Established in the year 2004, Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture (CSPA) is approved by All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and duly recognized by Council of Architecture offering 5-Year Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch).
With the establishment of Chitkara University, CSPA has become one of its constituent institutions and is now looking forward to achieving higher benchmarks in Architectural Education.
The School is established on a 5-acre site within the University campus and has been designed in a way so as to offer the budding architects new ways to access design references, model buildings and present their ideas. It houses well equipped design studios, lecture theaters and library with more than 4000 books and wide collection of periodicals. We also boast of world class computing resources including audio visual lab and material museum.
The goal of Chitkara School of Architecture is to nurture and cultivate the unique qualities of each student through an interesting curriculum, in an inspiring environment and under the guidance of experienced faculty members. Central to the school’s philosophy is the commitment to design excellence that demands not only the skillful manipulation of form, but also inspiration from a broad body of knowledge.
Instruction and research encompass design theory as well as visual studies, history, technology, and professional practice. Students are taught to draw upon knowledge and experience gained from the past while adapting to the changing needs of the modern world.
Global best practices in architectural teaching are being implemented in our curriculum to make sure that our students are ready to take on various career profiles in the ever exploding infrastructure development industry.
With the increase in investments in the construction sector, there has been a boom in the architectural sector. It has been observed that the supply of architects has not been in proportion with the demand of architects. It has been projected that in the coming years, the demand of architects all over the globe will be more than a million.
In alignment with the vision of the University, we strive to provide necessary wherewithal of creative and technical skills through constant interface with the profession to make our students socially and technologically proficient professionals.
We offer 5-Year Bachelor of Architecture program that emphasizes the physical realisation of ideas where priority is placed not upon theory or practice in isolation but in concrete and poetic possibilities of their integration.
With a view to achieve our objectives in line with our mission, the school has been pursuing multifarious activities over and above our normal teaching and learning process.
To illustrate the same, some of the important pursuits are as listed below:
Chitkara School of Planning & Architecture has an intensive focus on research and knowledge building – an activity taken up through the Chitkara Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture. The primary objective of the Centre is to build up a database of the innumerable territories of the built environment of India and also provide resources for conduct of specialized studies related to the same. Activities taken up through the centre include conduct of continuing Education programs, public lectures, conferences, with a special focus on studies and documentation of the lesserknown and built traditions of India.
Some of the significant studies completed by our faculty and students over the last few years include those of early twentieth century Sadar Area of Ambala Cantonment in Haryana, several historic buildings on the Mall Road and Baradari of Patiala in Punjab; temples, sarovars and river ghats of the sacred Braj Region in Uttar Pradesh and, a few residential and public buildings of Garli in Himachal Pradesh. The Centre is fully equipped to undertake research publications, and is also mandated to bring out “Creative Space (CS)”, the bi-annual academic journal of Chitkara University.
Architecture is a great field of study for those who are artistically talented and interested in creative design and the built environment. Our Architecture program allows students to tap into their creative talents, introduces them to the challenging world of building design and construction, and prepares them to become change agent of the future. Chitkara students develop critical thinking, research and analysis skills, and an ability to engage theory and culture with an understanding of how these forces work together in the built environment.
The first two years of the program prepare students in the fields of design, drawing and computer applications. Computer integration in the design studios is emphasized in the second year. While developing skills in design, drawing, computer applications and construction, students also study history, social science and humanities.
In the 3rd and the 4th year, the focus is on teaching the principles of building construction, civil structures, construction management, town planning followed by Architectural Design Thesis.
In the last year of the program, students get “earn while you learn” opportunity with reputed Architectural offices and construction companies across the world.
Architecture Students involve themselves in national and international events outside of college life, through volunteering within the local and wider community. There are also regular field trips and study visits that are organised as part of the learning experience, allowing students to see various important architectural landmarks and heritage sites.