Soft power of Indian architecture
- Vol.86(8), Aug
- Mumbai Indian Institute of Architects 2021
- 105-111p.
Any building which has a meaning to it, is architecture. Stronger, deeper and rooted meaning makes architecture more eloquent with the soft power to proliferate impact. Aesthetics, context and culture take the building beyond being merely a functional commodity: they render social relevance to the buildings and make it architecture. Architecture, thus has meaning, memory, identity and connection with society. Defining architecture in precise words is a difficult task. It has been a reflector of prevailing social, economic and cultural trends of society. Not only designs of buildings, but even planning of towns and cities is influenced by various social, economic and cultural issues like religion, rituals and customs, political system and trade and commerce, therefore architecture can be rightly called the mirror of society. Architecture is considered to be the cultural resource with the supremacy to control bilateral influence. It can be considered as a spatial manifestation of prevailing ideologies, and the soft power of architecture lies in its inherent qualities.