Amity University Jaipur

Dr Anurag Varma is the Director, Amity School of Architecture, Amity University Jaipur. He is an academician, researcher, consultant and architect with 30 years of varied professional and academic experience. His professional experience has been wide-ranging, and professional positions include senior management positions at top-rated corporate firms. He is Principal Architect in a self-owned consulting firm, and has expertise in greenfield integrated township developments and industrial estates for corporate and government clients’. His research interests include sacred heritage, cultural heritage conservation, historical and contemporary urbanism, pedagogy and academic engagement in the Global South.

How do you plan different activities and programs for students?

“Focus on Field Exposure and Industry oriented programs”

From hosting national and international events to bringing eminent personalities from the profession to frequent exposure of students in terms of expert lectures from the field -professionals, our programs are enriched through new industry orientation. Students are encouraged to visit ongoing projects, participate in design competitions, and provided handholding by us through our professional associations with COA, IIA and IIID. It ensures students’ initiation into an active network of nationally & internationally recognized professionals dedicated to addressing the changing needs of contemporary times.

At Amity, what are the greatest strengths of your department?

“Diverse Faculty & students, strong industry collaboration with a focus on Research & Design innovation”

Amity School of Architecture and Planning Jaipur (ASAPJ) functions as a unique community of teachers, architects, students and researchers rich in diversity that collaborate and innovate through design. Here, students explore creative design approaches across domains with committed educators working with them. They get access to eminent professionals for guidance and critique while working on projects – critical for the shaping of young minds. Our faculty has a focus on research-based innovative design towards a sustainable future in architecture, and the spirit is infused into the students enrolled in our programs. Our motto is to create youth capable of providing a built-environment leadership apt for the present times.

What strategies do you apply for overall growth of the students in your department?

“Exposure to Contemporary Design Thinking through real-world project challenges”

We believe in creating a better tomorrow dedicatedly working in the present. We shape the abilities of our students to address contemporary challenges through the latest professional tools, and mapping of processes and user mindset. We keep our studio projects live and real and encourage our students to participate in design competitions to engage with contemporary issues that address current challenges of the built environment. We conduct collaborative studios with other institutions to foster peer learning and friendly competition – Our Sky-Bridge Studio program.

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What are the types of training/internships that the students are working on through this program?

“Thrust on Interdisciplinarity, Sustainability & Sensitivity”

Our students are encouraged to have internships with building centres, and architects focused on developing eco-sensitive energy-efficient technologies. As a part of o training, our students have taken an active initiative in innovating ideas for Transportation Hubs, Hospital architecture, Education campuses and Urban places. These offer challenging avenues for architecture design. Most of the avenues require interdisciplinary know-how of allied fields like Engineering, Socio-economics, Culture studies and Healthcare. Their design approach is encouraged to be sensitive to human life and a sustainable environment. 

How do you train yourself or the faculty to deliver this program to the students?

“Engagement in Active Research, consultancy & faculty development”

Our faculty is engaged in extensive research in domains related to Architecture. The research domains of faculty are often explored through the academic program, which enables cutting-edge information transfer to students. The faculty employs innovative pedagogical tools which are reviewed for experience sharing and peer learning, and result in creative teaching. Periodic faculty development programs and active engagement in professional consultancy keeps them agile to remain abreast with the latest developments.

What are some of the biggest challenges faced by you in the field of Architecture?

“Climate Change & Sustainable urbanization”

Cities and building architecture are recognized as critical aspects of global warming and sustainable development. The regional expressions have been marginalized for the worldwide image of architecture. With global warming and climate change, a World Heritage City like Jaipur is on the edge of a sensitive ecosystem of a hot and dry climatic zone that requires a specialized approach in architecture and urban design. Reinventing such unique regional architectural expressions with sensitivity to climate, energy, and heritage is the biggest challenge staring at the new breed of architects.

What is your approach to make a healthy environment for your students?

“Creative, Diverse and Multi-Disciplinary”

Our approach stems from both the physical and pedagogical core of the diverse Amity experience, drawing together students and faculty from across the field of Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Fine Arts and Virtual modelling. The creative and multi-disciplinary collaborative atmosphere is supplemented by advanced information and computing labs, multimedia-based presentation spaces, vast library resources, and open access to fabrication technologies in the workshops enabling architecture students to develop, discuss, exchange, and materialize ideas through a comprehensive range of mediums and platforms.

Please share your thoughts on the future scope for students of Amity School of Architecture?

“Industry Ready”

ASAP graduates are industry-ready with developed expertise in BIM, Bionic Architecture, Virtual Reality along with sensitivity to Heritage, Energy conservation and Sustainability. ASAP has prepared committed professionals who have assumed leadership roles in shaping the built environment of India and abroad. They are shaping the future.

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What goals do you have for your department for the next few years?

“Hub for Sustainable development“

We are striving to develop our Institution as a knowledge hub focusing on sustainable development of the built environment. Our academic objective is to engage with the built environment and provide a vision and holistic solution for architecture in changing climate of the region. We aspire to orient architecture through the lens of community development, providing them with value. We strongly believe that Architecture is for people.

What suggestions would you like to give to the current students and aspiring youth?

“Focus on End-user Experience and Efficiency of Built-Environment”

Future of Architecture is in its sensitivity to people, environment, and resources. To effectively adapt to this future, new architects need to shift focus to the end-user, efficiency of programmed space, and efficiency of construction. Besides aesthetics and radical forms, there will now be an emphasis on building operations, the end-user experience and support function. The new architecture must heal the environment and the user. The architect of the future must strike a balance between form and function, art and science, technology and soul. It is going to be a truly fascinating time to become an architect.