Beginning of Professional Institutionalization of Architecture-

Based on the Mughal records, EB Havel establishes the building tradition followed in
Mughal era, wherein the chief architect was paid the same as the chief mason; the head
masons and calligraphers were also considered skilled craftsmen and their wages reflected
this reality. This reflects how the tradition of craftsmen had continued since the ancient
times well into the Mughal Era, and the epitome of Mughal architecture - The Taj Mahal -
was built in the same tradition. The Craftsmen were organized in craft guilds, and guilds
generally included every member without reference to caste. The guilds regulated the
hours of labour, the amount of work to be done in workshops, and bye-laws were enforced
by the levy of fines.

Under British occupation, Military Boards in the Presidencies were the first building
institutions to come up as they built buildings for troops, and military roads prior to 1850.
The engineers of the PWD were initially drawn from the Engineer corps. By 1900, PWDs as
successor of the Military Board had become purely civil organizations and institutes (like
Thomason College at Roorkee) were established to train indigenous populations for
recruitment. Prior to PWD, the royals and nobles commissioned public works and employed
the building craftsmen, but under PWD the system changed and ‘trained’ engineers with no
training in art or craft, took over the design and construction. An engineer with an
archaeological turn of mind put a “Gothic” or “Classic” front on a plan decided by
deliberation within the department, and the hereditary craftsman was brought in to learn
the wisdom of the West by copying the paper patterns onto buildings. The craftsmen were
paid a pittance, as their position in the building tradition had been lost. Raj Bhawan (1797)
in Calcutta, Town Hall (1860) in Delhi, or buildings on Elphinstone Circle (1860) are all
examples of PWD works executed in this tradition.

In the 20th Century, the crafts tradition of India had dwindled and the task of designing and
executing buildings was taken over by the trained civil engineers and few trained architects.
IIA started as an alumni group of JJ College graduates, and its continual efforts led to the
formation of CoA through Architects Act of 1972. Between IIA and CoA, we see recreation of
the functions of a guild (reserved rights of admission (qualification as an architect),
minimum working conditions (CoA’s mandate of minimum design fees as a percentage of
total project cost) etc.), which marks the transition from traditional master craftsmen to
formally trained Architect.

1. What is the Architects Act, 1972?

"SINCE independence and more particularly with the implementation of the Five-year Plans, the
building construction activity in our country has expanded almost on a phenomenal scale. A large
variety of buildings, many of extreme complexity and magnitude like multi-storeyed office
buildings, factory buildings, residential houses, is being constructed each year. With this increase in
the building activity, many unqualified persons calling themselves as architects are undertaking
the construction of buildings which are uneconomical and quite frequently are unsafe, thus
bringing into disrepute the profession of architects. Various organisations, including the Indian
Institute of Architects, have repeatedly emphasised the need for statutory to protect the general
public from unqualified persons working as architects. With the passing of legislation, it will be
unlawful for any person to designate himself as 'architect' unless he has the requisite qualifications
and experience and is registered under the Act. The Legislation is generally on the same line as
similar Act in other countries."

The Architects Act, 1972, also called the Principal Act, was put into force on 1 September, 1972. It
is "an act to provide for the registration of architects and for matters connected therewith.”

The act necessitated the formation of the COA. The COA enters graduates’ names into the
Registry of Architects and provides them with the license to practice Architecture. The COA also
frames rules and standards of education and practice, with which Architects must comply, all as
stipulated by the Principal Act. Every Architect can be verified on the COA’s website for evidence
of qualifications and license to practice.

This Principal Act set course for the practice to evolve with national standards and professional
conduct rules, written by the COA, to ensure ethical and high-quality services by Architects.

IIA

The Institute was founded on 12th May 1917 and George Wittet, a Scottish architect, who was
then Consulting Architect to the Government of Bombay was elected as its first President. At that
time the Institute comprised mainly the architects passed out from the Sir J.J. School of Arts,
Bombay, the oldest college of architecture in India.

The Institute was then named as, "The Architectural Students Association". On August 3, 1922, it
was rechristened "Bombay Architectural Association" which got associated with the Royal
Institute of British Architects in 1925. The Institute acquired its present name "The Indian Institute
of Architects (IIA)" in 1926 when it became a National Body. Then on September 2, 1929, the IIA
was registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 as a voluntary organization of
architects.

The Indian Institute of Architects has now more than 20,000 members of all categories i.e.,
Fellows, Associates and Students. The IIA plays a major role in the upliftment of the profession of
architecture by organizing and uniting the architects of India. It helps in promoting aesthetic,
scientific and practical efficiency of the profession both in practice and in education. Now, the IIA
is proudly represented on various national and international committees connected with
architecture, art and the building industry.

JR Bhalla (Instrumental in getting 1972's Architect 's Act passed)

It is one thing to design, and another to get that design built. Architect Jai Rattan Bhalla
always emphasised on the latter. When the India Habitat Centre (IHC), Delhi, was envisioned
as a building of light and shadow, as a partner with architects Joseph Allen Stein and BV
Doshi, Bhalla worked on-site daily to smoothen the creases that could have happened
between contractors, workers and the clients. It’s the possibility of that design vision
becoming a reality that made SDB Consultants build landmark projects in India in the ’50s
and ’60s, including Srinagar Conference and Convention Centre; Indian Institute of
Management, Bangalore; and Gulmarg Masterplan.
Despite their different backgrounds, American architect Stein, Ahmedabad-based Doshi and
Kenyan-born, Delhi-based Bhalla came together to prove there could be another approach
to architecture. “Bhalla was the significant link between the office, the clients and the
architects. He encouraged the design partners to innovate. The IHC is an example,” says
Doshi. Even though they parted ways after Stein’s death in 2001, Bhalla collaborated with
many other architects thereafter.
Bhalla was no stranger to the corridors of power. But that didn’t make it any easy for him to
gain legitimacy for the profession. At the time, nobody needed an architect’s degree to
practice architecture; engineers were already doing the job. He spent countless hours
moving from one bureaucratic desk to another, and scripted what would become the
Architects Act 1972, which would empower professionals to claim the title of an architect,
backed by a legitimate degree and standards of practice.
The Act led to the formation of the Council of Architects (COA), which is now the licensing
body for architects. Bhalla became its first President, and headed COA for nearly two
decades. Even during his last days, he was keen on bringing amendments to the Act. This
sense of commitment to the nation would come from his student interactions
with Mahatma Gandhi, whom he met personally and exchanged letters with.
“Bhalla’s contribution to Indian architecture has been enormous. He provided an umbrella
under which young architects could flourish. As an educationist, many schools of
architecture in the country benefited from his advice,” says architect Raj Rewal.
Bhalla was the only Indian who headed many international organisations, including the
International Union of Architects and the Commonwealth Association of Architects. He was
also a Fellow at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and Honorary Fellow of the
American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
(RAIC).
“He saw that architects would give the country a planned growth. One doesn’t see such a
strong advocate for the profession anymore,” says Vijay Garg, Vice-President, COA.
Mention in Rajya sabha debate: As a matter of fact, the President of the Institute of
Architects, Mr. Bhalla, who appeared before the Committee, was very co-operative. He
wrote a letter to the Committee suggesting that this definition need not be there at all; and
he is a man who has been demanding for the Architects Bill. He wanted somehow that the
Bill should be passed as quickly as possible. As a result of this, certain consequential changes
had to be made. Now, anybody can design and erect a building without calling himself an
architect. It is a big change. This has met the viewpoints of both the engineers as well as the
architects. Therefore, we confirmed their view that we were only protecting the title of
architects and not the profession of architects.

Piloo Mody (Architect/Politician. Served in the joint committee behind

1972 Act)
Being an influential politician (twice a Lok Sabha MP and once a member of Rajya Sabha),
Piloo was saddened by the unorganized manner in which the profession of architecture was
functioning across India. There was no act providing guidelines or a legal framework for the
architects. They were not able to protect their professional and financial interests; there
was no professional body to look after the quality of architectural education or the quality
of working professionals. He decided to change the sorry state of affairs and bring a sense of
order and dignity to the profession of architecture. Piloo Mody worked hard having
consultations with his peers and drafting a new legislation for the profession of architecture.
His political clout helped him raise the issue in the parliament and force the legislation
through. Finally, the legislation was passed into an act, a seminal piece of act that define an
architect’s role in society and legally protects his interests.
When visionary Architect-Politician Piloo Mody pushed for and got the Architects Act passed
in 1972, it paved way for a proper way of educating and registering Architects competent to
handle the design and building of a truly “developing” nation. It must be noted that the Act
was instrumental for the time, and based on the needs of the time.