M.Arch Conservation

School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal

India is a country with rich natural and cultural heritage. The variation in heritage is due to geographical locations, time periods, builders, architectural styles, different sizes and scales of cultural heritage, existing traditional knowledge systems, continuity in traditional practices, and different categories of built heritage ranging from prehistoric, historic and archaeological sites and different typologies from a building to large cultural regions. Today in our country there are around 3600 Centrally Protected Monuments, around 5000 State Protected Monuments, large number of living monuments protected by various religious bodies and a huge amount of built heritage under the ownership of private organizations/ owners. Hence the need of Conservation Architect is felt by all stakeholders. Today not more than 200 qualified conservation architects are practicing in India, making it a profession in demand. The requirement for a qualified conservation professional is more challenging as with technological advancements the society is drastically changing and it is important to understand the meaning of heritage in the present society. The heritage is also vulnerable due to threats like rapid urban growth, industrial and intensive agricultural activities, growing land prices, encroachments, etc.

The location of SPA Bhopal in central India near two world heritage sites including a cultural landscape that provides the institute a unique opportunity to use this heritage as a pedagogical resource. Drawing from the cultural context of central India and myriad of diverse communities, we are inspired to launch a Post Graduate Programme in Conservation.