ARCHITECT'S IDEAS & ADVICE ON A TO Z OF HOUSE CONSTRUCTION IN INDIA

HOW IS THE ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE REGULATED IN INDIA?
The Practice of the Architectural Profession is regulated by the Architects Act, 1972. The Council of Architecture has defined the Scope of work and Architectural Services to be rendered by Architects with a view to making the Client fully aware of the duties and services which he may expect from the Architect. They stipulate the parameters within which the Architect is required to function and are applicable to all registered Architects and such Architects who have specialized in areas such as Structural Design, Urban Design, City Planning, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture and Architectural Conservation.

The Architect is required to provide services in respect of the following:

Interior Architecture.
Landscape Architecture
Architectural Conservation.
Retrofitting of Buildings
Graphic Design and Signage.

WHAT ARE THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY AN ARCHITECT IN INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE?
The primary objective, in Interior Architecture, is to generate a purposeful ambience that will stimulate the user’s creative potential through multifarious activities. The aim is to meld the interiors and exteriors into symbiotic relationships through varied experiences of scale, volume, light and shade. Interiors are not only to protect the users from the extremes of weather but also to nurture them emotionally. Hence, the interior spaces must be designed to fulfill the fundamental functional and aesthetic needs that make the interiors efficient and pleasant to live and work in. The development of design is a very conscious act and it infuses life into interiors subconsciously.

SCOPE OF WORK
Site Evaluation and assessment.
Interior Design – space planning and volumetric study.
Architectural additions and alterations.
Interior related civil works.
Design of fixed items of work and loose furniture.
Illumination design.
Sound and Acoustic design.
Graphic design.
Indoor Plantscape.
Selection of materials, equipment and other interior related elements.
Integration of all Engineering services.
Periodic inspection and evaluation off works at site.
Quality Control.

WHAT ARE THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY AN ARCHITECT IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?
Landscape Architecture deals with the analysis, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of land and also determines the environmental impact. It is a science capable of producing an ecologically-sensitive design which is self-sustainable. It integrates from the very conception, the elements of Architecture, Urban Design and Civil Engineering. Landscape Architecture covers a wide spectrum of professional expertise, ranging from Landscape Planning at the regional and city scale on the one end, to the small and medium scale of public and private landscape at the other. It involves dealing with such sites as Office Plazas, Public Squares, Highways, City Parks, Housing Developments, Institutional Campuses, Zoological and Botanical Parks.

SCOPE OF WORK
Site appraisal and suitability.
Site planning.
Landform and grading.
Surface drainage design and water management.
Irrigation design.
Open space design – hard and soft areas.
Planting design.
Landscape structures and features.
Garden Furniture design.
Illumination design.
Graphic Design and signage.
Co-ordination of external services.
Periodic Inspection and evaluation of works at site.

WHAT ARE THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY AN ARCHITECT IN URBAN DESIGN?
Urban Design is architecture of the cities, highly complex and gargantuan in scale. The primary aim of Urban Design is to imbibe and maintain a sense of identity and harmony among buildings, open spaces and other structures by means of a pleasant and memorable visual imagery throughout the length and breadth of an Urban setting. Volumetric relationships, harmonious spatial sequences, transition from buildings to open spaces, streetscape and the services infrastructure must together create a townscape with an exclusive imagery.