Education gives direction to an inquisitive mind, it fuels the curiosity, learning, thinking capability, and enables an individual to create platforms that would enhance the surroundings. However, this can only happen if the curriculum and the courses taught are more dynamic and adaptive in nature to incorporate the evolving trends.
Education system of India has come a long way implementing newer teaching and learning approaches from traditional methods to present day online digital learning. However, the core value systems of education in order to prepare the next generation students has not changed.
The Chiranjiv Charitable Trust’s strong belief in the power of innovation and education, has enabled them today to set up several educational institutes. Their flagship institute for higher education, the Sushant School of Art and Architecture (SSAA) was established in 1989 and has positioned itself as one of the premier Architecture Institutes in the country. The institute is recognized by the Council of Architecture (COA), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grant Commission (UGC).
The aim of the Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Sushant University, is to make and teach architects to be confident yet sensitive and possess a strong work ethic that will enable them to contribute positively to the society. The school aspires to be amongst the world’s most advanced architecture and planning institutes known for its stimulating, innovative and outstanding learning environment.
Here, the best faculty apply innovative pedagogical techniques and encourage young minds to explore the frontiers of research, creating knowledge that will equip them for the challenges of our collective future. The school develops and strengthens its faculty resources to fulfil its dreams by conducting intensive faculty training programmes that in turn upgrade the pedagogic output.
The pedagogic and research emphases of the school include ‘heritage’, ’critical thinking’, ‘sustainability’, ‘art & aesthetics’, and ‘hands-on learning’. Building upon these, the school hopes to develop its research wing that will be able to contribute to upgrading the overall research skills in the field of Architecture and Planning of the country.
The Perfect Choice for Students
In 30 years, Sushant School of Art and Architecture has produced 1400+ graduates who have excelled in architecture, planning, design, and other related fields. The institute has reinvented itself and its programmes to be at par with evolving trends. And this is achieved by its team of over 50 professional architects as full-time faculty and 80+ industry experts as visiting faculty.
The focus at SSAA has been to look at the five years spent by a student during B. Arch as a journey towards shaping citizens who are socially conscious, sensitive, have a strong work ethic, are articulate and confident, and contribute positively to the society. The students are exposed to and partake in the vibrant architectural community spread across various locations in the country and in the world.
At SSAA, students are provided with world-class quality education and exposure through national and international site visits, guest lectures, workshops, industry connect and study tours. The International collaborations with premier global universities for academic and research activities benefits students. An excellent library and hands-on learning methodology enable students to deep dive into the subject and sharpen their creativity skills.
Delivering Distinctive programme
Bachelor of Architecture (B Arch) programme
The curriculum of Five-year programme is based on the Choice Based Credit System where the students are exposed to a wide range of regular and elective courses. The pedagogic and research emphasis is on critical thinking, heritage, sustainability, art, aesthetics, and hands-on learning.
Master of Architecture (M. Arch) Programme
The M. Arch programme at Sushant School of Art and Architecture are accredited professional degrees intended for architects. With cutting edge and dynamic curriculum, yet deeply embedded in the dynamic Indian context and its systems, the programme aims to cultivate talent, leadership, and critical thinking in students so that their skills are at par with the evolving forms of research and design. SSAA offers:
M. Arch (Urban Design):
The programme identifies the role of the urban designer in redefining the 21st century urban development and sets new paradigms of research, practice, sustainability, and pedagogy to meet the challenges of urbanization maintaining the heritage and culture of India.
M. Arch (Interior Architecture):
The programme identifies the role of interior architecture as a specialist discipline oriented programme with an emphasis on spatial design as well as surface embellishments.
M. Arch (Built Heritage):
The programme aims to highlight the significance of built heritage in the present context and intertwined with everyday lives of communities. The important part of the programme is its participatory approach of education that involves private investors, government as well as non-governmental agencies in discourses.
M. Arch (Landscape Architecture):
The programme endeavours to establish the role of landscape architects in administrating the land and achieve the highest quality in the built and natural landscapes.
Additional programmes
SSAA also offers a Ph.D. in the disciplines of Art and Architecture. SSAA research training aims to produce scholars who can impact future built environment education, practice, and industry connect through deeper learning and proactive engagements.
The institute also offers Certification Courses that are open to students and professionals. The courses add value in shaping participants’ skills and knowledge and learn from the wide expertise of institute’s faculty members. The courses also invite external experts from industry and academia, to conduct sessions, thus, shaping the collaborative avenues with alumni members and well established architects and designers. The courses are conducted in January, March, and May, every year.
Beyond Curriculum
SSAA continuously reinvents the curriculum by imparting deep understanding of the discipline, aligning education with the industry and its impacts on global scenarios. It embeds core and critical architectural value systems in its curriculum, which enables students to make priceless contribution in the society.
The institute’s unique and nested pedagogic systems has developed ‘Baskets’ for ‘Thinking, Doing, Telling and Applying’ to simplify and interpret the varied components of the syllabus that tracks the vertical alignment of subjects along with creating cross-subject interventions, which makes the SSAA graduates ‘industry-ready’.
Building Life, not just Career
The under-graduate student after completing the Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) programme applies for license to practice certificate from the Council of Architecture (COA) and can start their professional practice. At SSAA the focus is not just getting students ready for a career but to provide socially relevant education in Planning and Architecture.
The school is truly a comprehensive, and multidisciplinary institute that can provide all the required support in transforming students into tomorrow’s leaders. This further enables to choose the right stream for their higher education in India and abroad. Almost 60%-70% of the students apply for their master’s programme and wide exposure that they receive at under-graduate level assist them in securing admission at post-graduate level.
The good mix of young and senior faculty members develops and are engaged in several initiatives that exposes a student to the diverse field of architecture. The faculty members have more than a decade work experience and have architecture education from premier national and international institutions such as SSAA, SPA, JJ College, IITs, CEPT, Texas University, University of London, University of Sussex, University of Nottingham, University of Pennsylvania, Cardiff University, University of Wales.
SSAA has a strong association with institutions such as the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to facilitate the exchange of resources and expertise.
More to Offer
Sushant School of Art and Architecture aspires to be amongst the world’s most advanced architecture and planning institutes known for its stimulating, innovative and outstanding learning environment. Through the alumni and faculty networks, the school has associations with several international universities. International relationships ensure that SSAA commands respect within the global design community.
SSAA prepares for the next academic year with new ideas and courses like Master’s in Architecture Technology. The institute looks forward to many more years of applying innovative pedagogical techniques and encouraging young minds to explore the frontiers of research, creating knowledge that will equip them for the challenges of our collective future.
Star Alumni
Sheetal Rakheja (batch 1993 – 1998)
Current Designation: Managing Director, Design & Development India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.
Renowned Work: Shunya, a model home created on the concept of zero waste, zero water, and zero energy. Redundant cargo containers and other waste materials been transformed into India’s first working model of a zero energy home.
– Green Boulevard, Noida, one of the World’s ten Largest Platinum rated LEED certified Green Buildings from USGBC in the Core & Shell category.
Sumeet Sachdev (Batch 1994 – 1999)
Current Designation: Television actor and filmmaker.
Renowned Work: ‘Rehmaan Sahabko phone Karna hai’, a short film that has been screened at nine film festivals and won three awards including the jury mention award at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala.
Aditya Kumar (Batch 1995 – 2000)
Current Designation: Deputy Director, NGO, Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), Also, Former Head of Design and Planning unit, United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Renowned Work: The reconstruction of Nahr El Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp, Lebanon; Upgrading of informal settlement Mashiniwami, SASDI alliance, Cape Town, South Africa.
Awards & Accolades
Over the years, SSAA has won numerous awards and felicitations.
Best Private College of Architecture in India for the Year 2018
2nd Asia Pacific Education & Technology Award (APETA) organized by ASSOCHAM India for ‘Best Institute for Innovation & Pedagogy in India for the Year 2018-19’
3rd position in UN convened International Bamboo Workshop and Photography competition.
SSAA students won the Diamond and Gold medal in FOAID-2019 (an Installation competition)
SSAA overall winners, Zonal NASA Convention 2019
SSAA received silver medal in Interior Design category, best college and best mentor award at Asia Young Designer Award ceremony, organized by Nippon.
Collaborations
SSAA has collaborated with several international universities and institutions. These international relationships ensure that SSAA is always in dialogue with the world design community. Some of the activities taken up jointly with some of the associated universities in the recent past include:
AA Visiting School, India
SSAA hosted the AAVS Delhi NCR in December 2018 and investigated to resolve the global problem of air pollution. and create innovative solutions to combat climate change. It operated as a laboratory of technologically-driven architectural investigation. The workshop explored innovative ways of pollutant capturing, lightweight, composite structures using digital technologies.
Bartlett, University College London, UK
SSAA students were awarded reduced fee participation at the summer schools offered by Bartlett UCL in 2019. Various students from SSAA took part in the programme and learned about the cultural, social, and technological aspects of architecture. The exposure allowed students to become part of a highly qualified academic community and build contacts with their subject peers and leaders from across the world.
University of Westminster, London, UK
The collaboration with University of Westminster in particular focused on semester and year exchange programme, through field trips and/or a joint studio model. The University of Westminster expressed their keen interest in expanding the heritage and conservation pillar of SSAA and find avenues to have knowledge and resource sharing mechanisms in place. The University is also further taking up strong initiatives to develop collaboration opportunities with M Arch UD of SSAA.
University of Texas at Arlington, US and ESSEC Paris, France
Academic groups of students and eminent professors from UTA and ESSEC visited SSAA in 2019 to understand the architectural and urban transformations taking place in India. These groups, along with various SSAA students, participated in lectures and workshops hosted by SSAA faculty. The school also curated various visits to important architectural sites for these guests and involved them in the on-going academic activities at the school.
Tsinghua University, China
As a part of strengthening the relationship between SSAA and Tsinghua University, both institutions committed to prioritise knowledge and resource sharing with each other, two students from the Sushant School of Art and Architecture were awarded fully funded participation in a summer course by the Tsinghua University. The SSAA participants used this opportunity to acquaint themselves with a new culture, practices and methods of learning architecture and urbanism prevalent in the dynamic country of China.
