Established in 1992, the School of Architecture at RV College of Engineering has come to offer many premier programmes of architecture in the country. The school is on its way to making its presence felt in the international academic arena as well.

The school was one among four schools selected by the Council of Architecture to showcase its academic strength to a visiting delegation from the Government of Singapore. It has enjoyed student and faculty exchange programmes with the School of Architecture at Muenster, Germany (an MOU for 4 years) and the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (2005-2008).   

Set within this strong and established architecture programme, the school offers a master’s course in architecture (M.Arch) with specialisation in Urban Design. The programme has been advised by Prof PVK Rameshwar, Chairman, Graduate Programme, CEPT University; Prof Utpal Sharma, Director, School of Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad; and Prof K T Ravindran, Head, Urban Design, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

The objective of the programme is to train architects to understand multi-dimensional issues that govern the growth and decay of the urban physical fabric. It aims at sensitising students to the urban contextual influence on an individual architectural project and vice versa.

The students are trained in documenting and researching contextual issues that guide the design of urban environments. The M.Arch programme also  enables students to practise the profession of urban design and assume various roles in the public and private sector.

The core academic content of the course is the design studios. The programme has been devised to entail inspired research while emphasising and providing opportunities to aspiring urban designers to be part of live projects.

The faculty includes practising urban designers, planners and landscape architects who are active in urban design projects. They are also involved in the formulation of the Bangalore Master Plan-2015. Urbanism, urban affairs, public policy and sustainable architecture are their areas of expertise.

The PG programme has been chosen by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)  as consultants on a project to rejuvenate the lakes in Bangalore City.  The larger research agenda of the master’s programme is to archive and evolve urban design strategies and guidelines for towns and settlements along the Cauvery River in southern India.

Students, who have graduated from this course, are working as urban designers with reputed firms.  Some of them have been inducted as assistant directors of town planning in town planning departments.

The M.Arch in Urban Design at RVCE is currently admitting a new batch of students. The duration of the programme is two years.  Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture  and keen on pursuing the programme may contact: Dr K S Anantha Krishna, Principal, or Prof. Anitha Suseelan, Programme Co-ordinator (Urban Design) at the School of Architecture, RV College of Engineering, Mysore Road, Bangalore-560059. Ph: 8028602170. 

Log onto  www.rvce.edu.in for more details.