Page 217 - Vogue - India (January 2020)
P. 217
living
Brinda Somaya
ARCHITECT,
CONSERVATIONIST In 2000, two critical questions nudged
AND FOUNDER, SNK Mumbai-based architect Brinda Soma-
CONSULTANTS, INDIA ya to call upon her peers in the subcon-
tinent and launch Women In Architec-
Q: As sustainability becomes ture 2000+: “How many women are
a necessity, can the LEED actually the face of an architecture firm
certification system be or design studio? And how many wom-
adopted in India? en-led firms get projects to design cam-
A: While I believe sustainability
is very important, we need puses, embassies, large corporate build-
guidelines that are developed ings and government institutions?”
within our own country. The Now, two decades on, Somaya has the
LEED is a Western-oriented answer. According to her, it’s time
system. In India, we need women stepped out of the shadows of
one that takes into account architecture and design to claim the
the unique climate and the recognition they deserve.
maintenance of a building. Her voice remains unguardedly
Many aspects of a project may passionate when she voices the two
prove to be eco-friendly when critical questions as she puts together
newly installed, but the true
test is visiting that project four a platform to discuss ideas and projects
or five years down the line and of female architects and designers.
making sure everything works. Back in 2000, her event had been con-
Sustainability is achieved through fined to women from South Asia. How-
understanding the site, designing ever, this month, over the course of
appropriately with judicious use three days (January 8-10), the confer-
of materials, not just by scoring ence Women in Design 2020+, initiat-
points. The LEED rating is ed by the HECAR Foundation, will see
expensive and not exactly viable an incredible roster of women archi-
for ordinary projects. Instead, tects and designers from India and the
the Green Rating for Integrated
Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), world gather to share their work,
which was adopted as the thoughts and ideas while celebrating
national rating system for green path-breaking projects built and influ-
buildings by the government of enced by women in general.
India in 2007, is more meaningful A parallel digital exhibition, Design
to the way we construct. Manifesto, at Mumbai’s Goethe-Insti-
tut Max Mueller Bhavan, will spotlight
Q: A green roofing option to the beliefs and philosophy of women
consider at home? designers from India. “It will be a re-
A: Though solar tiles are popular, cord of what has gone before, what
they are expensive. Instead,
Mangalore tiles are best suited stands today and what the future holds
for insulating Indian homes. in the minds of women architects and
designers from India and the world,”
explains Somaya. Besides this, Women
in Design 2020+ will feature archival
material from German women archi-
tects and installations of women weav-
ers from Telangana, alongside talks on
DESIGN
design, creativity and architecture.
It’s only natural that with feminism
VIEWFINDER and climate change being the two mas-
sive and uneasy forces shaping the fu-
Whether it’s designing a house that generates its ture, the participants will bring the
freshest ideas on sustainable architec-
own power or an energy-efficient city office, eight ture and design to the conference. We
prominent women in design share sustainable solutions quizzed them to learn more about sus-
tainable home fixes, and their answers
ADIL HASAN to build on planet Earth. By Rajashree Balaram are effective ammunition in our fight
to save the planet. Wid2020plus.org >
www.vogue.in VOGUE INDIA JANUARY 2020 215
