From the Director's Desk


I graduated in the year 1989, in an era when we would only hear talks about drawings being produced on computers in the US to a situation where every Architectural student is carrying a Laptop and a Tablet instead of sheets, so trust me when I say, "I’ve seen it all."


I was lucky enough to get the opportunity (1993 onwards) to work in various cities and countries - Dubai and Doha (The Middle East), Australia (Sydney & Melbourne) and almost 10 years in Hong Kong, SAR, China. Upon my return in 2009, the scenario back here was unbelievable to me - at large, we were still stuck in the 90's; teaching (academics) in universities and practicing in architectural offices in the same manner with which I had started out 25 years ago!

It was then that I decided the time had come to give back to the society and fortunately this opportunity was given to me by Dr. Anurag Kashyap of Dr. B.N. College of Architecture, when he offered to have me involved in mainstream Academics and as part of the Department of Digital Architecture. That’s where my passion for softwares and the latest technology blossomed and was nurtured.


I believe and preach - "living in the present”, something that probably doesn't go down too well with our outdated, stagnant methodologies in academics at large.


Someone once quoted - "If you can’t change the system, create one of your own”, and that’s how the idea of ArKiSmart was born. Here at ArKiSmart you are a “student” only till the point where you've mastered what we have to offer, after that you are a part of the ever evolving process of mastering new skills and softwares for a lifetime. You are a part of a group which believes in living in the present, openly accepting the inevitable change and moving on by learning, sharing and teaching the softwares and technologies we come across to one another.


I reiterate that it's a group, not a one man show and I take this opportunity to thank all my students who have been my teachers in one way or the other and I have full faith that this legacy will continue and flourish in the days to come.


Thanks and Regards,
Abhay Kulkarni
Director
ArkiSmart