BACKGROUND

A ‘folly’, in architecture, refers to a building that is typically devoid of function, but

acts as a powerful tool of place-making.
Follies first gained popularity in England and France where they were prevalent
through the 18th and early 19th centuries, when landscape design was dominated
by the tenets of Romanticism. Structures with symbolic meaning or a sometimes
merely exotic flavor, they alluded to the idea of travel through disparate points in
space and time while a user explored a garden. In form, depending on the
designers’ or owners’ tastes, follies could resemble abandoned churches
overgrown with vines, medieval castles with crumbling towers, or
Classical temples overlooking waterfront.

Sample Set 1: 18th and 19th Century Follies from England and France

In 1982, Bernard Tschumi re-invented follies in his design of Parc de la Villette,

Paris (as discussed in details in class). This time, the follies was placed in the
urban sphere, and took forms that were Deconstructivist in nature.
Some of the red enameled steel follies hosted park facilities, like restaurants, bars,
clubs or first-aid posts, while the majority remained purely sculptural elements
devoid of form. The built programs of the park were thus packed into these follies
developed within roughly 10x10x10 m cubes and scattered throughout the park’s
landscape as points in an orthogonal grid where each point was 120 metres apart
from the other. But even as non-functional architecture, the series of follies
provided for the park a dimensional and organizational quality, serving as points of
reference.  The repetitive nature of each folly, even though each one is unique and
different, allowed for the visitors to retain a sense of place through the large park.
Sample Set 2: Follies in Parc de la Villette as designed by Tschumi

ASSIGNMENT
(15 marks, individual)
How would you re-interpret a folly as a Post-Modern Indian architect in 2020?
How would you design it, using one or more of the 10 points of Post Modernism in
Indian Architecture (discussed in class)?

Understand the city allotted to you (Delhi, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Bhopal,
Panaji) and its needs, and respond with a Plan of Follies for the city.
Think about the following questions and respond in prescribed format.

What does it do?

Write a 100-word note on the function and organisation of your follies and how it
benefits the people of the city.

Where is it?
Make a map to show how the follies are dispersed within the city and write a 100-
word note on its rationale.

What does it look like?

Develop digital 3D Models and submit 3 perspectives of each model for at least 2
follies, each built within a maximum volume of 12x12x12m with detailed formal
development, materiality, colour. Write 100-word notes for each, delineating your
design process and rationale.

[The question “Why?” is implicit at every stage, and should be emphasized upon
through rationales]
RUBRICS
Knowledge 33.33% + Skills 33.33% + Values 33.33%
Learning A B C D F (<50%)
Outcomes 10-9 8-7 6 5 4-1
Knowledge The The The The The
(Remember description is descriptio description is description description
+ detailed, well n is more detailed contains is
Understand organised detailed than basic basic and incomplete
) and and well information obvious and not
articulated organised with information. articulate.
using proper and occasional The The
Identify and architectural articulated usage of terminology terminolog
discuss vocabulary; using appropriate used is vague y does not
architectural supported proper terminology. with basic use
vocabulary with architectu Connections understandin architectur
linked with academic ral are made to g of the al
typological, references. vocabulary relate the spatial and vocabulary,
stylistic and The ; description to stylistic without
spatial description supported stylistic aspects. reference
aspects of extends into with aspects. There is some to stylistic
architecture. analysis of academic There is some evidence of aspects.
the style. references evidence of academic There is no
(Parameters . There is academic references. evidence of
that qualify some references. academic
spatial attempt to references.
character connect it
such as scale, to analysis
proportion of the
and style.
architectural
components)
Skills (Apply Detailed Detailed The analysis There is weak There is no
+Analyse) analysis is analysis of the form, attempt at evident
done through includes space and analysis of analysis
comparative comparati style is fairly the form, and no
Analyse the and ve studies. attempted space and conclusive
form, space evolutionary The with weak style with summary
and style, as studies. The descriptio communicati weak of the
exhibited by description n and on. There is communicati observation
historic and analysis analysis of basic on, relying on s. The text
architecture of the ‘what’ the ‘what research in conclusions and the
through case and the ‘why’ and the the process derived visuals
studies and is explicitly ‘why’ is and is without presented
articulate the illustrated well illustrated rigorous are
analysis. through well- attempted through basic research. The incomplete
articulated and text and text and the /
text and illustrated visuals. visuals incoherent.
visuals. through presented are
meaningfu not
l text and comprehensiv
visuals. e.
Values, Linkages of Linkages Linkages of Weak attempt No attempt
Orientations architecture of architecture at linkages of at linkages
and and its architectu and its architecture of
Awareness context re and its context is and its architectur
(Evaluate) through context fairly context with e and its
rigorous through attempted basic context.
Evaluate the research is rigorous with basic research. Data
relationship of comprehensi research is research, produced
architectural ve, covering achieved, covering few has no
expression all applicable covering parameters evident
with its parameters the more research.
context dominant
defined by parameter
natural, socio- s.
cultural,
political,
economic,
technological
or any other
aspects.

STUDENT ALLOCATION

Student Name City Allotted

 
Anoushka Kriti Delhi
Anshul Chopra Jaipur
Archita Gupta Gurgaon
Atharv Manwani Chandigarh
Atul Kataria Bhopal
Barkha Baid Panaji
Bhavishan Gill Delhi
Dipanshu Chauhan Jaipur
Divmehar Anand Gurgaon
Hridey Jaggi Chandigarh
Geetika Gupta Bhopal
Mansi Aggarwal Panaji
Mehak Madan Delhi
Milindh Sony Jaipur
mudit agarwal Gurgaon
Rishabh Gupta Chandigarh
Saarthak Gulhani Bhopal
sahil yadav Panaji
sandeep singh Delhi
Sehajdeep singh
Jaipur
Sodhi
Shivaansh Mahan
Gurgaon
Cairae
Shiven Misra Chandigarh
 Shruti Jagota Bhopal
Simarpreet Singh Panaji
Sidharth Jain Delhi
Tanay Rastogi Jaipur
Tejas Nirula Gurgaon
vansh dhawan Chandigarh
Yugantar Sahni Bhopal
Abhinav Krishnia Panaji
aditya verma Delhi
ananaya Pathak Jaipur
Aryan Gulati Gurgaon
Charu Garg Chandigarh
Dharmansh Jindal Bhopal
Mudit Sharma Panaji
Rishima Bansal Delhi
Tarana Khandelwal Jaipur
Jansher Singh Gill Gurgaon
Megha Chandigarh
Ayush Bhopal
Omar Panaji