9

Organisation

Forword

It was in 1993 when the U.I.A. / UNESCO Seminar was held in Lisbon , Portugal , I had suggested to Mr Roan Almeida, the Chief of the Educational Architecture Unit, UNESCO, that one of the Seminars should be conducted in India. My suggestion was discussed at BREDA, the Netherlands, when the 12th UIA / UNESCO Seminar was held in June 1994. It was unanimously decided to hold the 13th International Seminar in Bombay, India. Indian Architects are grateful to Mrs Anne Goodwin - Diaz of UNESCO and Mr Yannis Michael, Secretary U.I.A. Working Group for Education and Cultural Spaces, for proposing the Seminar in India and giving Indian Architects a chance to discuss the problems of educational spaces, specially for developing countries by experts from all over the world.

India is one of many under privileged developing countries where safer, healthier, prosperous and environmentally sound life is still unknown to many. We realise that the education is an indispensable key to personal and social improvement and has capacity to promote overall development. It is the need of the day that education, which is seriously deficient, cannot be made more relevant, and must be improved qualitatively. It also must be made available universally.

When the Government of India is determined to achieve 100 percent literacy with the policy to make education available for all by the year 2000 A.D., number of measures are being undertaken by the Government.

The non-Government social organisations (NGOs) are also actively involved in creation of educational facilities not only in towns and cities, but even in remote villages. Free education upto high-school level, free text-books and afternoon meals, night schools for working adults, mobile schools for construction workers , open-air classes under trees in slum areas, are just a few efforts to improve literacy, made by the social organisations.

To make education possible, the availability of space is always the prime problem. It is necessary, therefore, to find out which of the available spaces : enclosed, semi-enclosed or open can be put to use for formal or informal education. The Government is making all efforts to provide necessary infra-structure and encourage construction of low-cost school buildings.

When we, at the Academy of Architecture decided to host the U.I.A. / UNESCO International Seminar in Mumbai(Bombay), our proposal was readily accepted by the Council of Architecture, a supreme body of professional Architects in India. We also got support from other professional bodies, the Government and many commercial and social organisations from all over India. Thus it became possible for an educational Institution like Academy of Architecture to organise the Seminar in February 1996.

The main venue of the Seminar was the premises of the Academy of Architecture at Prabhadevi, Mumbai which is the heart of a crowded and busy city. However, the opening and closing ceremonies were conducted in a spacious modern auditorium to accommodate the invitees and the delegates, which numbered about 600.

The Seminar was attended by 490 delegates and student observers from Architectural Colleges in India. Delegates gave papers and presentations in two separate groups on the second day.

Eminent International personalities representing U.I.A. / UNESCO, United Nations, World Bank, etc.,. were the Key note speakers. Special invitees included Mr. Laurie Baker, Architect from South India and Mr. Geoffrey Bawa from Sri Lanka.

Students of Architecture participated in All-India open competition on " Affordable Spaces for Education for All" and presented wide.exposure to available opportunities and innovative solutions to creating spaces for informal and formal education. Work of students of the Academy of Architecture was highly praised by all delegates, particularly, the members of the U.I.A. Working group. Students could freely mix with dignetaries and had useful exchanges with delegates. The environment with the exhibition of works by professionals and students on the theme subject was much conducive and supporting to the International Seminar.

Seminar notes

The International Seminar was organised by the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai and was sponsored by the Council of Architecture, India. The Y.B.Chavan Auditorium and the premises of Rachana Sansad's Academy of Architecture were the venues for the three day seminar. The seminar was attended by foreign and Indian delegates, as well as student observers.

The countries represented were U.S.A., U.K., France, Austria, Australia, Japan, Greece , Zimbabwe , Sri-Lanka, Sweden , Thailand, Germany , Holland, Israel & India.

Architect Geoffery Bawa from Sri-Lanka and Architect Laurie Baker from Kerla were the special invitees. They delivered the keynote speeches on the architecture for developing countries with special reference to educational buildings.

Mr. Yannis Michael, Secretary, of the Working Group for Educational and Cultural Spaces of International Union of Architects, Mr. Warren Mellor Senior Programme Specialist in Education and Ms. Hiroko Kishigami of UNESCO ; Mr. Adriaan Verspoor , Educational Advisor, the World Bank Group , Mr. Uno Winbald , Consultant to WHO on Primary School Physical Environment & Health , Prof. Anton Schweighofer, Prof. of Architecture, Technical University of Vienna, Austria were some of the foreign speakers who contributed informative and thought provoking papers.

Architect J.R.Bhalla, President, Council of Architecture, Architect T.N.Gupta, Executive Director & Advisor , Ministry of Urban Affairs & Employment , Shri V.K.Mathur, Senior Scientist, Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, Professors from Architecture Colleges from India, Researchers , Social Workers educationists and many other made the seminar interesting and thought provoking during the sessions on 18th February '96 at the Academy. Faculty and Students of the Academy also participated.

The Seminar was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Manohar Joshi, who expressed his satisfaction that an important seminar on the subject like "Education For All" was conducted in Mumbai. He was particularly happy that several eminent specialists on education and and architects from different parts of the world had come together under the banner of UNESCO & U.I.A. to discuss the important topic of affordable spaces for Education. He assured that the State Government will ensure one hundred percent literacy by the turn of this century. He also promised that all State Government projects will be done in consultations with the educationists and architects along with the beaurocrats.

The concluding session of the Seminar was chaired by Prof.R.S.Khanna, Chairman , All India Council for Technical Education. His suggestions on affordability was to use the available resources by several institutions by sharing them at different stages and not let them remain idle. He gave guidelines to the planning of educational spaces for institutions under different situations.

A brilliant student of the Academy , Ms. Aparna Khemani was awarded "WANDREKAR GOLD MEDAL" at the hands of Arch. Laurie Baker at the open-air reception given to Delegates at Horniman Circle Garden. The students presented Indian Cultural Programme of dance and music to make the evening interesting.

The foreign guests were taken for sight-seeing tour of Mum&bi and on a boat cruise to the ancient Elephanta Caves after the Seminar.

The Indian and foreign delegates appreciated the surveys and studies done by the students on the theme subject by studying local conditions of educational spaces and the proposals to improve the conditions of educational spaces. The students' works were exhibited at the Academy during the seminar. A section of the exhibition was devoted to planning and designing of school buildings by Indian and Foreign architects. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Minister for Education (Tech.) Shri Dattaji Rane. The proposals were greatly admired by the foreign architects and by representatives of world organisations.

The Seminar was a very successful event and all participants , including the foreign delegates praised the efforts of the Academy for excellent organisation. They were very happy that there was substantial participation by the students. The Working Group of of U.I.A. decided that all further seminars be conducted with the co-operation of architectural colleges.