25
Jan 2025
10:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Quoz Arts Fest 2025
Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
In alignment with Godrej’s Conscious Collective 2024’s theme, 'Bridging Horizons,' this session, presented in partnership with Avid Learning, will explore how we can preserve our architectural heritage while adapting to the needs of expanding urban landscapes. Through focused presentations and discussion, the speakers Conservation Architect Vikas Dilawari and Founder, Plural and Co-Author, 6 Metros Oormi Kapadia will delve into the impact of urban planning on neighborhoods, and innovative strategies for merging heritage conservation with modern growth. The conversation moderated by SVP, Essar Group, CEO, Avid Learning, and Curator, Royal Opera House, Mumbai Asad Lalljee will provide actionable insights into creating livable, inclusive cities that honor the past and future.
Vikas Dilawari is a practicing conservation architect with three decades of experience exclusively in the conservation field, ranging from urban to architecture. He has done his double Masters in Conservation from School of Planning and Architecture (New Delhi)and from the University of York (Distinction). He was the Head of Department of Conservation Department at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture (KRVIA) Mumbai from its inception in 2007 till Aug 2014. His practice has successfully executed several conservation projects ranging from prime landmarks to unloved buildings of Mumbai. He was instrumental with INTACH Mumbai chapter to list the CMST (or VT) station as a World Heritage Site in 2004. Several of his projects have received national and international recognition. A total of 17 of his projects have won UNESCO ASIA PACIFIC Awards for Cultural Preservation in SE Asia. He has successfully restored many significant cultural heritage projects in Mumbai and in other partsof the country like; the Agakhan Palace Pune, Dr Bhau Daji lad Museum; The Durbar Hall in Kochi (2010) which was one of the venues for the first biennale in the country. , The adaptive reuse of Patiala House in Dehradun as an Oil Museum (2007), The restoration of Archiepiscopal palace in Old Goa (2002-2004) and now the CSMVS Museum. His other recent project includes restoration of several important public fountains of Mumbai like the Muljee Jetha, Wellington and the Flora Fountain. Apart from this Mr Dilawari is also busy restoring the “Unloved normal fabric of the city” that is century old tenanted trust properties belonging to GZRF (a Parsee trust) or a tenanted commercial building in Dr DN Road i.e., Commissariat Building. Mr Dilawari has lectured and written extensively on the subject of conservation nationally andinternationally. He has been a member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) on several occasions.
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Oormi Kapadia is an Architect, Urban Designer and founding partner at PLURAL – a collaborative urban research and planning studio based in Mumbai and Goa. She heads the Project Research and Policy Planning division and shares her expertise in ideas of sustainability at various scales. She has worked extensively on large scaled urban design and planning projects in India and USA. She is a LEED AP and a qualified TERI Griha trainer. She is currently involved in policy research that informs the quality of affordable housing and dignity of living in a city. She is also involved in community design and place making projects with Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. She was invited to share their award-winning Community land trust development model for Dharavi slums at the UN Habitat conference in Brussels, Europe. She writes on urban issues on various platforms. She is a co-author of 6 Metros – Urban Planning and Implementation Compared. Oormi teaches as a visiting faculty in various Architectural colleges in Mumbai and Goa. She received her Master’s degree in Urban Design from University of Texas at Austin.
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Asad Lalljee is SVP, Essar Group, CEO of Avid Learning, a public programming initiative and creative platform under the Essar Group, and Curator, Royal Opera House, Mumbai. Prior to relocating to India, Asad worked for 14 years as one of the ‘Mad Men’ advertising executives on New York's Madison Avenue. Asad has transformed Avid Learning into India’s leading cultural hub through international collaborations and partnering with the biggest art platforms in the country. Since the restoration of the Royal Opera House, Asad’a curatorial programming has re-established its reputation as the city’s cultural crown jewel. He is also serving on the Kala Ghoda Association’s Executive Committee and the advisory board of the Mumbai Urban Art Festival for 2022-23. In the midst of the pandemic (April 2020), Asad pivoted from AVID to AVID ONLINE, presenting 240 programs in a year. An early technology trend adopter, he takes a special interest in new media curating programs around NFTs and the cyberfuture.
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Godrej Conscious Collective: Bridging Horizons for a Sustainable Future
Launched by Godrej Design Lab, Conscious Collective is an
initiative aimed at fostering a sustainable future through design-driven
solutions. Featuring curated panel discussions, workshops, installations,
performances, and film screenings, the program advances conversations around
environmentalism by engaging industry professionals and thought leaders from
design and architecture.
Returning for its second edition in December 2024, the three-day event is themed “Bridging Horizons for a Sustainable Future.” This year’s lineup includes notable speakers such as Vikas Dilawari, Dr. Kiawan Mehta, Sanjay Puri, and Kai Uwe Bergmann, with a special performance by Swadesi. Following the success of its 2023 debut, which drew around 4,000 attendees to Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli, the 2024 program promises an even more engaging experience.
Urban Development: Innovations in Susttainability
Urban centers are pivotal on the global stage, influencing socio-economic and environmental parameters. According to UN-Habitat, six out of every ten people globally are expected to live in urban areas by 2030. With cities responsible for over 50% of global waste and 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions, adopting innovative, sustainable urban practices is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Key trends in sustainable urban development include:
● Reuse: The Earthitects workspace in Bengaluru showcases the potential of upcycling by crafting in-house furniture, such as desks and lighting, from discarded wood.
● Reduce: The Passive House Movement in architecture minimizes buildings’ carbon footprints and maximizes energy efficiency.
● Recycle: Icelandic architect Arnhildur Pálmadóttir has pioneered a groundbreaking process called lava forming, which harnesses lava from volcanic eruptions as a sustainable building material.
Environmentally-Conscious Festivals: Art as a Catalyst for Change
In India, festivals are increasingly becoming platforms for environmental advocacy, integrating sustainability into their practices:
● All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF): A traveling festival showcasing films that spotlight the global and local impacts of the climate crisis.
● Echoes of Earth Festival: Held in Bengaluru, this festival features a solar-powered stage and ensures 80% of its production uses recycled and repurposed materials.
● Ziro Festival of Music: Nestled in Arunachal Pradesh, the festival draws inspiration from the sustainable traditions of the Apatani people, using bamboo to construct its infrastructure.
● Nilgiri Earth Festival: Celebrating the Nilgiri Biosphere, this festival places indigenous culture, food, and communities at the center of environmental discussions.
An often overlooked aspect of sustainable festivals is the carbon footprint of attendees and artists due to travel. Addressing this factor will be key to creating truly green events.
