The studio complicated linear and universal understandings of modernity by investigating how architectural production occurred on the building site. Building sites are impermanent and ambivalent places, where sophisticated machinery and archaic muscle work occur and divergent socio-professional groups interact. By focusing on the day-to-day realities of (historic) building sites in Pune, students explored the broad range of ‘actants’ (human and non-human) that impact design and construction: from architects and engineers to contractors and building workers; from building materials to construction and bureaucratic tools. Based on the primary materials identified during fieldwork and the students’ own interests, work converged around four research strands: the bureaucracy of public works sites; the dual nature of concrete; the agency of contractors, labour, and subordinates; and the construction of roads and bridges.
Thanks are due to the officers at the Public Works Department, Pune region, for granting access to their archive for educational purposes and to the Pune architects, engineers, site supervisors, and building workers, who agreed to be interviewed by the students. Archival materials reproduced on this website are copyrighted and may not be used without prior permission from rightsholders.