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Nabha Declaration
Introduction
Conference Report (PDF, 1.7 Mb)
Programme (PDF, 18 Kb)
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The event was organized by INTBAU and The Nabha Foundation.
The Conference
INTBAU India (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism) with the support and sponsorship of The Nabha Foundation, held its inaugural conference on “New Architecture and Urbanism: Development of Indian Traditions” in January 2007 in New Delhi. The conference brought together strong voices from all corners of the country and the world, in an effort to retain and reinforce the belief in the strength and vitality of traditional building and urbanism, and to promote its usage in the development of mainstream architecture and urban design.
This area of work, though always in existence, has been a fairly difficult path for practitioners to tread, despite current mainstream architecture's modernistic bent with its high resource consumption and non sustainable nature. Traditional building, places and cities by contrast, maintain a balance with nature and society that have developed over many generations. This conference brought together traditional practitioners from India and abroad in a single forum to share thoughts and ideas and to create a common voice calling for freedom for people to maintain their traditions. To this end, the conference looked at what defines traditional methods, their relevance to the contemporary context and examined important case studies. The Nabha Foundation supported the conference as an important part of its vision in mainstreaming heritage in the development and regeneration of urban and peri-urban areas.
Conference Theme
India's globalised economy is based on the ideals of change and modernism. This evolution into modernism initially came about on the premise of inclusivity, but has over time propagated a mass transnational culture to the ultimate exclusion of local identity. This sense of loss of identity and tradition permeates art, culture, cuisine and lots more, and has led to a certain endemic cultural loss.
All around us, we see symbols of a dislocated rootless global paradigm dominating our skylines. Our built environment shapes our sense of self, our sense of place, our reverence of our past and our traditions. Building traditions have modified and evolved with the social, economic and cultural needs of the age. Tradition in building serves us in creating a balance between nature and society, optimal utilization of natural resources and of local skills and craftsmanship. As strong forces currently drive the creation of new architecture and urban design in India, the time is now or never to instill in this huge process a sense of "appropriateness" to the local context.
Conference Outcomes
Created a sustainable direction towards retaining and reinforcing belief in the strength and vitality of traditional concepts, typologies and methodologies in New Architecture and Urbanism
Brought together voices from all corners of India and the world, including Practitioners, Academicians, Institutions, Developers & the Government to debate the contemporary relevance of traditional methods and thus create a suitable action strategy for this forum’s participants.
Aimed towards the ultimate creation of a context specific framework and guidelines to help mainstream traditional methods in new architectural and urban design endeavors all across the country, whether by changing building bye-laws, or by seeking to change the mindset of people commissioning buildings, urban projects and space creation, whether directly or by competitions.
INTBAU India Committee of Honour
A formal declaration was made setting up an INTBAU India Committee of Honour was held during the conference. "ICoH - India", modeled on the ICoH (INTBAU Committee of Honour) will be an Indian professional body of practitioners in traditional urban design, architecture and the building arts who have produced a sustained output of traditional work of the highest quality over at least five years of practice. This body would act as a sustained resource of traditional architects and urbanists who could be called upon to act as agents of change furthering the traditional movement in the built environment. A presentation was also made on the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners, INTBAU's peak membership body, which ICoH-I members may join.
CONFERENCE THEMES & PROGRAMME
Thursday 11 January (morning)
Visit to Nabha town near Patiala for an exposition on The Nabha Foundation leading a process change in mainstreaming Heritage in the development process in Punjab. The visit included a discussion with the City Fathers and Community of Nabha Town.
Friday 12 January (evening)
Inaugural Session
Saturday 13 January (morning)
New Ways of Looking at Heritage
Saturday 13 January (afternoon)
Sustainable Buildings, Places and Communities
Sunday 14 January (morning)
Continuing Traditions in New Architecture & Urbanism
Sunday 14 January (afternoon)
Plenary Session (Culminating in the INTBAU-Nabha declaration for promotion of Traditional Architecture & Urbanism in India)
THEMATIC PANEL DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD ON
Is Tradition Green?
Linking Heritage and Development Practices
Tradition and Contextual Relevance for Education in Architecture and Urbanism
POSTER EXHIBITION
Organisations, individuals and institutions participated in the very successful poster display, located in the venue's main foyer.
SPEAKERS
Leon Krier (Classicus and Vernaculus)
Raj Rewal
Robert Adam (Globalisation & Tradition)
Nimish Patel (Building Construction & Decorative Crafts)
Arif Hasan (Role of Communities in Sustainable Development- Karachi)
Babar Mumtaz (Working local urban transformations)
Gerard da Cunha (Evolving a Vocabulary of Architecture)
Pradeep Sachdeva (Place Making in India)
Yatin Pandya (Spatial Narratives in Traditional Indian Architecture)
V. Ganapati Sthapati (Science & Technology of Vastu Shilpa Tradition)
Rasem Badran (Reflections on the Narrative of Place, Jordan)
Richard Engelhardt
The Prince’s Foundation (Traditional Building through Patterns)
Cambridge University (Streets, Movement and Urban Place Making)
Auroville Earth Institute (Earthen Architecture in Auroville)
UNESCO (Heritage, A Key resource for Sustainable development)
HFHI (Partnering with the poor for Better Housing)
UN Habitat
Conference venue
The venue for the conference was The Grand, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj, Phase II, New Delhi- 70.
Schedule
The conference ran from Thursday 11 January (evening inaugural session) - Sunday 14 January 2007 (evening plenary session).
The conference was preceded by an excursion to the town of Nabha in Punjab. This excursionacted as a discovery of Nabha town and its hidden architectural treasures, along with glimpses on how The Nabha Foundation seeks to undo the ravages of time in the city and its Quila.
The visit included a discussion with the City Fathers and Community of Nabha Town and culminated in the INTBAU - Nabha Declaration on the Promotion of Traditional Architecture and Urbanism in India.
INTBAU India
The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism, is an active network of individuals and institutions dedicated to the creation of humane and harmonious buildings & places which respect local traditions. HRH Prince of Wales is the patron of the organization.
INTBAU is committed to supporting traditional building, maintenance of local character and the creation of better places to live in. INTBAU is actively engaged in bringing together individuals and institutions, who design, maintain, study or enjoy traditional building, architecture and places.
INTBAU is a force for the continuity of this tradition in architecture and building, and the promotion of traditional urban design. INTBAU India was formed with its inaugural symposium on Globalization Affecting Urbanization in India at New Delhi in January 2005, which preceded the Mumbai Mills Revitalization workshop held in Mumbai in March 2005.
The Nabha Foundation
The Nabha Foundation is building on the philanthropic activities of the Khemka Family and its roots in Nabha, by taking up issues of sustainable development, infrastructure upgradation and heritage conservation in the town of Nabha, Punjab, near the city of Patiala.
One of the prime initiatives of the foundation is the active engagement of the government and other stakeholders in Punjab, to create a university in Nabha, focussed on rural entrepreneurship and management. This university would be set up in an 18th century Quila (fortress) as an important example of the adaptive reuse of such a building in India. On a broader view, The Nabha Foundation is leading a process change in mainstreaming Heritage in the developmental process in Punjab, as part of the Foundation's strategic vision for Urban regeneration in this region.
Conference Supporters
"New Architecture & Urbanism: The Development of Indian Traditions" is supported by: Department of Architecture, Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur; Indian National Trust for Arts & Cultural Heritage (INTACH); School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi; TVB School of Habitat Studies; Rachna Sansad School of Architecture; UN Habitat; UNESCO; the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO); and A+D magazine.
Conference Academic Committee (in alphabetical order)
Robert Adam (Architect and Chair, INTBAU)
Prof. A.G.K.Menon (Architect and Academician), Chair
S.K.Misra (Chairman, INTACH)
Yamineey Mubayi (Heritage Consultant, The Nabha Foundation)
Nimish Patel (Architect Abhikram, Ahmedabad)
Deependra Prashad (Architect, Convener)
Jyoti Soni (Architect, Mumbai and Co-convener)
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