Ar.

Rahul
Mehrotra
UNIT 5
SEMINAR/ ACTIVITIES VI ATHARVA BENDRE
UA18BA358 PES1201801214
Our Takeaways from the talk:

Rahul Mehrotra, founder of the firm RMA Architects, his works and
principles and various conservation projects and environmental issues
from 1884 to 2004.
The restoration of the Chowmahalla Palace Complex, Hyderabad, Taj
Mahal Visitor Centre, Agra, Library for the School of Architecture,
Ahmedabad, and Hathigaon in Jaipur are some of his major works as an
architect.

The speaker mentions the word "Impermanence", and w impermanence

can be a solution to today’s temporary problems, taking the example of
the temporary city near Ganga where Kumbh Mela is celebrated. The
city has a grid layout where every street crosses the Ganges river over a
pontoon. Since people live here only for few months during the festival
season, the homes are not built with a foundation. . Instead, they are
made of bamboo, screws and nails, rope, fabric, plastic or corrugated
metal sheets. These, can be easily assembled and disassembled as and
when required.

Adding to this, he mentions the city of Mumbai and how the ‘maidans’
are used as a ground to play sports, to conduct marriage functions, or to
celebrate festivals, while permanent structures like malls and Olympic
stadiums are now unused and left abandoned.

The architect emphasizes leaving a small footprint on land so as to

realise urbanism which involves creating temporary spaces in urban
areas that cater to the changing requirements.
Ar.
ALEJANDRO
ARAVENA
UNIT 5
SEMINAR/ ACTIVITIES VI ATHARVA BENDRE
UA18BA358 PES1201801214
Our Takeaways from the talk:

Alejandro Gastón Aravena Mori is a Chilean architect and executive

director of the firm Elemental S.A. He aimed to improve people’s lives by
assessing various social, political, and environmental issues.

While working on various social housing projects (incorporated with the

concept of incremental housing), universities, and municipalities, the
speaker talks about his experience in dealing with various accepts of
society and reality.

One of his works includes a social housing project where the basic frame
was constructed initially and over time the families took over to extend
their homes. This was based on the concept of incremental housing.
He has designed the "Siamese Towers", a workshop building at the
school of architecture and faculty buildings at the Pontifical Catholic
University of Chile.

"Synthesis has great power in design."

He won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2016, and also, he was the
director and curator of the Architecture Section of the 2016 Venice
Biennale.

In another project, the exteriors were made up of concrete to block the

direct sunlight, while the glass was used as a building material for the
atrium, which follows inside-out design influence.

Lastly, a project that he talks about, he explains how the introduction of

a forest in between a flooding lake and the residential city can provide a
public space for the people, prevents floods as well as provide access to
the river from the city.

Ar. Aravena concluded the talk by talking about how the force of nature
and the force of common sense must come together and should possess
the conversion to form.
 Opportunity of
Higher education
by

UNIT 5
SEMINAR/ ACTIVITIES VI ATHARVA BENDRE
UA18BA358 PES1201801214
Our Takeaways from the talk:

The dean of faculty of architecture and design, Dr. Anuradha, gave a

guide on the different options of master's degree that can be pursued
after completing the undergraduate architecture program.

Dr. Anuradha spoke about her specialization, Urban and Regional

Planning. The potential scope in future years. She also gave in-depth
information about various colleges which have this course and how the
students can apply there.
Ar. Rajini Itham and Ar. Kusuma Srinath who has done their master’s in
landscape architecture explained the importance of the course.
They gave an insight on the entrance options for the master's degree
course, which is through PGCET.
Ar. Mitchell Deepa V spoke about the Construction Project Management
course which is the process of managing construction projects.

Ar. Betty and Ar. Sharath explained habitat design at Viswesvaraya

Technological University which helps in maintaining the integrity of the
built environment in urban and rural areas.
Ar. Arunav Bhattacharya alumnus of NIT explained Environmental
Planning. Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision-
making to carry out development, energy-efficient, and sustainable
architecture.
Ar. Radhika and Ar. Yashaswini talked about pursuing a General master's
degree.
Lastly, Ar. Rahul and Ar. Ujjal explained the studies of product design and
industrial design at IISc Bangalore. Which was an informative detail on
the design aspect of architecture ranging from communication to
product design.

The faculty provided us the information based on their experience

pursuing the Master's degree. This was a highly informative talk that
gave us serious consideration towards pursuing architecture.

Thanking the entire faculty and the faculty behind making this talk
possible!