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Prof. K. Jaisim FIIA FUWA

K Jaisim, Founder, Jaisim Fountainhead

Five decades ago I initiated a practice influenced by my studies and inspired by icons in ‘The Fountainhead’ into an adventure of the built environment and its mysterious spaces. The exploration of man’s life on earth and the behavioral pattern of the individual and society blessed me with a comprehension of architecture. This led to the first step of ekistics and ecology as the factors that make habitats. Sustainability is inherent to great architecture. Life is to be lived. ‘She’ and ‘He’ are the basic elements. The reaction and responses are elements of design.

Every urban or rural habitat has its sense of joy and enrichment. The interaction of the hard and the soft are the creative objectives of the architect. One has to respond to the inherent depth of a culture with sensitivity without drowning in the past. This also must create an awareness of not flying away with the circuses that technology offers.

Art adds aesthetic value to architecture as technology structures it. The fusion of senses and elements within the context of time makes for affordable, exciting inspiring spaces of human habitat.

Energy is the source of all life. Nature is the prevailing spirit. Not long ago, as one walked our urban spaces, one had the pleasure of dancing within green parks, all the way to work or play. One hardly needed wheeled transport to work, play and interact. Today, it’s only wheels and parks are for parking.

In the spaces that we have designed and expressed in our architecture, it was possible to keep them at bay and enjoy the pleasure of time and space. But over time, even these pleasures of enjoying silence and listening or watching birds and many a creature of nature have slowly withered and the mechanical features of movers and diggers have taken over. The crows are coming. The crowd is gathering. A population without respect has trodden upon and treated nature with disdain.

The challenge is to incorporate a musical drama without overpowering the senses, to define and design an architecture both built and un-built to integrate life into the overall landscape.  No single project, however, expresses our vision by itself. From the first day to the present, it is a continuum. Challenges posed by technology have been embraced to integrate the arts to create an architecture that manifests in time and space.

Green integration can be applied from large housing colonies to industries and educational institutions. There is a difference between designing landscape, horticulture, gardening and greens of both hard and green spaces.

Simplicity and minimalism can differentiate a design vocabulary; but these are the most difficult to learn, and involve disciplining one’s self. All aspects of a built space are, as far as rationally possible, left alone to express their true nature. Cladding and covering up are abandoned and prohibited.

Climate change is a reality that must be welcomed not feared. Fear is the key of destructive life. I have spent a lot of my time and energy to understand and I am confident that the opportunity to take advantage of what is happening and create a more fascinating lifestyle is right now. The weather will play tricks. But as the oceans play with each other and the Earth moves with the Sun and the Universe, the future is there for the innovative imagination to comprehend and live a life of greater joy and happiness.

Globalization will add value. Petty, small, divided nations and the politics of the power seeker will see their end.  The human imaginative, innovative, creative mind will delight in the light and all the senses will smile and play in time with the elements.

Architecture is a process as one starts to build in reality; from design to expression all aspects start dialogues in all the senses that the elements can comprehend and understand with delighted communication. The greater the communication, the greater is the achievement. Timelessness is the objective.