Zoe Glentworth
Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia, Reimagining India Study Tour
Introduction
Kia ora e hoa mā! Ko Zoë tēnei.
I’m studying my Architecture Masters at Victoria University of Wellington. I am headed to India with the IndoGenius team to adventure through streets, temples, gardens, NGOs, slums, palaces, and villages. We will be learning from the way this economic, technological, and innovative superpower of a country is tackling big issues – and celebrating along the way. What a privilege to be on this trip!
After visiting Kolkata slums in 2019, my architectural trajectory shifted – to focus on finding solutions to poverty, well-being, and climate change challenges for marginalised groups. I am keen to learn from the unique complexities of India’s built environment and how it is used as a tool for social change.
I LOVE dancing on rooftops, how architecture can generate community connection, the way a generous act can be multipliable, the disruption of colour, witnessing the power of compassion, talking about faith, re-imagining how we use public space, growing plants (and eating them), learning languages (currently Te Reo Māori), and practising hope in the face of challenge. My blogs will be filtered through this lens; I hope you can learn a bit about this crazy delightful country through my updates.
Kia tau te rangimārie ki a koutou.
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Exposing love in Rajasthani palaces and glass skyscrapers
Buildings are an expression of what we love. Love is worn on facades, demonstrated through circulation, or exposed through materiality. The built environment subconsciously forms social connections, circulation decisions, or even attitudes toward nature. Therefore, architecture is a powerful expression of love and a formation of love. Applying a (value: architecture) output ratio to the…Continue Reading Exposing love in Rajasthani palaces and glass skyscrapers
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6 lessons from the West End Hotel
The West End Hotel is a 1948 Art Deco masterpiece in Mumbai. It’s an institution. Some workers have been there for over 30 years. I interviewed them, and even got a private tour around the whole hotel! Here they are: FrancisYears at West End: 16Favourite thing about West End: good hours and he gets to…Continue Reading 6 lessons from the West End Hotel
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Soy Milk Roof (an architectural analysis of Pondicherry)
What an outrageous time in Pondicherry! Pondicherry is in South-Eastern India, Tamil Nadu state. It was a French colonial settlement until 1954; therefore, its architecture has an eclectic French-Indian twist. Over the past few months, I have been exploring what radical generosity looks like in the public space. There are many kupu (words) in Te…Continue Reading Soy Milk Roof (an architectural analysis of Pondicherry)