Event brief: A one-day study tour was organized to Pochampally, the textile weaving capital of Telangana. It is also known as “Gajjula pochampally”. During 1950s Pujya Acharya Vinobha Bhave initiated the policy of donating land to the weavers. He requested the existing landlords to donate land. Vedere Ramchandra donated about 100 acres to weavers on 18 April, 1951. Thereafter, this place was renamed as Bhoodan Pochampally. The place is renowned for its production of Pochampally Ikat. The students learned about the various types of textiles, its production process, including silk yarn making, dyeing, warp and weft etc. The students also understood the spatial need of the weavers, the socio-economic profile of the weavers, the needs of the communities which they will utilize for their design process later.

Event Brief: A one-day study tour was organized to the Centenary museum at Hyderabad which is maintained by the Department of Heritage –Telangana. Students saw artifacts, temple parts, Buddhist relics and other relatable aspects from pre-historic era of Telangana. They also visited an 18 th century structure – Gun foundry which was in the same area. The entire tour was conducted under the guidance of eminent conservation architect from Hyderabad – Madhu Vottery.

Twenty students of batch 2019-24 of, 7th Semester, IV year were accompanied by 2 faculty members for studying the Golconda-Shaikpet precinct as a part of their AR7.1PC Architectural Design studio on 24th August, 2022. The studio program focuses on understanding connection between the two - memory + city, which would be analyzed, tested, experimented in a materialized form intimately tied to everyday life in Golconda-Shaikpet precinct. While on visit, students aimed to study and document the precinct covering the aspects like context and site setting, designated areas, listed buildings, spatial analysis and movement pattern, building use and age, landmarks and monuments, open space mapping and vegetation, activities and services. The students used this documentation for analysis for the precinct area for giving design proposals and interventions.

The 1st year students presented their Basic Design Studio work of the semester for external evaluation. The external juror was Ar. Ajay Boga (Principal Designer, ABDA Studio). Through the semester, the students worked on Principles, Elements & Compositions of Design, and presented the same at the Jury. The students’ work was well appreciated by the jury panel that comprised of the Expert external, 1 Internal faculty along with the Studio Instructors.

The students spent their Sunday in the Public Gardens (Bagh-e-aam), Hyderabad where they took a walk around the park, museums and other heritage buildings in the complex. Ar. Shirish Beri and Dr. Massimo Vianello accompanied them, conducted interaction session with students, shared their experiences and gave deep insights on architecture to the students.

The 2nd Annual Seminar was conducted on “ARCHITECTURAL LEARNING: QUESTIONS & INVESTIGATIONS” at the Hotel Abode (Sri Venkateshwara), Lakdikapul. The eminent speakers of the evening were Ar. Shirish Beri of Shirish Beri & Associates, Dr. Massimo Vianello, Professor and Principal Advisor at ISArch and Ar. Samhitha Madanagobalane of Ela Green Buildings. Architecture students, architects, academicians and industry experts attended the event.

With the theme “Pavilions construction with Bamboo”, ISArch conducted a two-day bamboo workshop. Objective of the workshop was to promote sustainable practices, environmentally sensitive issues and application of bamboo in architecture. In the two days, students learned different ways of cutting and joining bamboo. They designed and constructed pavilions under the guidance eminent architect Massimo Vianello, bamboo construction expert Mr. Vijay K and faculty of ISArch.

To sensitize the students regarding the context of the geographical, socio-cultural and economic conditions of a rural development and its architectural evolution over time, rural settlement study of two villages (Ankireddipally and Balumallupalli) in Siricilla region was taken up. Context, climate, culture, history and evolution, social structure, lifestyle, community living, vernacular architecture of the two villages and the inter-relations of all the above aspects were studied and documented.

Prof. Philip Horton, from Arizona State University, visited IFHE campus and delivered a lecture on ‘Agency in Architecture’. Later, he interacted with the students and made them aware of the opportunities and procedures of studying abroad and at Arizona State University in particular.

As part of the History of Architecture course, 3rd Semester students gained an understanding of columns and capitals of Roman and Greek periods through clay model making. The workshop took place under the guidance of Mr. Navaneet, clay modelling expert. The students learnt making moulds, casting, sculpting and detailing of clay models.

The event was organized to welcome the new batch students. The faculty of the school motivated the students as the faculty gave them an overview of the course. The senior students welcomed the juniors by sharing the experiences of their first year at college, following which a few ice breaking activities were conducted.

The 1st batch students of ISArch have had the privilege of visiting the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species along with its architect Shirish Beri Sir. During the visit, he enlightened the students on being sensitive to the site’s natural context and improving the quality of space.

ISArch’s 1st Annual Seminar was conducted on “EMERGING TRENDS IN ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION” at the Hotel Abode (Sri Venkateshwara), Lakdikapul. The eminent speakers of the evening were Ar. Shirish Beri of Shirish Beri & Associates, Dr. Massimo Vianello, Professor and Principal Advisor at ISArch. Prior to the seminar, the students of the school, architecture interns and aspirants from the city were engaged in a clay modeling workshop aimed at exploring organic forms. The workshop was guided by Ar. Shirish, Dr.Massimo and Mrs. Lakshmi Jagannadam.

The students of ISArch participated in a national level at installation competition that was conducted by VOWELS, an art and architecture networking platform. The students took inspiration from the ideology and works of Architect Shigeru Ban and erected an installation using used paper rolls, colored translucent sheets, metal plates and screws. ISArch’s entry was among the top 10 in the Nation.

Origami Expert Ar. Karthik Mahon conducted a workshop for the students of ISArch, where they learnt basics of origami as an art form and went on to explore various origami models. They came up with vibrant and intriguing models. It was a playful learning experience for the students.

The students, guided by the faculty, visited National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad to understand traditional construction materials and techniques that are used in the rural areas of the country.

In order to expose the students towards building elements and materials, they were taken on a visit to a villa housing construction site at Mokila. The students gained an overview of different phases of construction starting from foundation to finishing, as each villa was at a different phase of construction.

The first external Jury of ISArch was conducted in the presence of external juror Ar. Yeshwant Ramamurthy Sir, Principal Architect at Studio One. As part of the Basic Design Studio, the students worked on 2D and 3D compositions, basic design principles, sketching and drawing skills and presented the same for external evaluation.