roofed chajja / window protection were added done by fabricators.

e) In the apartment which I visited , I was talking to the owners how well worked out the layout was by the original Architect, they had complains all over saying how their furniture wont fit.  This family believed in Vastushastra  and the developer has not allowed them even the internal changes in electrical points and fittings leading to shabby external casing capping electric lines moving on the walls done as per their internal furniture layout.

f) The original door frames given by the developers for terrace doors could not accommodate a grill safety door which at times forms a ‘psychological safety’ device.

e) Even at some places the designed landscape seemed to change.

The question arouse in my mind, When the developer sold flats to people on the face value of magnificent elevations  shown in 3d graphics, hadn’t the same people realized to asked him, what is the use of a great elevations when it is going to change within two years of occupation.

Are good looks more important that the actual person inside ? Same is with a building. People tend to distort the building envelope and internal spaces to suit their own unique logics. These patterns are so varied that not one house becomes similar to another.

You  will think ‘ This happens only in India!’.  But world over people have rejected  and changed designed housing environments. Many of them are examples in Europe , especially built during the phase and advent of Modern architecture designed by renowned Master Architects. In  culturally diverse Asian countries like India, during the post Independence period, pre designed and pre built mass housing projects were thrust upon which were derived from western modernism principles. Strangely our ancestors built organic cities with their own houses and communities by themselves.

As with human communities, change is a way of life in ‘Residential environments’. A ‘post occupational survey’ done for housing project can give you valuable answers of what people want.  We are living in times of an ‘Emergent Architecture’ or better ‘Emergent Customization’ done by the people for the people.  It may be worthwhile embracing a ‘Democratic’ way to Design.  

There can be new design patterns which can interpret the change people demand in more designed manner to encompass beauty within the changing framework.

Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar