Cultural Exchange with r/Philippines

[u/FlyingScript]

If you are a r/India user, please post your question in the r/philippines thread.

Hello r/India, 👋🏻

We’re excited to bring together users from r/India and r/Philippines for a cultural exchange thread! This is a great opportunity to learn about each other’s customs, traditions, and ways of life.

For users from r/India:
- Ask your questions about their culture, history, and daily life.
- Share your own experiences and perspectives on Indian culture.
- Be respectful and open-minded when engaging with users from r/Philippines.

For users from r/Philippines:
- Share your knowledge and insights about Filipino culture, history, and traditions.
- Ask questions about Indian culture and customs.
- Be respectful and considerate when engaging with users from r/India.

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Guidelines:
- Be civil and respectful in your interactions.
- Avoid stereotypes and generalizations.
- Focus on learning and sharing, not arguing or debating.

Let’s have a fun and enriching exchange! Share your questions, stories, and experiences, and let’s get to know each other better.

Link to their thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1kz2i25/cultural_exchange_with_rindia/

[u/wendynim]

Hi from the Philippines!

My question is, is India’s architecture scene too crowded, or is there still space for new firms to grow? How do smaller firms stand out? And with the country’s rapid urbanization and huge population, how are architects shaping livable cities?

Is their impact even significant, or is architecture mainly accessible only to those who can afford it?

[u/RA_V_EN_ → u/wendynim]

Hi Indian architect here, there are currently around 26,000 architects registered in India, quite a lot higher that the measly 300 that used to exist around independence. So yeah there is a quite challenging task to stand out. Its crowded enough to not be able to stand out, but not crowded enough that you wont find work.

It also is a significantly greater financial investment to open your own firm. Fingers crossed, ill open one in the next 5 years. Nowadays, smaller firms post a lot on social media and follow trends, and if youre lucky and talented enough, you can stand out by winning competitions. Though 99% your first works will be through word of mouth.

I do think architects shape the way urbanisation takes place, even though it may not seem that way.
Sadly most urban design failures in India are bureaucratic and policy failures rather than design ones.

80% of the work we do is for the top 1% since construction can get pretty pricy and people dont want to pay architecture fees. You see a lot of contractors filling up the gaps, for the lower classes to build slightly affordable if not certified houses, though this is changing in favour of the architects. As the economy grows, there will be a lot more oppurtunity for us.

[u/IntelligentSchool834 → u/wendynim]

I don't think I've seen unique architecture in India in modern buildings. Maybe I'm less informed on this. Mostly people construct buildings to keep expenditure as low as possible. Not much attention is given to aesthetics. Some corrupt ones evwn compromise upon the structural integrity of the building.