Sachin Agshikar, proprietor of SachinAgshikar, who is a 1991 graduate and a gold medalist from Sir J J College of Architecture, started his practice in 2000. But before that, he worked with Charles Correa for eight years and later he worked with him as his Associate while he continued his own practice. VIKANT SAHAY meets with him to understand how Goa is in danger of losing its essence in architecture due to rampant usage of floor space index (FSI).
HERALD: What projects have you taken up in Goa? Recently, we saw your commendable work on the new Mushtifund School building at Bambolim.
SACHIN AGSHIKAR: The Mushtifund School project is very different from the rest of the schools. Four years back, I was asked to present a design which was child-friendly for a school building. It is a very simple building and the classrooms have been made around the courtyard and we have maintained a scale which a child can understand. It looks like a ground plus one structure as we are building it on a slope. But in Phase II and Phase III we will keep stepping down gradually so whenever a child is in a courtyard, the building will give a look of ground plus one. In totality the building would be about 6 to 7 stories building but we have ensured that the scale is not beyond ground plus one.
HERALD: How does this architecture help you conserve energy?
SA: The moment you enter the building you will feel a lovely light breeze filtering in from the courtyards which are actually lungs for the school. It has the beauty of the old houses which used to have a courtyard at the center of the house where one used to get light, breeze and ventilation. We have just used the old simple basic principle which was always there in Goa.
HERALD: Do you think that architecture now in Goa is changing or is the old flavour still intact?
SA: I feel that architecture in Goa is changing and unfortunately I do not know where it is heading. This is the biggest question mark as the path and ideas are not clear. People have forgotten about the climate, basic knowledge how to bring in breeze, light and cross ventilation in a building. The stress is more on air-conditioners and glass which is very sad. It is in fact not only in Goa but is happening all over the place. We have completely forgotten how Indian architecture was in yesteryears. There is no reasoning.
HERALD: What are your major projects in Goa which you have undertaken so far?
SA: Some of the buildings which I have designed in Goa are the Panjim Municipal Market which was designed for Frichmann Prabhu who had got the project and they were the lead consultants and I designed the building for them as an individual. Then I have done work for O Coqueiro restaurant, Library for the Goa Medical College, extension for Ronil Beach resort. Recently Charles Correa asked me to design a small anganwadi for the Charles Correa Foundation which was completed two months back in Bambolim. It is one of my favourite projects.
HERALD: Goa is now gradually moving towards being a concrete jungle. As an architect what are your feelings on this?
SA: The biggest culprit is the floor space index (FSI). People are giving away FSI to make money and whoever is involved in this will understand what I am saying. If the FSI is not controlled then the state of Goa can become a disaster like Mumbai. Without the basic infrastructure like road, schools, playgrounds and hospitals this model will lead to a disaster.
Cities like London and other European cities do not grow this way. They think about the maximum utilisation of land by marking green space vis-à-vis the number of people who will be occupying that space. This calculation is not been thought about now.
All buildings are just being haphazardly constructed for sale. It is a warning bell for the entire country as Mumbai is worse. It is unfortunate that people do not understand that the end-user will suffer. It needs political will to do so.
