Anatomy of an Architectural Tour

We have been curating and planning architectural students tours over the past 2 decades and in this time the number of Architectural colleges have grown exponentially. It will be interesting to study the size of this market in terms of tours, competitors etc. We haven't come across this specific segment level analysis but we have many other learnings over time. 

In this blog we try to articulate the anatomy of an Architectural tour, its different stakeholders and the impact these have in the overall experience. 

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Stakeholder 1 - The students

Young and energetic and eager to explore, probably stepping out of the shadows of their parents and families for the first time. Their imagination of travel to a destination is derived from popular culture and Instagram. They don't know exactly what to expect but invariably these tours remain memorable for a long time. 

Stakeholder 2 - The faculties and the management

A destination is picked and finalised with an agenda that adds value to the academics. Their expectations are to have maximum value by showcasing a destination through its vernacular Architecture, interactive sessions with eminent local architects and visit to their projects and case studies. 

Stakeholder 3 - The tour operator 

Primary objective is to provide a flawless experience and maximise revenues. Their skills lie in how well they communicate the ground realities of the destination to the students and faculties and coordinate the whole experience with the various vendors and service providers. 

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Our role as an outdoor learning service provider is critical in providing a good experience. The most important factor in doing this is good communication skills. We have to portray the ground realities to the students and the faculties while understanding each of their perspectives. We have to coordinate the whole schedule to its minutest detail. Very small things like making sure that breakfast is served on time to the time taken from the parking bay to the point of visit could add up and cause delays to appointments and visits. 

We were recently selected to organise a tour that was very intense and specific for a small group of architecture students who travelled to Goa to case study fine-dining restaurants that had a strong musical element. When the brief is so specific you use all your experience, consult other Architects and curate a program that includes identifying and organising visits to the specific type of restaurants and other cultural spaces. We also had to reach out to Architects who have worked on these projects and organise an interactive session. 

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Students at the Fort Aguada jail Museum and the Reis Magos fort, both of which are heritage sites which are used for performances and concerts, students

Getting permissions to visit a fine dine restaurant for case study is always challenging, we were fortunate enough to get permission to visit For the Record in Panjim which is Indias first Vinyl Bar

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We are extremley grateful to Ar.Dean Dcruz and his team at Mozaic we have had numerous sessions at there inspiring office in Porvorim, Goa. As acclaimed Architects the knowledge they imbibe is instrumental in shaping the next generation of Architects and designers 

The fascinating journey of An Architect who is also a Musician and a Restaurenteur was the highlight of this experience, we interacted with Ar.Buland Shukla who is an acoustic expert and manages the hugely successful For the Record Vinyl Bar in Panjim. This talk was organised at the Auditorium of the Museum of Goa

Museum of Christian Art at the Convent of  Santa Monica in Old Goa has an amazing collection of art but we reached out to them as they curate Musical events within the church, the students learnt about the Acoustics of the church and the thought and work that goes behind hosting musical experiences within a religious and aheritage property. Ar Noah Fernandes interacting with the students.