ramble check
architecture is for everyone.

you know you're an architecture student when... you take your date to a construction site.

well, not all "you know you're and architecture student" tags apply to me. least of all this one. It turns out my first site visit in three years happened about a month ago. and it was a visit of the foundation laying for a 20 storey building in hyderabad. well, 20 storeys. now that's a not-so-normal sight here. It was dark, half the concreting was done and I wasnt wearing the safety helmet. it was of course no ordinary sight.

It was interesting. Not because I went there to figure out how concrete was vibrated, but because i ended up being fascinated by something I was always always cynical about. Concrete buildings and tar lives. heat. no light. conditioned everythings. water resource exploitation blah blah...the jungle of steel mesh. The tiny feet not able to walk properly on them. Yellow safety hats. 50 feet below the ground and the smell of freshly mixed concrete. it made me feel good. did you know concrete smelt good?
the irony of it all was that I felt that like I to be a part of it all. the ideas about local materials and climate responsiveness just somehow vanished for a few seconds in the strangely attractive and nice smelling big lump of concrete around me.
where is my goddam value system when I need it the most?

Big city lights. You have a responsibility as an architect, and we have to choose.
I have since been told that it's not always about choice but more about striking the balance. Maybe. But is the "balance" really an excuse to have the occasional glass curtain wall facade? it is easy to criticise. I'm a student. Everyone talks about it and we still see them go out and do the glass facades, the centrally air conditioned and the artificial environments.
I do not know what to make of these feelings, and I'm no great example of rebellion and alternative architecture research or even design proposals.them. that's what I shall call them.

what am I then?