"The House of Mirrors- Architecture in a Maze of South Asian and Southeast

Asian culture"

Rapport in 1969 had stated that "The primary determinants of indigenous architecture of any
place are the culture and climate of that place." The word culture derived from a Latin word
'colore' which means to tend to earth and grow, blend in and nurture. These are the same
requirements we believe architecture should justify and, like Frank O’Ghery had mentioned,
"Architecture should speak of its time and place but yearn for timelessness". This sheds much
light on the para-importance of the uniqueness of place and its impact on the people and
culture.

The Southeast and Southeast Asian architectural work incorporates the traditional and
religious thought processes. The Southeast Asian countries draw their inspiration from three
major sources, including the indigenous traditions of China and India or more specifically the
Indochina Art. It is where Hinduism and Buddhism have played a major part in the built
form. The vernacular and indigenous methods which prioritised the climate and the locally
available materials gradually confluenced with the teachings and beliefs of these two
religions. Statues like those of Buddha, huge and lifelike, Stuppas, bricks and stucco, rock-cut
architecture, stone temples, Khmer Art (as seen in Angkor Vat), Champa Art, use of bronze
in sculptures in Thai Art and the typical Laotian Architecture encompassing the quintessential
South Asian roofline of graceful upward sweeping curves might be cited as examples. In
South-Asian architecture, historical buildings of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines have been vigorously fanatical
with the use of bell-shaped domes and pointed spires, monasteries with gilt paint and glass,
exteriors displayed with carved rhythmic mouldings and figures.

Talking about South Asia where the highly populous countries of Afghanistan, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka lie we can observe one of the
most diverse regions of the world -talking in terms of culture or geographical terrain. Be it
snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, stretches of undulating sand dunes or the mighty
oceans, they're all there! The culture of South Asia is completely entwined in language,
ethnicity and religion, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism being the most
prominent ones. Apart from this, Western Influences in the form of foreign invasions from
Alexander the Great or the Mongols or the Persians, the old British Empire, the Dutch, the
Portuguese or the French, have all left some part of their art, methods and culture behind,
which have together produced a patchwork of exclusive architecture in this region -vast and
diverse.

The House of Mirrors is an operative phrase. A mirror basically shows what is there standing
in front of it, physically reflecting the light and thus reflecting the world around us. What it
implies is how the buildings and the spaces, whether modern or traditional, reflect the
prevailing scenario - the cultural and climatic identity of a place to be more precise. It also
makes us aware of the change we go through with the passage of time and claims of
development or deterioration, whatever the case might me. And architecture itself is a living
thing: it grows, transmutes, builds itself for the future and it's the mirror which makes it
aware of the changes it goes through. With time, architecture of a place is revamped or
atrophied according to modifications in the traditions, needs of the people or the changing
climate. The House of Mirrors is the witness to an entire voyage of a building in its span of
time.
In the last few decades, the South Asian and Southeast Asian countries have experienced
dramatic changes, namely Civil Wars, the Soviet or US invasions, partition, rapid
urbanisation, population explosion and global warming. We have seen the destruction of
entire cities and our history, infinite refugee camps and the conversion of vast lands into
cities. To meet the needs of the population and the urban strategies, there have been losses of
cultural identity and large scale production of a monotonous and haphazard Architecture
which has been driven by economic rationale and shared professional cultures in these
countries. High-rise buildings dominating skylines have marked the development of some
cities, while some have been alleged to have increased the gap between the economic
divisions of the society. While some cities have achieved accolades in the field of advanced
technology, some are still stuck with old school and degrading ideas. In a way, the
architecture in these countries has developed in a labyrinth maze of climate, culture,
technology and economic factors majorly. It has not grown following any strict pattern or
rhythm but rather erratically in a maze-like path, just trying to fulfil each individual's
personal need. We might ask what the underlying problems in the roots of the contemporary
metropolis are. We need to congregate both technology as well as our sustainable vernacular
methods to curb the destruction of architecture because it won't be long before everything
around us is just a complicated never ending labyrinth and no one knows how to come to a
clean exit.

NANDINI BISWAS
DEPT. OF ARCHITECTURE
BIT MESRA
995503188