Stride towards Healthy Architecture

In today’s time the well-being of individual not only depends on the food he/she consumes or the air they breathe, but also on the design of their environment; affecting their physical, social and mental health. Hence, there lies a vast potential and opportunity for housing design determining the health and well-being of a place and people living around it, through a holistic approach.

The event was graced by esteemed architects and founder of
an architecture firm of Chennai for an enlightening panel
discussion on ‘Building Healthy Architecture Design’. The panel
consisted of G. Dhayananth, Principal Architect, DLEA; Nanda
Devi, Principal Architect, Inventarchitects; K Senthil Kumar,
Chairman, Indian Institute of Architect – Tamil Nadu Chapter; C
R Raju, Joint Honorary Secretary, Indian Institute of Architects,
National Council – Mumbai and Krishna Kishore, Founding
Partner of K Square Architects.

Prior to the panel session, Radhakrishna Somayaji, Chief Sales Officer, Liebherr Appliances India, elaborated on their history and association with architecture and construction through a presentation.

The event was graced by esteemed architects and founder of an architecture firm of Chennai for an enlightening panel discussion on ‘Building Healthy Architecture Design’. The panel consisted of G. Dhayananth, Principal Architect, DLEA; Nanda Devi, Principal Architect, Inventarchitects; K Senthil Kumar, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architect – Tamil Nadu Chapter; C R Raju, Joint Honorary Secretary, Indian Institute of Architects, National Council – Mumbai and Krishna Kishore, Founding Partner of K Square Architects.

Prior to the panel session, Radhakrishna Somayaji, Chief Sales Officer, Liebherr Appliances India, elaborated on their history and association with architecture and construction through a presentation.

The panel discussed all important aspects, imperative to create healthy architectural space. All issues discussed by the panellist are very important in the context of rapidly changing environment. A thought provoking encounter in the first place for everyone present, as it made them think what can be done to lessen the impact of the existing concrete chain that we are into. Ar. Dhayananth threw upon instances of the futuristic concepts in addressing present threats, and steps to create a healthy architectural space. “The factors causing stress are traffic, pollution and tiring travel hours for work and back home. Usage of plants for enhancing indoor air quality, bringing in good sunlight like the usage of solar tubes for the interiors, employing wind catchers where natural ventilation is not possible and as far as the macro scale is concerned, we have to look at transit oriented mixed / multi-use spaces which will be the need of the hour to make life simpler and stress free,” he added.

The members of the panel bought up many interesting facets about planning, architecture design, relating to indoor and outdoor spaces. Optimum usage of eco-friendly and local materials will impact the social and living habits of the people which can all lead to a healthy built environment. Ar. Raju emphasised on planning in a larger context to create sufficient public spaces in relation to the built environment to suit the needs of the users. “Architectural design to create a healthy space should rely on the function and utility of the purpose for which the space is designed and not to create unnecessary superfluous spaces which are a burden on the built environment. By doing this we respect the open spaces which are essential in creating a healthy environment apart from giving the architect ample scope to bring in an interactive relationship with the outdoor and inner spaces, which make the user enjoy the fruits of a good healthy ambience and space within the building with good flow of natural light and air,” he stated.

Ar. K Senthil Kumar, opined, “The increasing pressure in vehicular parking results in reduced landscape spaces in group developments. Nature should be made an integral part of the design. The site and the surroundings have to be respected and the design should evolve from the natural features of the site. Apart from meeting the physical requirements spaces should be eternal and metaphorical. The imagery and sustenance is important.”

After the panel discussion, delegates and the panel members continued with networking over dinner and cocktails.

Liebherr – With an international presence Liebherr Group, founded in 1949 forayed into the business of refrigerators in the year 1954. For more than 60 years now, Liebherr has been a premium manufacturer of innovative refrigeration appliances for both the domestic and commercial sectors. The refrigerators and the freezing equipments from the group are known for quality, reliability and longevity. Liebherr entered into the Indian premium home appliance segment through distributors in 2008 and has made its presence felt across the country ever since. More than 2.2 million appliances leave various production plants every year. The extensive range of appliances encompasses freestanding refrigerators and freezers, fridge-freezer combinations, chest freezers, and built-in appliances.Their unique portfolio also includes wine storage cabinets and other customeroriented solutions. All Liebherr refrigerators and freezers offer innovative concepts and impressive user convenience. Every product is developed at one of their technically advanced design centres, sited at various production sites.When developing new appliances, Liebherr is particularly concerned that energy efficiency is optimised without compromising amenity and without sacrificing convenience technologies, such as BioFresh and NoFrost.