Rapid urbanization and population growth in many parts of the world have led to increased demand for infrastructure development and urban planning solutions. This eventually generates the need for skilled professionals to match the new age demands.
Keeping in view the requirement of good professionals in the field of architecture, School of Architecture, Planning & Design DIT University was established in the year 2005 as Faculty of Architecture. At the time of its establishment, it was the second architecture institute in the State of Uttarakhand after IIT Roorkee. Later, the institute also added new programs in the upcoming areas of design in order to provide an interdisciplinary learning to its students. Further, to strengthen the research profile of the institute, it also initiated the doctoral program in the area of architecture & planning in 2022.
Fostering the Culture of Excellence
School of Architecture, Planning & Design has been continuously fostering the culture of excellence in the teaching learning process through conducting expert sessions by eminent architects and institutions, creating experiential learning opportunities and collaborations with eminent institutions like IIT, SPA, National Monument Authority. Since the inception, the institute has produced committed professionals who have been continuously adding value to the architecture profession.
School of Architecture, Planning & Design under the leadership of Director, Prof. Anjali Krishan Sharma, strives to be a globally recognized and distinguished centre in Education, Research and Practice addressing critical Socio- cultural and Environmental issues and promoting values of Integrity, Excellence, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement.
Incorporating Design Thinking
The mission of School of Architecture, Planning & Design is to develop a culture of “Design thinking” in students to be Innovative Collaborative, Inclusive, Responsible and Engaged to create socially and environmentally responsible places and products as Stewards of natural and built environment.
The biggest challenge for the institute was to recruit and retain the faculty members with extra ordinary credentials with good exposure to national and international projects. Another challenge was to continuously upgradation & development of its curriculum in order to maintain the pace with the rapid advancements in technology and bridging the gap between industry and academia.
Impeccable Faculty Development
School of Architecture, Planning & Design conducted campus interviews at IITs, SPAs and other eminent architecture institutions to recruit the quality faculty members and provided opportunities to young and experienced faculty members to grow. The institution has been conducting faculty development programs on regular basis to upgrade the skills of its faculty members. The institution has also created the facility of flexi hours of working for the faculty members so that they may work on research projects/ publications.
For curriculum development, the institute invited experienced academicians and professionals to deliberate on the future requirement and created fully flexible choice-based credit system for the students which provided flexibility to the students to choose the courses offered by other discipline.
Enhancing Teaching Learning Experiences
School of Architecture, Planning & Design has introduced the value-added training programs to provide the hands-on learning to the students on digital design tools like Revit, Sketchup, 3DS Max, ArcGIS, Rhino, etc. The students are also given training on energy simulation software’s’ regularly. All of its students were provided access to Coursera, MS Team and the quizzes/ assignments are conducted on this platform. To enhance the teaching learning experience during Covid period, School of Architecture, Planning & Design provided the digital pads to all of faculty members
The institute organizes workshops, guest lectures, seminars, international conferences, workshops etc on regular basis during which the students are facilitated to engage with eminent professionals and industry leaders. The institute encourages the students to seek internships in good organizations to have practical experience and professional connections. It also encourages the students to participate in national and international design competitions.
Feathers in the Cap
For its impeccable display in each field, School of Architecture, Planning & Design has received numerous awards and accolades. Some of the major awards are:
- Its team won the Solar Decathlon India Competition 2022.
- Ranked 2nd in the Category of Excellence 2021 by GHRDC Architecture Colleges Survey.
- Ranked 13th in Architecture Category by League of Outlook Professional College Ranking.
- National Monument Authority has designated our institute as notified heritage body for heritage consultations which also notified in the gazette.
- IIT Mumbai collaborated with the institute to introduce the pilot project on disaster management.
The students are engaged with the consultancy and research projects assigned to the institute to provide them the experiential learning. The curriculum is continuously reviewed and updated after receiving the feedback from the various stakeholders. To align the curriculum with the contemporary industry trends, technological advancement and emerging practices in architecture, various courses like sustainable cities and communities, barrier free design, hill architecture etc. have been added to the elective basket.
The institute has a long list of alumni who carry its emblem of educational excellence. Some of its students like Mr. Shivam Kundu and Ms. Vidushi Agarwal were selected for internship at IIT Roorkee.
Seven of its B.Arch students qualified GATE 2023 and Mr. Shivam got 23rd rank.
Its alumni Ms. Bhavya Singh was selected as Top 16 Young Social Entrepreneurs globally by Singapore International Foundation.
Ketan Gupta and Vaibhavi Dhiman won the international design competition- The Drawing Board 2022.
Laying the Foundation for Ideal Future
School of Architecture, Planning & Design has updated its recruitment strategies to attract a diverse pool of applicants with diverse specialization in the field of architecture and planning. The institute also offers scholarships to girls in order to remove the gender bias. The institute has also ensured the reflection of cultural contexts in its curriculum.
The institute conducts the awareness programs and seminars on entrepreneurship & innovations on regular basis in collaboration with Centre of Innovation, Incubation, Entrepreneurship & Start-up which is a dedicated centre for innovation at the university. School of Architecture, Planning & Design has also included a course on Entrepreneurship & Start-up in its curriculum.
In the future, School of Architecture, Planning & Design is planning to innovate its pedagogical approaches to reflect emerging technologies and best practices in architecture education. The institute will explore collaborations with international organizations and create opportunities for global engagement, student exchange and resource sharing. It is also planning to establish a design innovation centre in collaboration with the industry partner to catalyze the interdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange at the intersection of architecture, technology and society.
