Statement of Purpose for Masters in Architecture

[Ar.Vamhatre]

Hello, I am attaching my Statement of Purpose below.

I have never written one before. Any suggestions and bits of advice?

I am applying for Masters of Architecture 

 

 

 

I am a 25-year young Architect currently practicing Architecture professionally for more than two years and a half. I have been born and brought up in a middle-class family in a small coastal town called Alibag near Mumbai in India. Most of the choice of vacation places by my parents were places of historical importance, monuments, temples, beaches, forts as the overall cost was not so much. I neither had the privilege of visiting any luxurious hotels or destinations or any trips outside my country nor was I much interested in such vacations at that time. I was always fancied by seeing all the buildings and structures around me, even the ordinary ones. I was a kid with too many questions for my parents, and the question I had the most whenever I went to a new place was ‘Dad, do u know who built this?’. Initially his answer would be, ‘Why don’t you grow up and find yourself, and in the process, you might build a good building too’, but eventually at the end of the day he used to find out and tell me, and I used to write the names of the buildings followed by the owners’ name or whoever built it. By this time, I had no idea how the Architecture around me was having an influence on my life for good.

 

When I completed my 10th grade back in 2008, I got the opportunity to join an NGO that my dad was a part of for 10 years. He would teach free yoga every Sunday to whoever wanted to learn yoga. Within a month I got to know that there was a person who comes to learn yoga there was part of an NGO in my hometown, whose activities included cleaning of forts, statues, monuments and it also included trekking and hiking activities. I knew by volunteering there I would get to visit historical monuments, forts and go on trekking and trips for free. There was a senior member in that NGO who was an Architect. I knew he would be the most relevant person to get all the answers for the questions I had about built form. Internet was not very accessible at that time with only dial-up connection with speed in kbps. He used to also take me to site visits on his projects, and I would tag along asking him questions which he happily answered to me. Going to new places I would only notice all the built form around me, and I felt each building, and every structure had a story to tell to me, I just had to observe and ask. I remember getting emotional and crying whenever I saw a damaged monument. Architecture by this time had already started becoming relevant to me in my early life.

 

As a performing child in academics, my family expectations were I pursue science, but that was what I never fantasized. My fantasy was buildings and structures. For these three years, until I completed my 12th grade, I learnt how to sketch, and I made a sketch of every new place that I went to. I also learnt sculpting and bamboo carving during this time. I was very active in sports, and I have more than 75 awards and certificates in various competitions like skating, running, swimming, karate etc. After completing my 12th grade I chose Architecture, and by this time my parents knew what my interests were, and they backed me even though for us Architectural studies were costly.

 

I joined an Architectural College in 2011. However, in 2012 after my 1st year, I had a significant health issue, and I had to take a break during 2012-2013. I re-joined a different architecture college under the same University, which was nearer to my home so I could travel from home daily. For the first 6 months after recovering from my health issue, I travelled daily, two hours to and two hours from college. When I recovered completely, I shifted in a rented apartment near my college. I earned my Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Mumbai. In my vacant time during these five years, I participated in several architectural seminars involving technical and design and workshops on construction techniques by different materials like wood, bamboo, CLT, Etc. I also attended workshops for sculpting, building materials, digital architecture, parametric and organic architecture, acoustics. Etc. I also got the opportunity to assist my professor in two of his projects which were load-bearing structures. I was active in sports at my college. I joined the Kho-Kho team in 2014, got the 4th prize for District Skating Competition in 2016, and was on the football team from 2016 to 2017. I was the cultural head of the college from 2015 to 2017, where I helped to manage and organize cultural events and activities and recruit new members in the association. I was also a part of the Students Council of Architecture from 2015 to 2017. This exposure allowed me to develop my leadership and social skills.

 

My thesis topic for the final year was 'Mixed-Use Development,' and I focused on tackling issues like urban sprawl, migration, congestion, travelling time to and from work and intended to solve them by integrating several building typologies. Metro cities and upcoming Urban cities in India are going to contribute a significant chunk to India’s GDP, and Urban cities are going to be the hosts for international collaborations. My thesis was my sincere attempt to provide an example on how Mixed-Use development can play a vital role in making these cities capable of hosting such global events and pressure without damaging its economy and quality of living, and how my thesis could be potentially implemented on a larger scale. I want to further explore this topic by gaining knowledge about Urban design practices.

 

In the university, the coursework focused on theoretical aspects rather than practical regards. Therefore, to gain practical experience, I started my internship at an Architectural firm back in Jan 2016 and continued for 4 months there, after which I got recommended by my employer to one of the best firms in Mumbai. They hired and allowed to work as a part-time junior architect as my academics were also going on. I took a break for my final year thesis semester in October 2016 and re-joined the same firm back in May 2017 and worked there full time at the post of an Architect & Designer for 14 months till June 2018. I am currently working as a Planning Architect at a construction firm who is a business associate of the previous firm, I worked in. I have been teaching a few subjects at NATA classes every Sunday since May 2017. I also have been freelancing, mostly bungalow projects at my hometown in collaboration with an RCC consultant and a contractor since December 2017. I have been fortunate enough to be able to acquire Bungalow projects through the people I have known through both the NGOs that I am part of, and also through my friends and relatives. In India people like everything that is for free, and people don’t like to work for free. I have been taking advantage of this scenario and had the opportunity to gain tremendous knowledge about the practical application of architecture. In addition to these projects, I am currently working on a Resort project in my hometown.

 

I have been fortunate enough to gain practical knowledge of various construction techniques during this time. I have good practical experience and abilities such as the ability to carry out plans, supervise and oversee the actual construction process. My work has also allowed me to reflect upon my shortcomings and the areas which I need to receive additions and intensive training on.

 

Looking back at my hometown and the places I have been to in India, I know there is so much that can be done to improve the quality and the experience. These places have so much potential for improvement since India is a culturally diverse and vibrant nation. Given the ability, power and responsibility, there is a wide array of things that can be done. I believe that our fraternity has been accountable for everything we have been seeing around us ever since the first thought to assemble a structure or a built form was established. As part of the same fraternity we have the power and responsibility to provide the future generations with a healthy and feasible habitat, and we could offer them with self-sustainable cities and a favourable climate that can prevail for ages, which is possible by the current advancement in technology. Everything we build now will have an impact then. I believe that such self-sustainable cities are likely in the coming decades and I call my version of it a 'Dream City.’ By doing this, we could stop borrowing the earth from our future generations. With the current advancement in space technology and exploration, it is inevitable that we will be building structures in outer space and on other planets, for example, mars. If someone has to be the first person to step on an extra-terrestrial planet why not the person be from our fraternity, and undoubtedly why not an Architect? An Architect is an Artist, imagine building everything from scrap from the perspective of an artist -one who has thorough knowledge about built form & spaces, environment and design. It will be a beautiful self-sustainable place to live in.

 

I have a firm understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of Architecture Design and Technical implementation, and I feel that I am prepared to begin the next step of my development which is the pursuit of higher education in Architecture. I think that it is crucial building upon my previous training and education in a stimulating atmosphere full of diverse viewpoints and ideas. The diverse and international students body combined with modern facilities and esteemed professors at your university will provide me with a cutting-edge education that will prepare me for any challenges I may face in the future. It will also put me together for a lifetime of success in the field of Art, Architecture and Design. Your master's program is integral to my dreams and goals, and I will much appreciate your consideration of my application.