The growing importance of architecture institutes in India is a testament to the country’s recognition of the pivotal role architecture plays in shaping modern society. These institutes are not only providing quality education but also nurturing innovation, promoting design excellence, and bridging the gap between academia and industry. With their emphasis on research, international collaborations, and community engagement, architecture institutes are poised to contribute significantly to India’s architectural landscape and meet the challenges of the future.
Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya has made an immense contribution to this field of education. It is a private state university that was established under Madhya Pradesh Niji Vishwavidyalaya Adhiniyam in the year 2015 at Indore.
The university set up the Shri Vaishnav Institute of Architecture (SVIA) in the very first year of its existence. Three batches of the B.Arch programme have already been passed out. SVIA believes in imparting practical knowledge along with theoretical.
Strive for Continuous Improvement
The institute started a Bachelor’s in Design (Interior design, Product design, and Graphics & Animation) programme in 2017 and a Master’s in Urban Planning programme in 2019.
The institute is committed to imparting premium education to develop students as critical thinkers and lifelong learners to meet industrial as well as social requirements by meeting the norms of regulatory authority. The university strives to continuously improve the quality of its educational services and the effectiveness of teaching. Among all, Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya stands tall in Madhya Pradesh as a multi-disciplinary university focusing on the needs of various segments of society.
Its goal as an institute is to prepare students not only with best practices but to find ways to transform education to meet future challenges of the profession.
SVIA aims to create an educational environment that engages deep intellectual, moral, and spiritual stimulation, thereby nurturing leadership.
SVIA has the following missions to accomplish:
- To pioneer a ‘mentoring’ based education system with a culture of its own, rolled in Indian ethos and in tune with contemporary times.
- To impart learning through understanding – knowledge enrichment, skill development, and positive attitude formation.
- To encourage innovative thinking with self-discipline and social responsibility.
Endurance, Excellence, Fairness, Honesty, and Transparency are the values of Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya.
Educational Objectives of the University
- Graduates will exhibit competencies in professional engagements in the industry, government, academia, research, entrepreneurial pursuit, consulting firms, and higher education by applying knowledge of architecture and allied fields.
- Graduates, guided by the principles of sustainable development and global interconnectedness, will understand how architectural projects affect society and the environment and contribute to society as broadly educated, expressive, ethical, and responsible citizens with proven expertise.
- Graduates will exhibit adaptability, flexibility, communication skills, team spirit, and ethical conduct and achieve peer recognition; as an individual or in a team; through demonstration of good analytical, design, and implementation skills and leadership qualities.
- Graduates will strive to pursue continuous life-long learning, and career enhancement, pursuing higher education with critical thinking and an interdisciplinary approach to changing global and local needs to fulfil their goals.
Leading Personalities Behind the Innovative University
Dr Upinder Dhar is the First Vice Chancellor of Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya (Indore). Earlier, he was Group Additional Vice Chancellor and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academics), Amity University (Noida); First Vice Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University (Jaipur); Director – Institute of Management, Dean – Faculty of Management, and Dean – Faculty of Doctoral Studies and Research, Nirma University (Ahmedabad); Director – Prestige Institute of Management and Research (Indore); Professor of Management at NITIE (Mumbai); Reader at IMS-DAVV (Indore); and Lecturer at M.D. University (Rohtak).
Dr Dhar has conducted 725 management and faculty development programs for the executives of major business houses and faculty members of academic institutions, respectively. He has also been Guest Faculty at IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore, IIM Trichy, and IIT Roorkee. Besides undertaking consultancy assignments, he has authored/co-authored/edited 811 publications. Forty-one (41) scholars have been awarded Ph.D. degree under his supervision by various universities.
A Fellow of ISTD and a strong proponent of the Case Method, Dr. Dhar was conferred Ravi J Matthai National Fellow Award by the Association of Indian Management Schools in 2018 and AIMA-Kewal Nohria Award for Academic Leadership in Management Education – 2022 by the All India Management Association in 2022. He has been on the Panel of Reviewers of number of international journals, such as the International Journal of Training and Development, Human Resources International, the Journal of Global Business and Technology, and the South Asian Journal of Management.
He has also been on the Panel of Experts maintained by the NAAC (Bangalore), NBA (Bangalore); ICSSR (New Delhi); and SAQS (Hyderabad). He was President of the Anthropological and Behavioral Sciences Section of the Indian Science Congress Association in 2007-08, the Indian Society for Training and Development in 2008-09, and the Association of Indian Management Schools in 2014-15. He has also been a Member of the Council of Management of AIMA, Member of ATMA, All India Board of Management Studies of AICTE, Rajasthan State Productivity Council, Governing Board of DELNET, and Member of the Executive Board of AMDISA.
Driving Shri Vaishnav Institute of Architecture to greater heights is its Professor and Director, Ar Vishal Yardi. He is an architect, academician, and researcher with more than 20 years of experience. To date, he has worked on more than 50 Architectural projects, including the coordination of industrial buildings and the Commercial Mall at Kalyan.
Other projects include residential, commercial, and interiors, including a few turnkey projects. He has conducted various seminars and workshops for Architects, Engineers, and faculty members of academic institutions. Construction quality control and energy-efficient buildings are areas of his interest.
He has contributed many research papers at national and international conferences. He was part of ‘The Global Enrichment Symposium Malaysia,’ where 21 Principals of Architecture colleges from India were invited to the event sponsored by the Government of Malaysia and supported by the Council of Architecture.
Prof. Yardi has been on the Panel of Reviewers of several academic as well as professional competitions. He has served on the Panel of Experts maintained by the SNDT University (Mumbai); and RGPV (Bhopal). He has also been a member of the Indian Institute of Architects, Indian Institute of Interior Designers, Board of Studies SNDT University, Faculty of Studies, and Academic Council of Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya, Indore.
He has inspected several architectural institutes as an expert committee member appointed by the Council of Architecture. He has worked as a jury member for prestigious awards like ‘Architect of the Year’ and ‘Best Dream House.’
Expanding the Boundaries of Imagination
The institute follows a modern dynamic curriculum that is updated regularly as per the needs of the profession with a wide range of courses. It is truly unique among architecture programs in its commitment to creating a culture of experimentation to expand the discipline and change the world.
A wide range of electives nurtures the interests of SVIA students. Students are encouraged to develop critical thinking. Hands-on practical experience is imparted through well-designed workshops. Every semester scholarship is given to meritorious students.
The institute is equipped with a Material lab, Climatology Lab, Wooden Carpentry Workshop, and Steel Fabrication Workshop. The institute has academically strong core faculties with diverse backgrounds. Expert lectures and seminars by eminent professionals and academicians are regularly organised, which extend the boundaries of imagination, and students get exposure to the national level.
Continuous Advancement of Knowledge
SVIA faced initial challenges to starting as an Architecture programme with the all-academic preparation of curriculum and course structure; extensive work was done on the methodology part of the execution.
But with the institute’s abundance of resources, primarily from the institute’s full endorsement and support of the university’s vision, it became easier to overcome the hurdles.
These resources include an unmatched concentration of talent among its faculty and staff, a wealth of state-of-the-art facilities, and generous financial support that shall enable the students to experiment, innovate and take risks.
The institute exists within a context deeply committed to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship, research, and innovation. There is even fewer operating in a place with as pressing a sense of responsibility to ‘bring this knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges.’
Acts of design, research, testing, and experimentation are intertwined and grounded in critical contemporary questions which require deep knowledge.
Students should have a vision for the past and present as well as insights into the future. They need to understand the built environment as a cultural, technological, social, and ecological condition, one in which design is as critically focused on answering questions as it is on solving problems through intervening in the world.
In the upcoming years, Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya shall launch several new initiatives to support experimentation and collaborative teaching, and practice. It continues to strive to provide precise and rigorous architectural training, teaching students how to frame and test ideas and arguments through the design process while also challenging them to pursue questions.
SVIA’s goal, as a department, is to prepare students not only with ‘best practices’ but to find ways to transform the profession to meet future challenges.
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