Narratives In Architecture

The act of storytelling has been a powerful tool to communicate and disseminate meanings and values. Art forms like theatre, cinema or installations use storytelling as the central device of their process. Architecture claims to communicate meaning and yet, the idea of narratives remains limited to few theoretical expressions. This studio aimed to engage with the narrative as a device to structure and unify the design process. Components of the narrative were used to establish relationships between diverse elements of the design process like program, site, intent or concept. The thematic intent of the studio was triggered by the current crisis of the CoVid-19 pandemic. Global lockdowns caused human beings to retreat within their homes, and the infiltration of public life within the private domains of people’s homes has become ubiquitous impacting the complex and dynamic spatial constructs of human inhabitation. ‘Degrowth’, reorganization of public space and the co-inhabitation of the private and the public are amongst the prominent questions that have emerged. The studio aimed to debate these questions through student design projects. Interpretations have been arrived at through reading, drawings and the design of public space with public institutions.