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Meet Our Keynote Speakers
Prof. Pratyush Shankar
Professor, Navarachana University
Rafiq Azam
Architecture for Green Living, Bangladesh
Prof. Ayyoob Sharifi
Hiroshima University, Japan
Prof. Ramesh Srikonda
Director,
SPA Vijayawada
Professor Pratyush Shankar
Professor, Navarachana University
Pratyush Shankar is a practicing architect and an academic. He is currently the provost of Navrachana University and the Dean of SEDA, Navrachana University, Vadodara, India. He is also a Guest Professor at the Mundus Urbano Program at Architecture Faculty, TU Darmstadt, Germany. He was awarded the Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship in 2015 and was hosted at the University of Bonn, Germany. His recent publication with Oxford university Press is titled “History of Urban Form: India”.
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He also taught at Faculty of Architecture at CEPT University for more than two decades. During his career at CEPT he held the position of Acting Dean of Architecture apart from being the head of undergraduate program. He was also appointed as Director of the Undergraduate Office; a CEPT University level position where he brought about major reforms by introducing choice based learning, flexible curriculum and major/ minor based PG programs.
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Pratyush runs a design practice along with his academic interest. The practice is critical and innovative, and tries to look at questions of architectural production especially concerning new relationships with nature, idea of light and poetics in space. Prof. Pratyush was awarded the Ford Asia fellowship in 2008 and won the JK Cement Architect of the year award in 2013 for residential design. He was recently appointed member of expert committee of Niti Aayog on “ Hill Architecture and Planning”.
Rafiq Azam
Architecture for Green Living, Bangladesh
Rafiq Azam is a world-renowned architect who is the Principal Architect at SHATOTTO Architecture for Green Living, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Md. Rafiq Azam is one of the internationally acclaimed architects from Bangladesh who has been practicing for the last 30 years. His green architecture is not a mere mechanism of energy saving. Rather, it seems like an inspiring process of energy gaining. His holistic approach incorporates all the elements of nature, harnessing its beauty and potential in very practical ways. From a uniquely Bangladeshi perspective, his designs reflect the synergies of living environments. Considering the planning conditions of Dhaka, Bangladesh, capital, Azam, architectural language is quintessential, with traditional courtyards, ghats and wide internal and external greenery, merging rural typologies in an intensely urban context. Designing exquisite water bodies and natural light rooms with unfolding Wall systems, Azam emphasises the subtle relationships of environment, form, and function.
As a visiting faculty, he taught at different national and international institutions and is now appointed as Professor in Practice by BRAC University, Dhaka. His awards include- the LEAF Awards 2012 at the London Design Festival., the WAF Award 2017, and the ARCASIA Gold Medal 2017, to name a few.
Professor Ayyoob Sharifi
Hiroshima University, IDEC Japan
Ayyoob Sharifi is Professor at the IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University. He also has cross-appointments at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Graduate School of Advances Science and Engineering. His research is mainly at the interface of urbanism and climate change mitigation and adaptation. He actively contributes to global change research programs such as the Future Earth and has served as a lead author for the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Before joining Hiroshima University, he was the Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, leading the urban flagship activity of the project. Ayyoob is interested in pursuing research at the interface of climate change and urban planning. The ultimate goal of his research is to provide further insights into how to develop sustainable, peaceful, just, and resilient communities.
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Ayyoob Sharifi focuses on researches related to Neighborhood sustainability, Urban carbon mapping, Urban resilience, Climate change mitigation and adaptation, Environmental sustainability
Professor Ramesh Srikonda
Director, SPA Vijayawada
Ramesh Srikonda had acquired Bachelors Degree in Architecture in 1982 in first class with distinction from JN Technological University, Hyderabad, AP. and joined in Anna University, Madras for post graduation in Town and Country Planning and passed out with First class in 1984. He also holds Post Graduation Diploma in Ecology and Environment from ‘Institute of Ecology and Environment’, Delhi. He had conducted an extensive research on “Energy Conservation studies in Buildings through Components / Materials and Space conditioning Options.” in IIT Delhi, Which is an essential area of his research for saving energy, conserving fossil fuels with due regard to Climate change and acquired Doctorate (PhD) from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
He entered into the Central Government Service through UPSC – Central Architectural Services (CAS) in 1985 (Central PWD) and also rendered his professional services in various capacities such as Deputy Architect, Architect, Regional Architect, Senior Architect, Chief Architect and Director of Planning, slum & JJ, in Central Government. Ramesh participated in various International and National Architectural and Town planning Competitions. His entry “Energy Efficient Housing in India” for ‘World Habitat Awards – 1992’, had been adjudged as five finalists by “Building and Social Housing Foundation” Leicestershire, UK. He also got the first place in idea Competition for Accommodating 3 lac population in Jaipur as “Urban Extension for Jaipur City” promoted by JDA in India. Besides , He had participated in a Competition on conceptual plan for ‘A Modern Township for 12 lac population at Jharia Coal fields’ promoted by Coal India Limited in 1987’ and his entry adjudged as the most promising category by the eminent jury members. (2015).
Dr. Srikonda was honored as Chief Guest for ‘International conference on Agriculture, Veterinary & life Sciences 2014’, Promoted by International multidisciplinary research Foundation (IMRF), India, in 24 & 25 Jan 2014. He is one of the Journal Referee for the ‘ World Review of Science, Technology, and Sustainable Development ’.( Int. J. of Sustainable Development , Int. J. of Environmental Technology and Management ; Int. J. of Innovation and Regional Development; Int. J. of Environmental Policy and Decision Making). he is a registered member in COA ( CA/84/8571) , Fellow Member of Indian Institute of Architects (No.8299) , Associate Member of Institute of Town Planners India (No.86-12) , Fellow member of Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (F(L) 0724) and a Life member in Indian Society of Ergonomics (L380). Key Note Speaker’ and ‘International Committee Member’ for ‘International Conference - Sustainable Development’ , promoted by Hong Kong University of Science and technology, ICSDM 2015, June 28-30,Hong Kong, 2015.
Dr. Srikonda has initiated and associated to develop the New Course Structure and detail syllabus for M.Arch with a clear focus of Sustainability in Architectural Built forms and Architectural Design with due consideration to Climate change , ecological / environmental sensitivity and energy efficiency. The programme of M. Arch (Sustainable Architecture) has been going on successful since 2013 and gaining its importance year by year.
