CHENNAI: Rome’s colosseum, pyramids of Egypt and the Big Temple in Thanjavur have all one thing in common - an architectural brilliance that has stood the test of time.
It was not surprising that these ancient structures were discussed in a seminar on the future of architecture trends and opportunities organised by VIT-School of Architecture and Planning (V-SPARC) in Chennai on Saturday.
VIT University Chancellor G Viswanathan spoke on the importance of good architects, especially in the modern world. “There is a need for skyscrapers to save our agricultural lands. States such as Maharashtra have lost over one lakh hectares of lands in a decade,” he said, adding that only skyscrapers could solve this problem. But, he was quick to lay stress on the expertise involved in raising a high-rise. “Regarding the building collapse at Moulivakkam two years ago, no one has known so far why it happened,” he pointed out.
New Delhi-based architect Madhav Raman of Anagram Architects, who was the chief guest, spoke on the necessity of architecture to promote sustainable living. “It is a profession that is influenced by many other progressions and also influences many,” he said, urging college students to participate in a wide range of activities in college days. He preferred to term those activities as ‘peri-curricular’ rather than extra curricular as he firmly believed that these activities such as theatre or music played an important role in learning.
“One should not think about just buildings, but of occupation of space by humans. For this, you need to understand human connections and how they occupy space,” he told the students.
Architect Sriram Ganapathi of KSM Architects, architects Senthilkumar and J Manoharan were the other guest speakers at the event.