Centre for Socio-Architectural Studies (CSAS)

The interdisciplinary Centre for Socio-Architectural Studies (CSAS) established at Manipal School of Architecture and Planning (MSAP) under Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is a creative design and research interface investigating the inter-relationships between people, places, and activities within a built environment through collaborative initiatives. The centre practices “Social Architecture” which is an emerging concept towards the conscious design of an environment that encourages a desired range of social behaviours leading towards a set of goals to address the challenges and opportunities emanating from the vulnerable and minorities groups. It as an interface between designers, stakeholders and the people promoting collaborations and innovation in the field of socio-architectural research in architectural education as well as practice. Socio-architectural research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the connections between architecture and society, and to explore the implications of these connections for individuals, communities, and the built environment as a whole.

The aim of the Centre is to address the various humanitarian issues related to built environment, placing the social issues as the priority and adopting socio-architectural approach to address them thereby establishing a balance between community welfare and social wellbeing. It supports majorly four design approaches namely co-design, evidence-based design, human-centric design and social design as a multidisciplinary problem-solving approach that tries to optimize the issues related to built environment with extensive attention to the intended users.

CSAS focuses on “Socio-Architectural Research” to advance the understanding of the relationship between social and built environments, and the ways in which architecture and urban design can impact people's lives. This involves a wide range of research activities including:

1.      Conducting interdisciplinary research that brings together expertise from fields such as architecture, urban design, sociology, psychology, environmental science, and public health, to better understand the complex relationships between people and their built environments.

2.      Developing new methodologies and tools for evaluating the social and environmental impact of architecture and urban design, and for incorporating this information into the design process.

3.      Engaging with practitioners, policymakers, and communities to translate research findings into actionable recommendations and design guidelines.

4.      Providing training and professional development opportunities for architects, urban designers, and other professionals, to deepen their understanding of socio-architectural research and its applications.

5.      Building partnerships with organizations and institutions that share a commitment to advancing knowledge and practice in the field of socio-architectural research.

What does the center do?

To attain its objectives, the Centre functions in four major areas, ‘Addressing issues related to built environment’, ‘Integrating research component in Design Studios/ Electives’, ‘Awareness and Capacity Building through Research Outcome and Design development’ and ‘Dissemination of Research Outcome’. In purview of this, the Centre is working on six main design and research aspects namely,

Capacity-building Aspect that aspires to develop and improve the knowledge, behaviours, and processes that help communities endure and prosper in a dynamic environment.

Socio-Cultural Aspect that focuses on the traditions, customs, patterns, and beliefs shared by a population group which predominantly employed in sociological contexts and refers to the most significant factors influencing how individuals make decisions in a society.

Socio-Inclusive Design Aspect that primarily focusing on designing an environment where many people can interact socially irrespective of their age, gender, and disabilities.

Community Welfare Aspect that includes aspects like healthcare, empowering people, housing, and other programmes that help the poor, unemployed, and people on the margins of society.

Community Resilience Aspect which targets community resilience to adversity addressing the physical, behavioural, social, and environmental well-being.

Environmental Sustainability Aspect addressing issues to conserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems in order to promote health and well-being in the present and future.