The Council of Architecture – Training and Research Centre (COA-TRC), in collaboration with KJ’s Educational Institute, Trinity College of Architecture, Pune, has announced an intensive faculty training program titled “Human Mind, Body and Architectural Space”, scheduled from 16 to 20 February 2026 in online mode.
Understanding Architecture Beyond Form and Function
The program explores architecture as a lived, embodied experience, drawing from philosophy, psychology, kinesthetics, neuroscience, and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). Inspired by thinkers such as Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the course foregrounds how human perception, cognition, and emotion shape spatial experience.
Rather than treating concepts like ambience, sense of place, or emotional comfort as purely intuitive, the training aims to make architectural experience analytical, teachable, and method-driven.
Key Learning Outcomes
Participants will be introduced to:
- Experience-language: Semantics, syntax, and structured methodologies
- Kinesthetics as a design tool
- Human psychology and spatial relationships
- Neuroarchitecture and behavioural responses
- Energy, space, and experiential integration
- IKS-based theories for experience studies
The program also demonstrates how these frameworks can be integrated into architectural pedagogy, including design studios, theory subjects, and electives.
Distinguished Resource Persons
The training features an interdisciplinary panel of experts, including:
- Ar. Yatin Pandya (FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H) – Kinesthetics as a Tool of Experience
- Dr. Gautam Arora (Psychotherapist) – Human Psychology, Space & Neuroarchitecture
- Smt. Ar. Shashikala Anant – Energies and Spaces
- Dr. Ujjwala Khot-Palsuley – IKS Theories for Experience Studies
- Ar. Pratik Dhanmer (Design Jatra) – Experience Studies in Architectural Conception
- Dr. Fatema Kabir, Associate Professor, TCOA – Experience through Art, Poetry, and Western Theories.
Eligibility and Certification
- Open to architecture teachers and practicing architects
- Not open to students
- Participants will receive an E-Certificate upon successful completion, subject to attendance, assignments, EoPT, and feedback submission
Registration Details
- Dates: 16–20 February 2026
- Time: 10:30 AM – 1:45 PM
- EoPT: 20 February 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Registration Fee: ₹1,500
- Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Ao4XS2JH9E7PZRseA
- Last Date to Register: 12 February 2026 (5:30 PM)
Colleges may nominate faculty members under the Collaborative Training Program (CTP 2022–23).
Academic Leadership
- Convenor: Prof. Jayashree Deshpande, Director, COA-TRC, Pune
- Program Coordinator: Dr. Fatema Kabir
- Principal: Ar. Nilesh Pore
Why This Program Matters
As architectural education increasingly engages with human-centric, sensory, and experiential dimensions, this program provides a rare, structured approach to understanding how mind, body, and space interact—bridging theory, practice, and pedagogy.
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