Page 71 - EducationWorld May 2022

EW SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

Transforming Spaces Sustainably set to

become a 21st Century Skill

T echnology, design, and social sciences. Completely different lawyers, designers, engineers, and conservationists with academic

training and professional experience in the best global universities
areas, are they?
In 2015, the United Nations declared sustainable
transformation as the most critical global agenda till 2030. While such as Cornell, Purdue, UCLA, Connecticut, UC Berkeley,
Heidelberg, Politecnico de Milano, to name a few.
developing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals—or SDGs JSAA offers research-based and hands-on education. The
as they are usually referred to—it was acutely felt by the experts spirit of pedagogical engagement at JSAA is not hierarchical but
that converging technology, design and social sciences was leans towards co-producing knowledge where students are equal
essential to achieve the tasks outlined in the SDGs. While an acute stakeholders in creating a curriculum that best suits them, rather
shortage of professionals educated and skilled with these three than following a static, pre-determined curriculum. Those who
seemingly disparate sets of knowledge is recognised, what kind of wish to focus on technical skills can do so, whilst those with more
academic programmes can possibly merge these three areas is interest in the social sciences can learn how to use these insights to
unclear – particularly in India – where interdisciplinary courses are deconstruct complex global problems. Students can opt for a dual
conspicuously absent at the undergraduate level. Catering to future degree with a minor from other 11 schools within JGU – be it legal
SDG needs will be impossible with the conventional subjects taught studies, management, media studies, international relations, or a
across Indian universities host of other subjects.
An examination of the agenda of sustainable transformation Students at JSAA are encouraged to think critically and develop
reveals that it concerns transforming spaces and places. Studying their own ideas. They participate in faculty-driven research and gain
the built environment becomes critical for such a pursuit. To better first-hand experience in the construction of knowledge. Not restricted
understand the questions surrounding the built environment, it is to conventional classroom-based teaching and simulations, students
imperative that future professionals study technology, design and at JSAA conduct fieldwork, work on live projects and interact with
social sciences together. To meet this need, O.P. Jindal Global actual clients. JSAA is the first school in India to start an international
University (JGU) established the Jindal School of Art & Architecture, undergraduate research conference focused on the built
JSAA, in 2018. JSAA now offers a Bachelor of Architecture degree environment, organised and managed by students. The first edition
and two Bachelor of Design degrees, one in Interior Design and in 2021 received an overwhelming response from across the globe.
another in Community & Urban Development. Across all three The second edition is scheduled for September this year.
programmes, students are trained to tackle real-world challenges JSAA encourages
from a theoretically robust and pragmatically nuanced pedagogy students to explore
that equips them to produce effective and equitable solutions. and connect
At JSAA, the approach is to define the built environment very seemingly unrelated
differently from its conventional understanding. Education at JSAA issues. They relate
starts with the assertion that every environment is ‘built’, whether road designs with
by humans or nonhumans alone or jointly, facilitated by active accidents, flyovers
geophysical processes. All three are active agents in producing with crime rates,
any environment. There is enough evidence with scientists now declining sex ratio
to recognise that a forest is as much a built environment as an with land ownerships
igloo. While the former is ‘built’ through the interactions of humans, and real estate with A JSAA student painting the school
nonhumans and the geophysical processes, the latter is ‘built’ by public health. They learn how design is a function of gender identity
the Inuit community with the help of natural processes. Nothing and how patriarchy has historically determined design. They ask
is ‘pristine,’ everything has been ’built,’ not only insofar as human questions such as: were the humans who discovered fire more
civilisations go back to, but even before that. Even dinosaurs were ‘modern’ or those designing and making iPhones. With such
active agents in creating and building the environment they lived in. intellectually exhaustive and professionally focused training, these
This understanding of the built environment is the central students will become a critical workforce, becoming tomorrow’s
principle and core ideal that JSAA works with, following the latest designers, planners, architects, urbanists, gamers, project
and best practices from across the world. This necessarily means managers, infrastructure experts, development professionals, social
having faculty members educated at the very best universities marketers, educationists, social workers, media professionals.
around the world with advanced interdisciplinary education and Working in the best of institutions and organisations globally. Ready
training. JSAA’s accomplished and well-trained faculty includes to confront the challenge and transforming spaces, places, systems,
not only architects, but anthropologists, geographers, historians, environments, societies around us sustainably.

EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2022