The built environment is under severe stress due to lack of planning: Architect C.R. Raju

• The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Maharashtra chapter’s Pune Centre organize its 24th Convention- Mahacon 2022
• Pune-based Senior Architect, Prakash Deshmukh honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Pune, April 29, 2022: “There have been many developments in the past 2 decades in Maharashtra and all over the country, which have put the built environment under severe stress. The buildings are being constructed without planning even though there is no infrastructure. We have to involve the government agencies and all the IIA chapters to share insights and suggestions and also learn and take feedback from one another to know if the decisions are meeting the policies. We talk about development but what is happening on the ground is different as lots of construction is taking place whether there is a need or not,” said Architect C.R. Raju during the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Maharashtra chapter’s Pune Centre’s 24th Convention- Mahacon 2022 held at Bantara Bhavan, Baner today.

Ar. Bimal Patel, HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad, Sandeep Bawdekar, Chairperson, Maharashtra Chapter, IIA, Ar. Sandeep Khatpe, Chairman, Pune Chapter, IIA, Ar. Krishna Murthy Folds Design Studio, Mumbai, Ar. Mahesh Nampurkar, Suman Shilp, Pune, city architects Manoj Tatuskar and Vikas Achalkar were present during the conference.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Senior Architect, Prakash Deshmukh, Planner of Magarpatta City and Nanded City, while other members of the institute were felicitated at the function.

“Our forefathers built homes which can be sustained for hundreds of years but today the lifecycle of the buildings are short-lived, which means we have to think where we are wasting our natural resources. We have to avoid making massive concrete jungles,” C.R. Raju said.

He also said that since Maharashtra has a large number of Architecture schools, it is the epicentre of the profession.

“Some of the young architects are adopting innovative methods. Such conferences should bring forward bright minds and show the work done by them so that others can learn and practice. We can also learn from people in rural areas who have lots of ideas and construction techniques,” he added.

Addressing the keynote session on ‘Public Discourse that develops around the Public Projects’ Ar. Bimal Patel, who has built the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad said, “Public Projects are projects that are done with public money on public land to solve public problems by permission from public authorities. So it is bound to generate public discourse. However, a project has to go ahead despite the discords and discussions. A well-informed, reasoned and constructive discourse can strengthen democracy and can help improve projects and propel them forward but an irrational, hypothetical and uninformed discourse can mislead the public and disrupt projects and lead to problems. Government agencies and professionals need to learn how to engage the public to improve projects and ensure that public discourse is better informed.”

Ar. Sandeep Bawdekar said, “Transition is an integral part of not only our culture but also our identities. We have announced the theme ‘Transition’ for Mahacon 2022 with the intention to have a structured dialogue with some of the greatest minds in architecture.”