NATIONAL CONVENTION 2009
NOVEMBER 6TH & 7TH, AT NAGPUR

HOST : IIA NAGPUR CENTRE ( MAHARASHTRA CHAPTER )

THE SECOND RENAISSANCE . . . . . . . .

'Renaissance', a French word which means 'rebirth' or 'revival'.

Renaissance in the 15th century Europe, was a nostalgic need, as people still continued to admire the great buildings of their past. It was then, the intellectual rebirth in all creative fields started. Architecture documented, more permanently, that change. The Industrial Revolution, which heralded the Machine Age, and the 'Age of Reason', subsequently led to Modern Movement. New needs, new techniques and new form emerged inevitably. 20th century offered many opportunities to scientists and technologists to invent things unthinkable in the past. All seemed too well till the turn of the century. Greed, not need, led the modern international architecture towards its doom. Such architecture intentionally defied its older neighbours rather than standing beside them in peace. It shocked rather than sympathised.

A culturally rooted country like India retains strong links to its past. One way of expressing this connection is through visual traditions. Modern architecture intentionally excluded the link between the past and the present. Decades of studying this sterile anonymous architecture has led to an assumption that these forms come from an economic necessity, some continue to see it as a symbol of prosperity and modernity and some use it simply because it is easy to execute and get away with. In this process of so called Modernism, the architects forgot that architecture has always been and will always be a response to elements of nature that man needed protection from, naturally rooted to its soil and shall draw inspiration from its land, its materials, its texture, its climate and its context. These are the prerequisite of the “vernacular”.

With more than 3000 years of recorded history, Indian vernacular traditions grew and evolved continuously to form a strong and definitive architecture. In-spite of geographical, climatic and cultural diversity it still bonded itself into a cohesive expression.

The vernacular process of growth and evolution continued in-spite of changed and newer functional needs and expression. This evolution was interrupted by the coming of modern architecture in India. The architectural expression changed drastically and the chain of vernacular evolution was broken consciously, in the name of modernism. Many a times all important criteria like the climate, context, culture, are sacrificed at the altar of contemporary materials and technology. This has resulted in absolute facelessness and lack of contextual character in our architecture.

Slowly and gradually architects have started responding to this phenomenon, and so has a section of the society. Realisation of the importance and the appropriateness of the traditions of the architecture that has gone by has started sinking in. We as architects, need to understand, reflect and investigate this missing link, and these are the winds of change so desperately needed. The need to pick up the threads that modernity severed, the need to reinvent a new and more responsive architecture which will be a continuum of the vernacular, a thoughtful and innovative use of materials responding to climate, culture, geography and context, a response which respects the modern needs, functions and technology available. It also means an innovative synthesis of modern technology with traditional yearnings. Now is the time for change.

Hence the theme THE SECOND RENAISSANCE. This is further categorised in three Sub themes

ALLIED & RELATED FILEDS :

Any movement starts with art, music, literature, theatre, films and philosophy. It is important to understand the winds of change in related fields. These related fields are intrinsic to architecture. Hence our first sub-theme Allied and related Fields.

ACADEMICS & RESEARCH :

Academicians teach and carry out research by studying the movements and analysing them. They have diverse and interesting views. These filter down to students and architects. These will be deliberated upon under this sub theme.

PROFESSION & PRACTISE :

The influence of the academics filters down and gradually reflected in architects’ and designers’ work which in turn records it permanently. This is expected to be debated vigorously