Hi

I am applying for Building Technology track at TU Delft. I have written my letter of motivation. It would be great help if you people could review that and give me a feedback on it.

Thanks.

--------

I have always been a firm believer of the saying “Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.”

Coming from a multilingual and multi-cultural country, I always have had a curiosity/knack and willingness to learn about and explore different cultures. Architecture is a major representation of cultural history as it is adapted and evolved as per the area.

As a child, we used to move to a new city every three years due to my father’s job. Although at that time it was all fun but now when I look at it in retrospect that paved my path to the present interest. For say, when I was five, we shifted from the hills to the plains, a major change occurred in the dwelling style. In the former place we used to have very introverted house, it was more of a linear space with all the rooms connected one through another. On the other hand, the latter place had a courtyard right in the middle of the house interconnecting different spaces. Fast forward fifteen years, in architecture school when we were studying about climate and how it affects the design, all of which clicked into place. 

TU Delft has one of the highest rated architecture department in terms of research and academics but what makes it completely distinguishable is the availability of the course which focuses on both the technical and design aspects of architecture. The definition of Architecture varies for every individual. As far as I am concerned, architecture is as much about designing minute facade details as much it is about catering to the social, economic or topographical needs.
Since I entered architecture school I have been hearing about the great differences that occur in the practical field between the engineer and the architect. The constant need to impress upon the other and laying their ultimate claim is always there. For the advancement in terms of technology and innovations this difference needs to be bridged. And the Building Technology Track involves the courses spanning all these territories.

A paragraph describing the SWAT studio perfectly sums up what I am hoping to learn here - “The future role of the designer goes beyond an exclusive knowledge of structure, façade or climate……students are expected to develop skills that allow them to be adaptive, communicative and open to other disciplines and human needs.”
What really caught my eye regarding this program is the EXTREME design project. Just like under extreme pressure, a diamond forms, I believe that under extreme climatic and functional requirements, I’ll be able to come up with an innovative and sustainable solution.
For the last year and a half, I have been working with a small architectural firm where I have to put on many different hats as per the requirement, from researching an old building material like rammed earth to learning parametric designing on Grasshopper, it has been an extremely enriching experience and I think different Bucky Lab Design and Seminar courses will enable me with even more skills.

In order to fulfil the criteria of an architectural thesis along with the personal aim of cultural exploration, an idea developed to interpret the abstract ideas pertaining to a culture in terms of architectural spaces. Architecture communicates through spatial tools, may they be the space sequences and its organization; elements of space making and their scale and form or the symbolism of surface articulation.
I picked up “Nayavada – An Interpretation Centre for Jainism” as my undergraduate thesis topic with the aim of generating awareness regarding the goals and principles of Jainism in this contemporary world by effective means of interpretative planning. The term “Nayavada” refers to one of the doctrines of Jainism which speaks of the theory of attending to only relevant aspects and ignoring other irrelevant ones. Here, this term meant that Jainism has been interpreted considering its architectural aspects.

Picking up the site for the centre was largely influenced by the proximity to one of most popular Jain temple complex and ease of access and visual appeal for the tourists. The design was approached by considering the vantage points on the site which majorly involved providing views to the beautiful lake by the site.

I tried to interpret Jain Cosmology and the journey involved in reaching ‘Siddhashila’, i.e. attaining Nirvana. The journey through different galleries ends at the same place as the beginning (cycle of birth/death). Movement in galleries is based on the interpretation of the doctrines of Jainism. However, the transition spaces between the galleries have tried to capture the essence of five basic components of Nature (Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Void). Those who break the life cycle with the guidance of ‘Tirthankars’ (Enlightenment Gallery) follow the path to liberation which ultimately leads to the attainment of Moksha/Nirvana (skywalk). The skywalk due to its distinguished use of materials and structural integrity becomes a space for a liberated soul. 

Archival centre is compared to the most sacred space of a temple and is dissociated with other spaces, vertically, making use of the topography of the site. Other functional spaces like terrace garden, outdoor restaurant seating and lake facing cottages were integrated into the design utilizing the natural beauty that particular site held.

Architectural phenomenology used in designing this project was based on the conclusions drawn from the case studies and literature studies, referencing other thesis and intuitions developed over the course of five years studying different aspects of architecture.

I would like to take this further down the road and get involved in different research being conducted pertaining to “Neuroscience and the Built Environment” as part of my hypothesis project. These researches involve use of modern technology like tracking eye movements to determine what appeals to the human mind or using Virtual Reality to determine the role of light in architecture. What once seemed hopelessly nebulous – the importance of aesthetics, the impact of the arts and so on – can now be scientifically proven.

As mentioned by Sarah Williams Goldhagen in her book, “Welcome to your World – How the Built Environment Shapes our Lives”, what we see outside the building is as important as what we experience inside the building. The expression “thinking outside the box” gets literal credibility as researchers have determined that if people were made to take a creativity test, the ones sitting outside a 10’ x 10’ x 10’ box score more considerably than the people sitting inside the box.

To perceive any space, auditory, tactile sensory is equally important. You don’t necessarily need to touch a surface to activate your tactile sensory perception, only looking at it does the work. You imagine what it feels like. This clearly shows that enriching tactile environment is not only functionally important for visually impaired people but mentally stimulating for every other person.

I would like to explore the following terms in relation to cognitive science and architecture: 
Proprioception
Thigmotaxis
Symmetry
Biophilia
Pareidolia
Proxemics
Mirror Neurons
Mnemonics
Curvilinearity
Rectilinearity

With the continuous change in the environment, that day might not be far away when we need to touch upon the subject of “Architecture for the Apocalypse” which I would like to opt as an alternative topic for the hypothesis project. I think working on the EXTREME design project in the Second Semester will help in further exploring this topic. There are certain important requirements for any Survivalist Architecture which are as follows:
Energy efficient building envelope
Passive solar orientation
Green roof
Solar power/Photovoltaics
Rain catchment Systems
Wind Turbines
Long life/ Low Maintenance materials 

Conducting researches on the above mentioned projects and combining their results with the preexistent theories will surely lead to the building design which is sustainable to the environment as well as the human mind.

I firmly believe that at TU Delft I’ll find all the resources, and then some more, I need, in order to fulfil my aspirations and carry on in the field of architecture with a more developed and all-round knowledge.