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Global stars to grace IIA National Convention in Bangalore

British celebrity architect Will Alsop, Turkish urban planner Cengish Bektash, Columbia University professor of environmental sciences Dickson Deshpommier and China’s brave new architect Ma Yansong are among some of the galaxy of international architects to grace the three-day national convention of architects in Bangalore from Wednesday.

The convention, hosted by Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) – a national body of architects founded in 1917 comprising nearly 18,000 members now – is to be opened by Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani at the Nimhans Convention Centre. Nilekani, a resident of Bangalore and author of his maiden book Imagining India will talk on how architects and architecture can make a difference in the new century, the future and role of architects in imagining India.

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Urban Design Research Institute Fellowship Program

The Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), announces a new Research Fellowship Programme to provide young scholars, researchers and independent practitioners the opportunity to do research on contemporary urban issues and concerns of Mumbai. This programme is supported by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) grant.

Research Fellows shall be given a monthly stipend and professional allowance of Rs. 20000. They shall also be provided with working space and requisite infrastructure at the UDRI studio. In addition UDRI will facilitate discussions with relevant resource persons in the field and assist in the publication of research findings. Support will also be available to the fellows for post-research advocacy.

The research period can vary between 6 to18 months depending on the project scope and deliverables. Applicants shall demonstrate the relevance of the proposed research to the city of Mumbai/Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the feasibility of accompanying the research goal within the stipulated period.

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Architecture Cities News Profession

Foreign Architects Rush into India

The profession and practise of architecture in India has undergone a complete transformation in this decade. The last eight years have been a boom time, not seen since the heady days of Post Indipendance India.

The booming economy and the burgeoning middle class has prompted developers to bring in foreign architects with foreign fees to design everything from airports to residential and office towers and bungalows and resorts.

Foreign architects bring in the tried and tested processes and function precision to bring about a complete turnaround in the way projects are designed and built. They pair up with Indian firms who have the expertise on the ground to get things done and built.

Foreign architects for the most part are bringing in foreign solutions and design principles which may not all work in India, but the public does not think a second before lapping it all up. We are literally bringing New York, Chicago, Tokyo or Shanghai to Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and countless other towns and cities.

Only time will tell if this is successful in the long term. India is not the only place in the world where this is happening. China is way ahead of us in transplanting urban fabric from the West into their cities.

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