School of Planning and Architecture B.Arch Review By Kirthana Sajith

I have been in the School Of Planning And Architecture, Vijayawada for about 6 months now, almost completing my second semester. My experience in these few months can be compared to that of a rollercoaster ride- spontaneous and exciting. Perhaps a bit intimidating. It is inevitable that enrolling in an institute of such calibre has its ups and downs. But I'm here for the ride anyway. After completing my senior secondary. I made a list of colleges I wanted to enrol in, with SPAV on the top. I had put a lot of thought into it while picking this college. One of the many reasons was that this was a college that focuses specifically on architecture (and planning). I was sure of what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to learn architecture and architecture alone, and the SPAs are known to be the best place to learn it. Although there are other 2 SPAs. I was still much inclined to join the one in Vijayawada because it was much closer to my hometown in South India. Furthermore, I contacted a few of my seniors to learn about their opinions on the institute and their reviews seemed to be mostly positive.

The course I am doing is Bachelor Of Architecture (B.Arch). To learn this course one is required to qualify for the JEE examination or the NATA exam. I qualified for the JEE examination with a score of 97.8. The cut-off will be announced each year followed by an allotment process over the period of a few months. I have had a passion for buildings and aesthetics for some years now. It is the main motivation for picking this stream. Our assignments for 1st year have been very creativity-oriented with comparatively fewer technical aspects. It has been an enjoyable period for my artistic self and I have seen incredible growth in my work ethic. There are about 5 subjects each semester and most of it was completely unheard of. The only common subject I could recognise in 1st Sem was mathematics. The rest are subjects exclusive to the field of architecture. There are few theoretical subjects. The important subjects seem to be the creativity and drafting-based ones.

Faculty have been divided into the Department of Architecture and Planning. Our class of 100 has been divided into 2 sections with 2-3 faculties for each section depending on the subject. Our faculties are qualified architects. We have a few faculty members with Master's Degrees in architecture as well as some fine arts professors. They are very knowledgeable. Many of them have guided me to the right path in this field with their recommendations and reviews on individual work.

There are no placement cells in our institute.

There are hostel facilities available here in SPA Vijayawada. Our hostel building is one of the most interesting building designs I've ever walked into. Each floor and section of our building is interconnected through multiple stairways and pathways. There are 2 girls hostels (South block and North block) and 2 boys hostels (North block and West block). Our hostel has water dispensers, dustbins on every floor, and a common mini fridge at the reception. Hostel caretakers take turns taking charge every day. Hostel attendance is taken daily. Bathroom facilities and hygiene are satisfactory. 1st yrs and 2nd yrs have 2 people rooms with 2 or 3 roommates. From the 3rd yr onwards separate rooms are provided. Laundry service is available with price as per the weight of clothes disposed. Room cleaning is done weekly. Bathrooms are cleaned daily. Caretakers are friendly and can be approached easily.

Our college is designed to be brutalist in appearance- with the commendable suspended cantilever terrace and towering gray blocks. It looks slightly intimidating at first glance. The distance between the hostels and the mess is very less. Similarly, the distance between the campus block and the hostels is a comfortable walking distance. The guest house is close to the mess. There is a canteen in the campus block. There are many services like a carpentry lab, nurse room, printing shop, etc available within the campus. There are multiple stairs and elevators connecting each floor in the campus block, making every floor easily accessible. The basement is used for the parking of automobiles. There is an open gym near the entrance gate as well as has a sports field and a basketball ground.

Campus life in SPAV is never a bore. Here it isn't all about academics. Contribution to various clubs has its own value as well. There are multiple clubs in SPAV like the nature club, tech club, fashion club, music club, dance club, photography club, literature club, and monologue club to name a few. Our college also gives us the opportunity to take part in multiple national competitions and trophies. Our cultural fests are one of the best parts of college life when everyone from different ethnic backgrounds comes together to celebrate each other's unique and beautiful cultures every year. Students work together to arrange multiple games and special food to bring people together for such occasions. Our college festival is the highlight of the year and marks a new beginning for us. It is one of the many reasons why SPAV is as colourful and alive as it is.