| Subject | Architecture Design Semester-III |
| Session | 2024-25 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Event Date | 6th August, 2024 |
| Time | 3:00 p.m. onwards |
| Semester | Conclave 1, Third Floor |
| Faculty Co-Ordinator | Ar. Dr. Neha Sayed |
| Guest Speaker | Ar. Chaitali Chaudhari |
An engaging event was organized for the second-year students of Pillai College of Architecture. The event began at 3:00 PM with an introductory segment highlighting the guest speaker. Ar. Chaitali shared insights into her architectural journey and experiences. To make the event more participatory, she then introduced them to a new site mapping technique known as essence mapping. The event provided practical demonstrations wherein the students were asked to close their eyes and mentally revisit their respective villages. This imaginative exercise aims to help students deeply reconnect with the unique characteristics and atmosphere of their local environments and explain the essence of the site. This process helps the students to better understand the site by capturing its unique characteristics, context, feel, texture, color, activities, smell, and potential that one recollects from dawn to dusk. In the next phase of the event, students worked in pairs to discuss and articulate the first impressions and key elements that come to mind when thinking of their village sites. They identified common phrases, which were then marked on their village maps. During the group discussion, students shared their observations, highlighting recurring themes such as peace, silence, and bird sounds. These insights were then used as a foundation to inform and inspire their design work, encouraging them to translate these intuitive impressions into their architectural projects. She also further suggested certain books that would help them to understand their sites better. The introduction of this design exercise was perfectly timed as the second-year students had just completed their documentation study and were engaged with their site work. This timing effectively broadened their perspectives, prompting them to explore new approaches to their sites and further apply it in their designs.
