Roorkee, 29th May 2018: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee’s Department of Architecture and Planning has been ranked #1 among all the Architecture colleges in India, according to a survey conducted by India Today Group. It has achieved an overall score of 1,817.3 out of 2,000.
The Institute has also been ranked #5 among top government engineering colleges in the country.
Speaking about the rankings, Prof. P.S. Chani, Head of Architecture and Planning Department, IIT Roorkee, said, “Our department’s endeavour is to teach an architecture, which leads to a thoughtful creation of space that will stand the test of time and changing aspirations”.
About Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee
The department imparts high quality education in Architecture and Planning and offers Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.), Master of Architecture (M. Arch.), Master of Urban and Rural Planning (MURP) and Ph.D. programmes.
The B. Arch. programme was started in 1956. The department also has the singular distinction of being the first in India in instituting a Masters Degree programme, M. Arch., in the year 1969-70 and later began the MURP programme in 1973-74. At present, about 50 Ph.D. scholars are pursuing research in the department.
The department has facilities like Climatology Lab, Computer Lab and Computerized Design Studios equipped with the state-of-art equipment and software, an Art Lab and a Workshop. A prestigious lab on Net Zero Emissions, set up under the INDO-UK programme, is the latest addition in the department. It is also in the process of setting five new labs, which focus on – Planning, System Dynamics, Universal Accessibility, Civic Design and Virtual Reality.
During the year 2017-18, the department won three citations and one special mention in the NASA Convention, 2017. It also won in the silver category in the National Design Competition, held under the umbrella of FoAID 2017. Three UG students went for a semester exchange programme to international schools of architecture in Switzerland, while few PG students went under the DAAD programme to Germany.
Five MHRD GIAN Courses were conducted by the faculty members, where national and international experts shared their experiences on important subjects. The department had the privilege of hosting a number of visitors from India and abroad. The department was also instrumental in organising and conducting varied workshops, and several national and international events. Many faculty members and research scholars visited a number of institutions in India and abroad and participated in seminars, symposia and Conferences. Faculty members of the department were also engaged in sponsored research and consultancy projects. They published a number of research papers in National and International Journals and Conference Proceedings and also published books and monographs. The department has added, during the year, more than 300 books in the departmental library, upgraded studios, added air conditioning and LCD projection systems. The entire department has now been made 24×7 accessible so that all students can work in the architectural studios 24×7. A formal entrance lounge with provision of 24X7 architectural videos, a Faculty Lounge and a separate facility for the staff have also been added, along with a 24X7 pantry for the research scholars. The construction yard has also been upgraded. The entire department is also wi-fi enabled, and it is constantly upgrading its infrastructure to suit the needs of students, research scholars and faculty members.
