‘Students of architecture can even work in Bollywood as set designers. Opportunities are endless in architecture’

Rohit Dabas is an Apeejay Institute of Technology- School of Architecture and Planning (AIT-SAP) alumnus. He completed his Bachelor of Architecture in 2014. He is currently a partner with RD Design Atrium, a leading architecture and urban planning firm. In an exclusive interview, he shares his journey in the world of architecture, best memories from the AITSAP campus and career prospects for students of architecture. Edited excerpts:

Please tell us about your current work profile?

After completing my bachelors, I did my Masters from IIT Roorkee in urban and rural planning. While doing my Masters, I went to Germany as an exchange student for a year. After coming back, I joined as a partner in the RD Design Atrium firm. The firm is basically doing work in architecture, interior design and urban planning sector. We do all kinds of projects such as group housing, office buildings, commercial buildings. Currently we are also working on the Samajwadi Party’s headquarter. So we basically have projects all across the country. I am also doing my PhD from IIT Roorkee on Sustainable Urban planning.

What was the inspiration behind choosing this field of work?

Since childhood I was fascinated by buildings, how they evolve as structures and how someone visualises a building in their mind and then develops it on the site. I was always fascinated by it. A few of my relatives are into architecture and construction field, so I was associated with them and was visiting sites with them as a hobby on Sundays.

What are your best memories from the AITSAP days?

The best thing about AITSAP is that the campus was very good. As soon as you enter Greater Noida, it’s right there. It is the first institution building you see upon entering Greater Noida. There is a very famous market by the name of Jagat Farm. It was right opposite to our college. So we used to go there during our lunch hours. The campus was lovely. In our second year, we organized a zonal festival of architectural colleges. I participated in ramp walk also in that festival (laughs).

So everything was very nice at AITSAP. The exposure that we got while studying in Greater Noida was good.  Greater Noida is near Delhi so we also attended various exhibitions and seminars.

What life lesson would you give to a student studying currently at AITSAP?

Architecture is in doldrums right now due to recession, condition of the real estate industry and the pandemic now. So, I would tell the younger generation to stick on with what they have chosen. Good times will definitely come. During our time, the real estate market was at its peak. So we were getting good pay and good internships. Currently the situation is bad. But stick to it and follow your passion.

What career prospects are open for an architecture student?

The good thing about architecture is that it teaches one a lot. It gives one knowledge of each and every aspect be it construction, project management, interior design or urban planning. An individual who has completed his bachelors can go for any of these fields. S/he can even go for bollywood set designing. The opportunities are endless. One of my friends did his MBA right after Bachelors in Architecture and he is currently working in Samsung.

How has the pandemic affected the architecture sector?

The pandemic has affected each and every one. Since 2014, the real estate sector hasn’t been doing well. So, the architecture field hasn’t been doing well. With the onset of the pandemic there are more problems, such as one can’t work during a lockdown. Architecture is all about coordinating with various individuals. We have plumbing engineers, structural engineers and many other professionals. The coordination isn’t possible while working from home. One has to visit the sites regularly. So, the pandemic has affected the field a lot.

How has AITSAP helped you in pursuing your passions?

The best thing was that AITSAP was near Delhi, so the exposure was very good. We used to get very good faculty comprising retired members from DDA, Ghaziabad Development Authority. They used to come to our college and teach us. So the exposure and the faculty we got at AITSAP was very good.