The Higher Education Review

Architecture education and thinking has seen multiple paradigms shifts over the last couple of decades. Established with a mission to advance knowledge in Sustainable Built Environment & Planning that will best serve the world, is BGS School of Architecture and Planning. The institute started in 2015 with a missionary zeal to impart knowledge and train new generation of Architects emphasizing on both the intellectual aspects and practical training, is located in the verdant campus of the BGS Knowledge City.
The BGS School of Architecture and Planning passionately imparts Architecture education, and to ensure smooth learning conditions, the institute has invested in the state-of-the-art facilities and other infrastructural amenities. The emphasis on quality education has helped BGS School of Architecture and Planning to develop into one of the most sought-after names in the Indian Architecture Education stratum as well.
Aspiring To Create A Positive Impact
Adding more about the current challenges faced by the Indian Architecture System and, how BGS School of Architecture and Planning is addressing these issues, Professor Ar. Nitin Saolapurkar, Principal BGSSAP says, “There are multiple challenges faced by the Indian Architecture Education space. One of them is the lack of proper infrastructure and the second one is the lack of innovative teaching pedagogies.

We want to be a change-bringer in this space and to ensure this, we have invested heavily on our infrastructure, top teaching talent even from the Reputed National & International institutes, and other facilities so that the students can hone their skills in a conducive and charged learning environment. We also have a model making section where students are trained and deepen their perception, while also get hands-on practical training related to spatial relationships. Apart from normal academic sessions, we conduct regular workshops where we invite subject experts from Industry to interact with our students. Beyond academic facilities, we lay emphasis on and encourage participation in extracurricular activities, and this shows the care & concern for the holistic development of students at BGSSAP”.

When it comes to their faculty, BGS School of Architecture and Planning has top-notch talents which helps the students explore and reach their true potential. The institute’s faculty student ratio is 1:10 and this ensures individual attention and mentorship of each student, helps understand their potential

& issues while monitoring their growth, progress & development, in order to guide them in the right way. To ensure the consistent improvement of their faculty members, BGS School of Architecture and Planning focuses highly on regular Faculty Development Programs, participation in Seminars and presenting Research Papers.

Effectiveness of their teaching through strict adherence and implementation of lesson plans at the BGS School of Architecture and Planning prepares and ensures effectiveness in teaching, while at the same time a lot more hands-on practical training, on campus opportunities, and expert lectures are organized throughout the course of every semester. The college promotes regular participation in design competitions not only to stay competitive, but also learn about the latest design trends, and material, and technology emerging in the industry. The teaching methodologies at BGS School of Architecture and Planning are quite unique and directed to impart, practice, develop their critical and lateral thinking capabilities very necessary to develop designing skills, and come up with ‘out of the box’ solutions to design issues thereby creating thinking challenges, inspiring creativity, and fostering the fire to learn constantly while being innovative at the same time.

Going The Extra Mile & Beyond To Ensure Top-Notch Education
Apart from the normal University curriculum, BGS School of Architecture and Planning often adds a few subjects relevant to industry of their own, to push students to be more industry-ready. The institute conducts regular study tours to several places in the country as well as abroad, particularly to places of Architectural interest, for exposing students to cultures, aspects of architectural history, engineering, and also organizes visits to manufacturing facilities to understand materials and processes relevant to the building industry as part of building the competent architecture professionals at BGSSAP.

This helps the students gain a wider outlook, and they are hence better prepared for profession and the job market. BGS School of Architecture and Planning also has an in-house design cell that undertakes live projects. Students get a rare opportunity to work on live projects giving them experience, and helping them to be better equipped with the needed skills required to thrive in the architecture arena later. This apart, students at BGS School of Architecture and Planning are given vocational training in areas for adding to their practical skills. All this helps to expand students their horizon, and this, in turn gives them an added edge over competition while increasing their employability.

Emphasizing on all round development of the students like, BGSSAP has created various platforms plat forms to explore the talents among the students. ‘Sportica’ - Institute level games and sports event, ‘Krira’ – State level inter collegiate games and

sports event for architecture students, Culture club – Music, Art, Theatrics, Photography, Videography, and more, followed by Literature club – Written and vocal expressions, research papers, and so on. These are some of the existing platforms to nurture the talents among students and faculty members as well. BGSSAP students are pursuing post graduate studies in some of the best universities in India and the world. They have been exploring and making a mark in the industry across India and the world.

While talking more about the future plans of the institute, Professor Ar. Chendira T Manjunath, HOD, BGSSAP adds, “We are in the process of finalizing MOUs with multiple foreign Universities. We want to prioritize on student exchange programs so that our students get exposure in international architecture space to situations, work software and current technologies. We invest in the latest software and training technicians who can teach it to our students, and through this, we aspire to be frontrunners in Architecture education. The students at BGS School of Architecture and Planning have a distinct superior advantage, and are sure to be a cut above the rest when it comes to being a professional and industry-ready.

Consistent improvement is a top priority for us and going forward, we want to give better industry exposure and further hands-on training to the students not just in construction, but also in Project & Construction Management. We also train our students to bring about awareness regarding the importance of sustainable designs and architecture”.

Prof. Ar. Nitin Saolapurkar, Principal, Architect And Planner, BGS School Of Architecture And Planning
Professor and Architect Nitin, completed his Architecture from Kalabhavan, The M S University of Baroda, and holds a specialization in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Mysore, with a gold medal.

"The BGS School of Architecture and Planning passionately imparts Architecture education and to ensure smooth learning conditions, the institute has invested in state-of the-art facilities and other infrastructural amenities"

He is a Principal Partner in the firm Saolapurkar & Associates – Architects, Planners, and Interior Designer. Nitin, from his humble beginnings in 1992, today has offices in Bangalore and Goa, with projects from across the country. His active Interest in Academics, led him to be the Principal at The BGS School of Architecture and Planning. He was invited to present his paper on ‘Planning Education – Theory and Practice’ at the International Conference on Planning of Cities at the University of Mysore. He also represented India in the ‘World Interiors Meet’ at Amsterdam in 2013. He was the National President of the Indian Institute of Indian Interior Designers, from 2012-15.