With the cooperation of Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Architecture, Housing Education, Research & Advisory Center (HERA-C), Department of Architecture and Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Architecture in Chennai, India, seminar series titled “Architecture and City Seminars” was organized.
‘Ecological Issues in Architecture’ (ARCH 213) course students and course instructor Assist. Prof. Dr. Pınar Uluçay Righelato was present during the seminar series which was held online and focused on the main theme of “Sustainability”.
Dr. Iliona Outram Khalili from University of Kent in England, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sheetal Amraotkar from Chembur Trombay School of Architecture in Mumbai and Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Architecture Faculty Dean Dr. Devyani Gangopadhyay respectively attended the events.
The first seminar of the online series was delivered by Dr. Iliona Outram Khalili on “A Sustainable Home for the Soul”. Dr. Khalili stated that returning to the earth as the oldest building material in the age of climate change is important both for its role in creating sustainable built environments and for its potential to spiritually empower human beings who will shape this material and reorganize their relationship with the natural environment. Expressing that the soil should be re-discovered as a building material in our age, and that the architectural schools have an important role in this sense, Dr. Khalili shared soil practices with students.
Landscape architect Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sheetal Amraotkar delivered the second seminar of the series which focused on important points to be considered in project design, material selection and applications in order to create LEED AP certified sustainable urban design projects. Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amraotkar presented examples of LEED certified campus projects during the seminar.
On the other hand, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Architecture Faculty Dean Dr. Devyani Gangopadhyay talked about the transformative effects of smart and sustainable cities on climate change and touched upon the city experiences of India. Starting his speech with the words of Danish urban design expert Jan Gehl, “We Create Cities, But They Also Create Us”, Dr. Gangopadhyay talked about how the concept of ‘Smart City’ is effective in the crisis management in cities during the Covid-19 period. Stating that digital technology is widely used by government institutions in order to better serve the citizens in many areas of daily life, Dr. Gangopadhyay focused on how Indian cities are transformed in this context.