The first image that usually comes to mind when we think about architecture is tall skyscrapers, glass buildings or giant monuments. However, on a Practical Learning Tour to Goa, students of the Faculty of Architecture from Parul University discovered that there is a lot more to architecture. It is not just a question of building, but the history, the culture, the climate, and how the people occupy their areas.

This concept was central to a lecture given by Leon Morenas, Principal at Goa College of Architecture, who discussed the relationship between history and background and architecture. In his presentation, he reminded the students that design is not created in a blank space, but instead derived through the people, land, and history of a community.

Goa as a Living Classroom


The streets of Goa became an open textbook. There were colonial and local touches as students went exploring: laterite stone walls with balconies in the Portuguese style, red-tiled pitched roofs to keep off monsoons, open courtyards that allowed light and air into houses.

These elements were not only aesthetic. They signified legitimate practical responses to climate and culture to living. The students had a chance to see how architecture is responsive to time that serves local needs and could study it in these locations.



 

Architecture Beyond Monuments


The most powerful message of the session was one that was clear: architecture is not only about the design of the buildings or monuments. It is about the background, how a city is developed based on its past, how the climate influences the development of a city, and the residents of such places.

The students were starting to ask interesting questions not only based on form or design. Why did this house have a sloped roof? Why do Goan homes have courtyards? Based on what is kept or changed how does it impacts the history? . Their observations led them to think about architecture in the context of tradition and need.

Learning From the Past for the Future


The tour indicated that knowing history is not all about looking back, rather than using the past to create a stronger future. The architects of today can learn the ancient techniques of using local stone, or ventilating buildings naturally, and come up with a sustainable and culturally acceptable design.

This was one of the most important lessons that the students learnt, as they were able to balance between valuing the heritage and embracing modernity.



What Students Took Back


For many, the tour was more than an academic activity. It was an inspiring experience that broadened their perspective of architecture. They began to think of design as an art, responsive to people, climate and history, and no longer simply a technical endeavor.
This view will stay with them in the future when they develop their careers and think about space and design.



 

A Larger Learning Journey


It can be the Writers Tour in Mumbai with authors and screenwriters, the Robotics Tour in Chennai exploring automation, the Biopharma Tour in Hyderabad learning about drug innovation, the Leadership Tour in Bangalore with changemakers, the Design Tour in Mumbai mixing art and technology, or any of the other tours, students have an opportunity to learn in practice.

These are not just tours, they are those moments when you get to know knowledge in the most rawest way possible, when theory gets applied and curiosity faces the reality.