Promoting Craft Design Practices

The Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC) is a research center for the development and understanding of Indian crafts and traditional and vernacular Interior Architecture of India. The center functions as an interface between creative persons, artisans, and the industry, promoting collaborations and innovation in the field of crafts within Interior Architecture education and practice.

DICRC’s focus areas are 

• Research and Documentation 
• Innovation and Development
• Education and Training
• Application and Collaboration 
• Resource and Knowledge Dissemination 

DICRC conducts dedicated research, creates documentation, and organises programs, workshops, and projects related to craft, traditional, and vernacular Interior Architecture. It is engaged in mapping crafts, craftspeople and craft enterprises as an approach towards identifying different types of crafts & crafts clusters and the scale of their establishments within particular regions. It is also actively involved in training and curriculum development for craft and providing a platform for discussion on the role of craft in Interior Architecture at the national and international levels. DICRC regularly conducts craft workshops, craft innovation internships and fellowship programs. Through these programmes and partnerships, the center promotes and encourages the study of crafts and disseminates information to reach wider audiences.

DICRC also manages the Building Craft Lab, an online collaborative platform developed to generate, amalgamate, catalogue and disseminate resources related to Indian crafts and traditional and vernacular-built habitats. The online repository allows users to explore traditional crafts and vernacular buildings using an interactive map interface. This one-of-a-kind repository in India is a valuable resource for students, researchers, craftspeople, educators, design professionals, and government stakeholders responsible for formulating policies to enhance and revise Indian crafts.