What do they do?

She grew up in picturesque Gangtok, day dreaming about creating beautiful structures which would stand tall before her, braving the chiaroscuro of sun and light. In her free time, she would observe her architect neighbour’s nimble fingers sketching on the drawing board for hours. Maps, T scale, compass and precision tools were her friends.

 

Today, Debashree Pal, 25, is an architect with a leading architect firm. A plot of land for her is the canvas onto which she pours her imagination, a drawing board which comes alive with a dream habitat for the less fortunate. She loves to design sustainable buildings that don’t take kindly to high-end materials.

Bamboo and sun-dried bricks are her favourites. And her dream project is to construct a sustainable orphanage in a far-flung village....

Pal studied at Gangtok’s Tashi Nangyal Academy (one of its famous alumni being football player Baichung Bhutia). In Class 11, she took up science with chemistry and physics as her mains and geometrical and building drawing as her elective.

As luck would have it, she topped the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) in her state. That brought her to Delhi for the five-year BArch programme at School of Planning and Architecture. She did her internship at the Centre for Science and Technologies for Rural Development led by legendary architect Laurie Baker where she got a chance to work on a low-cost housing project in Tamil Nadu.

Ask her about skill sets prospective architects should possess and she says: They should excel in day dreaming.

And how is the work? “An architect is the central figure for any construction project. He/she has to design a building keeping in mind the local ecology and keep an eye on aesthetics,” she says, and goes on to add, “Every project is different. It’s the variety that I love,” says Pal.

Agrees Vidur Bharadwaj, director, 3C Company, “Architecture is more of a passion than a career. It’s not only about designing habitats but an individual’s effort to create a balance between his dreams and reality.”

Skills Needed

.    Understanding people’s needs is at the core of the work
.    An aspirant should be a creative artist with an interest in designing
.    Ability to sketch free-hand plan – though not of utmost importance – is beneficial while explaining intricate details of the structure to clients
.    Imaginative outlook
.    Awareness of social and environmental factors
.    Apart from being technically sound, good mathematical ability is important as the work involves working out cost estimations
.    Good communication skills; physical stamina to work on the desk as well as on site

How do I get there?

.   Anybody who has studied physics, maths and chemistry at the 10+2 level can apply for admission. BArch is a five-year programme. Most schools and colleges
    select students through a written test. On completion of the bachelor’s programme, you can study architecture at the postgraduate level also.
.   Entrance test for BArch programmes: The Central Board of Secondary Education conducts a nationwide test - All India Engineering Entrance Examina
    (AIEEE). Most colleges also accept the National Aptitude Test for Architecture (NATA) score
.   National Aptitude Test is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA), Pune and the Academic Unit of the Council of
   Architecture (COA)