Architectural Design Studio | Semester 5

"4-day immersion | Veti, Tal. Dahanu
Semester Theme: Focusing on the essence of small, interdependent communities and designing spaces that nurture relationships and cultural continuity.

As part of their studio on “Designing for Interdependence”, students stepped into the lived realities of Veti — a village where built form, social relations, and ecological systems co-exist in delicate balance.

This immersive experience foregrounded the role of architecture as a social act — where spatial decisions are rooted not in imposition, but in listening, co-creating, and preserving the intangible layers of everyday life. Through participatory mapping, narrative gathering, and dialogues on policy and place, students began to understand how architecture intersects with kinship, memory, identity, people, place, culture and resilience.

They actively observed the village, and conducted participatory mapping of the community. They listened to its stories, and began to reimagine what it means to design with communities — not just for them.

This studio reminds us: buildings may shelter people,
but relationships and culture make them truly alive."