What Matters in Design: Values from Vitruvius to Valluvar

All designs need to achieve three values: functionality, durability, and appeal. Most of the time, this has not been possible. There are dilemmas, and we try to trade off. How to solve this quandary? One answer is stepping out of the three values and looking from a fourth. Does this work? Are there clear action guides? The talk will focus on these questions. Equally importantly, it will ask whether there are other ways to decide what matters beyond this value triad that was originally offered by Vitruvius, the Roman architect, a couple of millennia ago. Can we, for instance, draw on some Indian thinkers and expand the possibilities?

About Speaker

A Srivathsan
Head of Centre for Research on Architecture and Urbanism, CEPT University

A. Srivathsan is an architect and urban designer who currently heads the Centre for Research on Architecture and Urbanism at CEPT University. Previously, he was the Academic Director of CEPT and, before that, worked as Senior Deputy Editor at The Hindu. He also practiced and taught for more than a decade in Chennai. Srivathsan completed his PhD at IIT Madras and extensively writes for various media and research forums. His areas of work include contemporary architectural practice and urban development.