SMA Thesis Series
We see architecture as a journey that goes beyond just doing projects; design thinking with novel ideas, deliberate risks, and experience-based learning evokes spirits of curiosity! This lays at the heart of a presentation/ q & a platform where several Thesis projects/ideas/ research are on the table.
Last week, the studio buzzed with energy during our first ‘Thesis Series’ as presentations quickly turned into lively discussions on context and purpose, guided by Prof. Anne. The room was filled with a diverse mix of voices: Lasya and Dheeraj brought fresh South-Indian insights, while Rashmi and Mohit shared their contemporary Nepali perspectives. The Thesis projects/research themselves covered a broad spectrum of locations, users, materiality, and unresolved challenges.
Mohit kicked off the TS by addressing solid facts & figures regarding the social effects of male out-migration in Arghakhanchi, Western Nepal. He proposes to design a women-led Community Hub inspired by Italy’s Albergo Diffuso model. Lasya took us to the feet of Chamundi Hills, Mysore, imagining an animal rehabilitation center focused on dogs, cats, birds, and snakes. Designing for animals, she presented a nature-based materiality for temporal earthen & bamboo architecture.
Shifting to human healing, SMA architect Rashmi explored the delicate link between health and architecture with a cancer hospice in Budhanilkantha; inspired by a personal life experience, she took us all on a full 40 min. architecture roller coaster, where dignity was one of the crucial words. Dheeraj took us into the mangrove forests of Kerala, turning traditional timber practices into elevated glulam modules. The lightweight structures are touching the wetland lightly; some even float above the fragile ecosystems below.
Each of the four Thesis projects is unique in the manner in which different design tools have been explored. All of them embrace the key topics of the Ammodo Architecture Award: socially relevant, ecologically responsible, and all aim for a meaningful impact. While the session unfolded as a montage of ideas, experiments, and translated personal emotions, it became clear that January’26 will see a second Thesis Series!
