Mr. Sathish Kumar T has been working as the Head of Architecture Department at Mohamed Sathak AJ Academy of Architecture, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Architecture in 1998 from Madras University, Chennai - Tamil Nadu and did M. Arch in Landscape Architecture from School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, Chennai in 2005. He is a goal-oriented and passionate Architect with 22 years of amazing teaching and professional experience in the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning. Previously, he worked as an Architect, Senior Architect and in 2005 he joined the education sector to teach students as an Associate Professor. He joined Mohamed Sathak AJ Academy as a Professor in 2011 and later got promoted as an HOD in 2014. His areas of interest are Urban Climate, Landscape Architecture, Materials and Construction. And he is a registered Architect with the Council of Architecture and Associate Member of the Indian Institute of Architects.

Mohamed Sathak AJ Academy Of Architecture

Being the Head of the Architecture Department, what are your responsibilities towards the students?

"Offering best education to students and producing competent Architect for society is my responsibility"

We MSAJAA are committed to producing the best professionals and Architects who can adhere to the role of a responsible agent for societal changes. And we also offer a breadth of cultural exposure to students to shape a reflective and critical outlook in them based on social and environmental awareness and responsiveness. 

How do you establish healthy relations with the students?

"By giving them appropriate platform to learn new things and showcase their skills"

At MSAJAA, we see design as a process of creative experimentation and iterative analysis which can ensure non-judgmental, holistic and open-ended inquiry by independent and bold thought leadership. Therefore we regularly engage our students in different kinds of activities and events including guest lectures, expert talks, workshops and field visits to inculcate creative designing skills and knowledge of different types of art and architecture, music and socio-cultural skills in them. And that's how we maintain good relationships with our students.

How do you bring in a practical and industry oriented approach towards subjects while teaching students?

"By offering good industrial exposure to students and organizing sessions for their skills enhancement"

Our Undergraduate programs are designed to support interdisciplinary collaboration and provide an integrated foundation in global history, theory, structures, environmental systems, building technologies, and visual representation for ensuring that our students are equipped with actionable knowledge and skills to enact a positive change in society. Also, we regularly take our Students for field trips and workshops for their knowledge enhancement and ensuring they get proper hands-on experience on ground level. 

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Which best practices are offered by your department to students to help them gain necessary skills?

"All our UG and PG courses are equipped with field visits, projects, case studies, workshops and guest sessions"

The Bachelor of Architecture Program is structured to allow students to understand human habitation through various means like real time simulating experiences, field trips and case studies and our students sometimes live with the craftsmen to gather actual knowledge and understand things on a grassroot level. These kinds of engagements enable our students to be both reflective and responsive designers. And our PG specialized program in Conservation is a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical hands-on experience through guest lectures, workshops, educational tours and internships as prescribed by the University so that students can understand the idea of sustainable building conservation practices. Lastly, we have curated a collection of books in the library and have collaborated with Government and NGOs to take up live projects.

What career options would be available for students after pursuing courses from your college?

"Students can work as a full time Designers, Architects and Architect Programmers"

As far as I have analyzed the industrial sector and outside market, I can say that limitless opportunities are available for students in the discipline of Architecture. And students after finishing their graduation from our college can work as Urban Designers, Conservationists, Building Energy Performance Analysts, Landscape Architects, Planners, Historians and so on. Also, they can explore other fields and work as Product Designers, Interior Designers, Artisans and Architectural Programmers. Graduates after registering as an Architect under the Council of Architecture can practice and promote designs globally. 

How do you prepare your students to deal with the outside competitive world?

"By encouraging them to upgrade their skills and learn how to accept failures"

The students are motivated from their first semester itself to enhance their knowledge, believe in their capabilities, learn how to accept criticism and failures and to be confident so that they can face any outside challenge with much more courage. Because, as students it is necessary for them to understand the industrial needs and develop the required skills so that they can collaborate with others on a global level. Also we encourage them to find interesting and innovative solutions for the real world issues through lateral thinking and periodic reviews of their works. An appropriate platform is provided to them to communicate their Solutions and hidden talents.

What challenges are you facing to uplift the education quality of your department?

"Limited lectures time is definitely a constraint for us"

We are facing different kinds of challenges at different levels but the most prominent ones include the limited academic schedule which ultimately affects the Teaching quality as we don't get enough time to explore and discuss topics in more depth. In addition to this, motivating students to practice self-learning and do extra work outside the classroom setting is another challenge. 

How does your college enhance the faculty skills and prepare them as per industry standards?

"They are trained through FDPs, industrial workshops, seminars and expert sessions"

A forum for mutual sharing of opportunities has been created by our college to upskill our faculty members with changing technologies, industry requirements and academic standards. They are exposed to a diverse range of faculty development programmes which are conducted nationwide in both online and offline medium, industry-led workshops and seminars, expert lectures and an array of collaborative ventures with other practicing architects and researchers so that they can enhance their skills and deliver best to our students.

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What do you see as your college’s greatest strengths and how it can be enhanced?

"Our amazing college infrastructure, highly qualified teachers and management makes us strong"

The main pillar of our college strength is our astonishing state of the art infrastructure which we have developed over years for academic and training purposes. Along with this, our highly experienced and passionate faculty members, dedicated administration who regularly organize discussion sessions with all stakeholders to fix grassroots level issues and assess management practices also makes us strong and resilient.

Any valuable advice which you would like to share with the students for a prosperous career ahead?

"Stay focused and dedicated towards your goals and work with patience"

I would advise my dear students to stay disciplined, focused and passionate about their life goals and dreams. Also work hard with perseverance and patience because these two are the most important pillars which will help you to keep moving ahead in your journey and will also bring the feeling of satisfaction and prosperity in career and life.