Day 1
20 March, 2009
Track 1: Icons
Internationally renowned architect Christopher Charles Benninger moderated the track "ICONS" by welcoming the master architect Fumihiko Maki. 'Time and Architecture' was the theme Maki chose to discuss his selected projects on. He spoke passionately about the importance of solitude especially while designing spaces within urban environments. He emphasised that 'There should be a moment in a building where one feels rested' and elaborated on the nature of traditional Japanese architecture, and its interpretation within the contemporary context. While there is the popular concept of 'inside' and 'outside' space in the west, Maki's experiments to create an intermediate space was clearly evident through his projects. He attributed the 'sense of depth', which is a prominent characteristic in his works, to the time-tested Japanese idea of the layering of spaces.
Track 2: Earth Matters
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Renowned architects Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel moderated the track 'Earth Matters', and opened the session by debating the two popular concepts of sustainable building techniques - the top down approach where the emphasis is on reducing the consumption of energy and the bottom up approach, where one tries to use more and more eco-friendly materials thus protecting environmental degradation. This was the framework defined for the track.
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Planet Walker Dr. John Francis, who made a memorable entrance playing the banjo, was the first speaker for the track His extremely convivial talk gave an insight into his journey so far, with vignettes from his life as a student, teacher and consultant. He spoke of the beginnings of his tryst with environmentalism in the 1970s, at a time when the concept was unknown to most of the world. 'We are the environment', he said, speaking with fervour on the need to combine human and civil rights and economic equity, because only then can these manifest into the physical environment.
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This was followed by Herbert Girardet, the well-known documentary filmmaker who spoke about urbanisation and environmental concerns. He emphasised on the need for the use of renewable energy sources so that one gives back to the earth what is taken from her. The crisp presentation covered the efforts made by various countries towards climate change. He illustrated his viewpoints with a presentation on the Dongtan City project, China which is planned as a sustainable city based on the "Circular Metabolist" model.
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Ar. Bill Gething, from UK, illustrated through facts and figures that more than the built environment, it is the activities inside that contribute to environmental problems. He spoke in detail about National Trust Headquarters, Swindon, UK, that has been designed using environmental issues as opportunities. He highlighted the fact that a holistic approach can only be achieved with collaborative effort from all the agencies involved with the project. He emphasised that the key issues in design must be addressed with delight and vision and branded architects as ‘guardians of the poetry of the environment’.
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The next session was addressed by Dr Ajanta Sen Poovaiah who spoke about the 'Inheritance of Knowledge', which elaborated on why designers practice (sustainability) the way they do. She proposed some pointers for culturally mediated societies like India while tapping into worldviews and not economic systems. She was of the opinion that sustainability, as conceptualised in the West did not find favour in India because of the deeply ingrained concepts of traditional architecture. She exemplified her statements through animated excerpts taken from popular culture and described India as a primitive world in modern times.
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Ashok B Lall conducted the first session after a brief tea break, talking about the Environment v/s the Notions on progress. According to him, sustainable development of human settlements combines economic and social development along with environmental protection. He said that India, as a country, was getting into a consumptive-mode culture. Through projects executed by his firm, he illustrated how a vocabulary formed of local materials and solar passive techniques substantially reduce the embodied energy thereby leading to sustainable development. The session was followed by an intense participation of the audience who debated about ideas to use local eco friendly materials for taller structures.
The moderators for the session concluded the inspiring experience by stating that 'you can make a difference at any scale, any direction: just believe in it'.
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In an open session that followed, architect Jayashree Bhalla from Studio for Environment and Architecture (SEARCH) presented a proposal developed by them for 'Greenlink Mumbai', which aims to link pedestrian pathways and open spaces across the city. Napean Sea Road has been selected as a location for a pilot project, which eventually will create a network of urban open spaces. The lively session was enthusiastically received by the audience, which primarily comprised of Mumbaikars. Although the project is still in a nascent stage, the audience support and conviction was evident in the scheme through ready participation.
The first day saw an end with Artists Atul and Anju Dodiya presenting their works. They shed light on decisions that have given their work a unique identity. Moderated by Sarita Vijayan, the presentation was followed by a Q & A session where the assembled design fraternity engaged the artists in a discussion about the methodology and constraints of their creative process. The artists expressed the lack of collaborative interaction between architecture and art.
The first day of the conference concluded successfully with the delegates feeling enriched with the experience.
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