This document discusses the role of communities of practice in architecture pedagogy. It begins by defining communities of practice as groups that regularly interact and share knowledge to improve their practices. The document then examines how the three pillars of communities of practice (domain, community, practices) function. It provides examples of how communities of practice have influenced architecture for centuries through case studies of sacred spaces in India. Specific examples discussed include water temples called Naulas in Uttarakhand that were designed and constructed according to local customs and traditions around water management. The document argues that architecture is strengthened when social practices govern the design process and community members participate.

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The role of Community of Practices in Architecture
Pedagogy
Gunjan Gangey
Assistant Professor, G.D.Goenka University, gunjan.arch@gmail.com
Abstract- Community of practices “COP” is broadly
described as a group of self-motivated people or an
organization, usually without a formal structure, that
interacts/meets regularly, and in which members share
their knowledge and experience with each other, with a
view to learn and improve the effectiveness of their realm
of practice in an identified area or domain. These
members share their knowledge, experiences, briefs,
rituals, and problems in their community and try to find
the solution within the community, at both inter and intra
level, in which knowledge is passed from one generation
to other generations through series of practices. Such an
important tool has been efficiently used in Architecture
for many centuries. The three pillars of the community of
practice are the domain, community, and practices. These
pillars constitute the functioning of the COP. In this
research paper, qualitative research is done to understand
the anthropology of COP and its implication in
Architecture. Further few case studies are discussed to
understand, establish and analyze the relationship
between the Community of Practices and Architecture.
The outcome of this paper would be to establish a medium
of such practices in architecture to further strengthen the
community practices and participation in Architecture.
Index Terms - Community of Practices, three constants
(domain, community, practice), anthropology, socio cultural
practices, typology of building, transition in architecture
INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY OFPRACTICES
Can learning and knowledge transfer take place outside
classroom, lecture theatre or institute like schoolor collages?
Definitely yes! There were many such unstructured social
learning- knowledge management system. Out of many such
system, one identified was Community of Practices. It can be
defined as “A community of practice is a group ofpeople who
share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn
how to do it better as they interact regularly” ([1] Etienne
Wenger, 2011).
Jean Lave, anthropologist, and Etienne Wenger, computer
scientist, push forward the notion of community of practices
which had survived throughout the history without any
structure orname. According to the duo philosophers, situated
learning--that learning is fundamentally a social process and
not solely in the learner's head. The authors in their book
Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation
maintained that learning viewed as situated activity has as its
central defining characteristic a process, they call legitimate
peripheral participation. Learners participate in communities
of practitioners, moving toward full participation in the
sociocultural practices of a community ([2] Jean Lave, 2011).
THE COMPONENTS OF COMMUNITY OF
PRACTICES
The Domain- Wenger (2004) defined, the domain of a COP
constitutes “the area of knowledge system that brings the
community together, gives it its identity, and defines the key
issues that members need to address”.The domain, provides,
a group its identity and differentiate it from a club of friends
or a social network of connected people.
The Community- Wenger(2004), the community constitutes
“the group of people for whom the domain is relevant, the
quality of the relationships among members, and the
definition of the boundary between the inside and the
outside”. For the community to perform better the members
should meet and discuss the domain at inter and intra level.
The Practice- Wenger (2004), defines practice as “the body
of knowledge, methods, tools, stories, cases, documents,
which members share and develop together” to address
recurring problems in their specific contexts. These can also
be called as the methodology, the community practices.
COMMUNITY OFPRACTICES IN ARCHITECTURE
I. Architecture for community and social engagement
The idea that architecture should address social engagement
and improve the community lives of all the users has inspired
many Masterarchitects and global leaders. It’s important for
a building to connect with the local community. Architecture
has a unique characteristic of associating, shaping and
sustaining any community. Many public and semipublic
building, sacred spaces and religious places connect
communities together. Community of practices on the other
hand has a very influential role in place making.
Architecture of sacred spaces like Chhattris, Naulas, temple,
Kund, tomb and step well originated from the socio cultural
community of practices. Like in the popular imagination,
cities are often associated with their biggest buildings and
largest monuments. But the lifeblood of all cities is their
small-scale community buildings and socio cultural public

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spaces like temples, libraries, community centers, parks and
playgrounds.These places are gathering spaces for residents;
they create robust and enduring urban enclaves. ([3] Sean
Weiss,2018)
Architecture always connect 4P’s- people, place, period and
purpose. When there is a social practice which governs
architecture then the people or the community starts
participating and enriching the entire practice. There is a
sense of belonging to the place.
II. Community of practices in India
India is the spiritual center, a country full of ancient wisdom.
The ancient construction style in India flourished because of
different kind of practices. In a book called community of
practices in India, the authortries to bring a ground-breaking
collaboration by practitioners and academics from India to
bring together indigenous knowledge in community
organizing from the rich and vast base of experience existing
within the country. The author presents case studies of
community organizing that have successfully followed the
agenda of social justice and social change for communities in
various contexts in India capturing the wisdom and foresight
of community practitioners on approaches seen as locally
relevant in India. ([4] by Purnima George, June 1,
2018).These practices some way or the other have enriched,
inspired and designed the sacred space holding the
community together.
III. Water Temples as community Space
Water has always been considered Sacred in India. The water
harvesting and water management has always been ancient
community practices. Different type of water structure has
been built in different parts of India, later transforming into
community spaces.A waterbody was the purest place, holiest
space, originating many community practices, translating it
into a physical structure with beautiful Architecture. These
community of practices lead to massive discovery of natural
water harvesting systemwhich could quench the thrust of the
community during the water deficient season as well as serve
community spaces. The Naulas of Utakhand region and the
beautiful Step well of Western India are the greatest example
of this beautiful socio cultural and architecture expression.
The architecture was robust,local and sustainable much alike
the community of practices. Our ancestors were wise enough
to harvest the benefit from the nature in a way to maintain an
environmental balance along with adding local identity
through the architecture.
A) Sacred Temple:The Naulas
A Naula is a naturally-occurring water aquifer. It is a stone-
lined tank which catches dripping water from springs and
streams. Naulas are the most important and are still used as
the prime source of drinking water in many hilly areas of
Uttarakhand. The roots of big leafed trees like Oak and
Willow collects water during the rainy seasons, and
catchment constructed at its root act as a natural aquifer. A
well designed Naula could fetch water throughout the season.
The prosperity of the village would depend on the number of
these Water temples in its vicinity. The unique construction
allowed collection of only underground water diverting the
impure ground water. These were constructed in local
masonry, designed like the little temples with a sloping roof
with little inner sanctum. The little sanctum did have niches
for the local god but the honored Deity was the crystal pure
water.
Architecture style of Naula
These Naulas are beautiful examples of dry-masonry and
stone architecture. These have the efficient water restoration
and purification system throughout the year. These naulas
have a similar common design. These consist of a water tank
which is closed on three sides and covered with a roof. The
fourth side, which is open, has steps that lead down to the
tank. There is a pillared verandah, which can be used for
assembling, around them with engravings of different deities
and scene of day to day chores. Animals are prohibited to
enter by rising the plinth and the system is so well designed
that the users do not contaminate the source. All the water is
considered sacred, even to this day the basic rules of
sanitation and hygiene are mostly observed. ([5] Envis
Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India,
2019).
The roof and walls are built using local stone,the floor is kept
natural or lined with small pieces of stone to allow filtration.
Sometime the roof is a slanting one designed similar to the
Shakira of a temple. The controlled entry allows the people to
bend down and enter in it. There is usually odd number of
steps aligning with the mythology of the region. There is a
niche inside as well as outside to place a lamp. The outerniche
also holds a stand for offering flower to the sacred water
temple. The inner chamber is decorated with the local deity of
the water god.
Case study of Ek Hathia Naula: A Naula with a unique
name stands (literal meaning, ‘one handed’) near Champawat
in Utrakhand with an unlike unusual expressions, not only
because of the stories attached to its creation, but also from
the point of view of their architectural design. It was
patronized by the Raja Ramchandra dev 700 years back.
Design features: The Naula –Ek Hathia is crafted like a
temple. It stands in a rugged landscape with an architecture so
expressive. The dry construction style is similar to other
Naula of the region but the odd decorative pillar sets it apart.
There is a symmetry in the symmetrical composition with a
striking one column. The column shaft rest on a highly
decorative entablature which has Kumaon architecture with a
little fusion of Buddhist iconography. The inner chamber is
decorated with motifs and statues of religious deities. Local
craft and day to day practices are engraved in the inner
chamber crafted in the local stone.
The roof is little slanting supporting an Amalaka at the top.
The entire structure resembles to a beautiful sacred structure
supporting festive of community of Practices.

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Figure 1, 2 Source:https://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/ek-
hathiya-ka-naula.php
Community of Practices: Naula
Rituals and festivals sustained the spirit of this region. Even
today, a new Kumauni bride on first reaching her husbandʹs
home offers a ritual prayer at the village naula. ([6] Peoples’
Science Institute, 2003). Many important Hindu rituals like
weddings and Namkaran (‘naming ceremony’) were linked
with the Naula or Dhara to maintain their sanctity. For
instance, even today in Kumaon, on reaching her husband’s
home, the new bride first offers a ritual prayer at the village
Naula or Dhara. These customs indicate that the ancestors of
present-day Uttarakhandis recognized the importance of
water and water-harvesting systems and included them in
their rituals as if they were a member of their family.
There is always an annual cleaning of these sacred temples
much attached to the community of practices. Collective
cleaning is done and later on a prasad is offered in the sacred
place, much later distributing it to all the community.
B) Inverted Temples: The stepwells
Western part of India always received very scarce rainfall due
to the climatic and geographical conditions. The ancient
wisdom lead to the foundation of Step wells called Baori
,Baori or the legendry Vav. Many such beautiful step wells
can be found in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi. Earlier ones
were simple in terms of construction; however, over time
architecture, expression, symbolism and decoration were in
cooperated due to the socio cultural significance. These
massive structure or the so called inverted temples became
places of prayer worship and social segregation.
Case study of: The Adalaj Step well in Gujrat:
Adalaj Step well in Gujrat, the truly inverted temples strongly
connects with the community of practices, associating people
with the narrative of the past. The purpose of the step well
was to provide drinking water, resting place and community
gathering. This later turned out into socio cultural and
utilitarian space transforming into a Spiritual refuge. The
queen of the region patronized the step well for the
community after the death ofher husband and laterthe project
was commissioned by the Sultan of the region. Due to this,
the well adores a beautiful fusion of Indo Islamic architecture.
Architecture of the Step well:
The octagonal shaped step well, built truly at Solanki
architecture style is five stories deep.The sand stone structure
rest on intricately detailed pillar with varying carvings.There
were rooms and pillared hallways provided at each level for
the local community and the fellow travelers. The defused
sunlight filters and decorates the entire structure cutting away
the heat and the glare. From the first story level, three
staircases lead to the bottom water level of the well, which is
considered a unique feature. Built along a North-South axis,
entrance is from the South, the three staircases are from the
South, West and East directions leading to the landing, which
is on the northern side of the well. The structural is a
traditional trabeated system with horizontal beam and lintels.
The fusion of Indo Islamic sultanate architecture can be seen
through the motifs of flowers and graphics of Islamic
architecture which blends very well with the symbols of
Hindu and Jain gods carved at various levels of the well.
Community of Practices: Stepwell
Community always connects to these sacred space. An
interesting depiction carved from a single block of stone is of
the Ami Khumbor (symbolic pot of the water of life) and the
Kalp Vriksha (a tree of life) ([7] The Adalaj Stepwell, 2019).
Also seen is a fresco of Navagraha or nine planets. These
depictions are said to attract villagers for worship during
marriage and otherritualistic ceremonies making it a spiritual
paradise ([8], Klaus-Peter, n.d.).
The inside temperature is 5 degree lower than the outside
temperature during the summer days.The women community
gathered around the pillared hall way to perform the puja of
the local deity and spent time socializing and gossiping.

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Figure 3, 4: Source
www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/6/32
INTEGRATING COMMUNITY OF PRACTICES IN
PEDAGOGY
The promoters and the participants of community of
practices varies from the NGO, government’s bodies, private
& cooperate entities and the small academician group. There
is a need of greater participation both financially and non-
financially to keep the ethos alive. Academicians needs to
play a greater role to induce the students and the researchers
towards the community and their practices. This kind of
integrated engagement would expose the students towards
empathy of collaborative design strategy based on the
practices further strengthening the community. There can be
many frameworks identified to encourage the student’s
participation in CoP.
One of the frameworks is called “Community of Inquiry”
which in cooperates social presence, cognitive presence and
teaching presence. The idea was propagated by “Randy
Garrison which stated that the CoI framework is a dynamic
process model of thinking and learning collaboratively which
allows educational experiences like exploration, integration
and resolution. ([9] Garrison, 2016)
Community of practices integrated with CoI framework has
been intensively recognized as an important educational tool
to achieve immensible goal.
Figure 5: Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison and
Vaughan,2008)
Collaborating community of practices with COI framework
can allow socio cogitative learning in architecture pedagogy
allowing meaningful ways within sustainable purposeful
practices.
Elements of
CoI
CoP Indicators Outcome
Pedagogy
Social
Presence
Community: Open
communication
within the community
at Inter and Intra
level.
Group identity and
collaboration
Group
projection,
expressing
emotions and
improving
affective skill set
Cogitative
Presence
Practices:
Exploration, ideas ,
resolution,
documentation
Information
exchange,
applying new
ideas
Problem solving
design thinking
approach
Teaching
Presence
Domain:
Organization settings,
Instructions
Setting
curriculum &
methods shaping
constructive
learning
CoP TO IMPROVE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE IN
DESIGN STUDIO AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Architectural design in a unique way can synthesize an urgent
set of requirements and sources of knowledge into a
meaningful and elegant form fit for the community purposes.
Architectural teaching through the role of the studio has

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provided the venue where this synthesis can occur. ([10,
1996) Introducing the element of community of practices at
this level can yield empathy and cogitative thinking process
among the students at its roots. The time to reflect, process
and integrate the research of community and its practices into
spatial layout can be achieved through these steps:
 Identify & Analysis: Identify problems and establish an
architectural strategy for the community;
 Synthesis & Solution: find resolutions to competing
demands of the community by different interventions
 Sympathy: Be sensitive to the need ofthe community and
understand its needs.
 Design, demonstrate and construct: Integrating all the
above input into the spatial planning.
Analysis & Exploration Exploration of Ideas
through the analysis of
different practices
associated to the social
presence and the design
context
Synthesis & Integration Identifying the design
features originated through
the practices and integrating
those into the spatial layout
Evolution & Resolution Design resolution through
the collaborative approach
CONCLUSION
The genesis, the purpose of Architecture has always been to
improve the man kind. It is to create infinite, free, joyous
places for all the people fulfilling the desired purposes.There
is an increasing criticism that architecture education rarely
prepares students to the contemporary challenges of socio
cultural practices. The criticism accelerates the point that
architecture as a profession has overtime distanced itselffrom
engaging in social issues even those within the ambit of its
professional engagements. ([11], 1991))
With the introduction of community of practices the social
gap can be bridged in architecture leading to empathetic
designing. The glory of the past and the wisdom of the elders
can be in cooperated in spatial layout by addressing and
adhering to these practices. The case study of these water
temples which provided environment friendly water
harvesting system also laid light into the indigenous
community through distinct community of practices. The
evolution of the modest Naula to the extensively designed
Step well conveys the story ofthe community of Practices and
the role it played in shaping social architecture.
With the modernity, these practices are lost along with the
indigenous architecture style. These ethos of the past can be
revived and restored by structuring the practices in
architecture pedagogy through arrays of formal and informal
medium.
REFERENCES
[1] Etienne Wenger. (2011). Introduction to community of
practices. Retrieved from https://wenger-
trayner.com/
[2] Jean Lave, E. W. (2011). Situated Learning: Legitimate
Peripheral Participation. In E. W. Jean Lave,
Situated Learning:Legitimate Peripheral
Participation. Cambridge press.
[3] Sean Weiss,T. C. (2018, January 8). Three Architecture
Projects That Will Build Community and Address
Inequality This Year. Retrieved from
Smithsonian.com:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/three
-architecture-projects-that-will-build-community-
address-inequality-this-year-180967757/
[4] by Purnima George, G. B. (June 1, 2018). Community
Practices in India . Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
[5] Envis Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt.
of India. (2019, October Wednesday). Traditional
knowledge ofwater management in Kumaon
Himalaya. Retrieved from Traditional knowledge
of water management in Kumaon Himalaya:
http://www.cpreecenvis.nic.in/Database/Traditional
knowledgeofwatermanagementinKumaonHimalay
[6] Peoples’ Science Institute. (2003). Water Management
Traditions In The Central-Western Himalayas.
Dehradoon: Peoples’ Science Institute,252/I Vasant
Vihar, Dehra Doon 248006.
[7] The Adalaj Stepwell.(2019). Retrieved from
https://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/
6/32
[8], Klaus-Peter. (n.d.). Klaus-Peter Gast Contemporary
Architecture in India Modern Traditions,.Retrieved
from thearchiblog.wordpress.com.
[9] Garrison, D. (2016). Thinking Collaboratively:Learning
in a Community of Inquiry. London: Routledge.
[10, J. W. (1996). The Assessment of the Role of Practice
Architectural Education :A European Comparison.
H ACSA ANNUAL MEETING PRACTICE 1.
[11], M. C. (1991)). Can Architects Be Socially
Responsible? Seattle: Seattle: Bay Press,.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Gunjan Gangey , Assistant Professor, G.D. Goenka
University