SAPAA MEMBER AR. JAISIM TALKS

ARCHITECTURE - A PASSION by Ar. Prof. J. Subramaniam

Ar. Prof. J. Subramaniam, Executive Director, STUP Group of Companies and also a SAP alumni will speak on ARCHITECTURE - A PASSION for the IIA Tamilnadu Chapter's CHAPTER DAY, on Sunday, 1st May 2011 at 6-00 pm at Maple Hall - HOTEL SAVERA, Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4.

All SAPIANS are invited to attend this function.

SAP ALUMNI Vini Nathan, Ph.D., Architect and Interior Designer, Named Dean of School of Architecture

Vini Nathan, Ph.D., Architect and Interior Designer, Named Dean of School of Architecture

FEB 15 2008

Vini Nathan, Ph.D., an architect and interior designer who also has myriad experience as a teacher and administrator, has been appointed dean of Philadelphia University’s School of Architecture. Dr. Nathan has been interim dean since July 2007 and has been director of the University’s Interior Design Program since 1997.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to announce the appointment of Vini Nathan as dean of the School of Architecture,” said Jeffrey Senese, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty.  “Her range of experience, both in the classroom and as a practitioner and administrator, is a tremendous asset to the entire University community.”

The School of Architecture, with 671 students, is the second largest school on
campus and it encompasses programs in Architecture, Architectural Studies, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture.  Students in these highly regarded programs have won numerous prestigious competitions, such as the Vitetta Architectural Student Competition and the KlingStubbins Interiors Annual Student Design Competition.

The Architecture and Landscape Architecture programs also are on the cutting-edge of the sustainable design movement, with courses that focus on green design and the development and use of environmentally friendly materials.   In addition, the University’s Engineering and Design Institute, an interdisciplinary research center drawing from the University’s Architecture and Engineering programs, focuses on green materials, sustainable design and community outreach. 

“In the School of Architecture, students are guided to develop the skills, knowledge and vision they will need to address contemporary global issues and to become 21st century leaders in the fields of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture,” said Philadelphia University President Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph.D.  “Dr. Nathan’s expertise and experience will help to further enhance these programs, as they continue to address important real-world issues, such as diminishing resources and higher energy costs, gain experience overseas through programs in Milan, Rome and other top design cities, and gain critical on-the-job experience through co-operative learning options and internships.”

At Philadelphia University, Dr. Nathan has been involved in a wide range of innovative curricular, administrative and strategic initiatives, including recruiting faculty, assisting in accreditation efforts, helping to establish study abroad programs in such countries as Denmark and Australia, and developing curricula enhancements such as Artists in Residence and an Annual Design Guest Speakers Series.

Before coming to Philadelphia University, Dr. Nathan was director of New York Institute of Technology’s Interior Design program, assistant professor of Interior Design at Michigan State University and has taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Michigan and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Nathan was a practicing architect in New Delhi and more recently worked as an architect for Walker Group/CNI in New York, a full-service architectural design firm.  She was part of the team that worked on the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, a design venture in conjunction with noted architect Cesar Pelli, former dean of Yale University’s School of Architecture.

Dr. Nathan has presented at numerous professional conferences and her research interests include chaos theory, design processes and research methods.  She is currently researching the relationship between mathematics and architectural canons in traditional and contemporary Indian building designs.

Dr. Nathan received a B.Arch from Anna University in Chennai, India, an M.S. in Interior Design from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Michigan.  In addition, her credentials include a certificate in Health Care Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and she participated in the Bryn Mawr College HERS Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration.

In addition to her academic work, Dr. Nathan is a classically trained dancer, a competitive chess player and a self-professed trivia buff.

Parliamentary panel's no to govt plan to control Architecture Council

Par panel''s no to govt plan to control Architecture Council

PTI | 03:02 PM,Feb 06,2011

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) A Parliamentary panel has decided to shoot down government's plan to have greater control over the Council of Architecture, which regulates the profession. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD has asked the HRD Ministry to redraft the Architects (Amendment) Bill.The Council was constituted under the Architects Act, 1972. The Bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the Monsoon Session last year, has provisions to give government power to supercede the Council if it felt "that the Council is unable to perform" duty imposed on it by law. A little over a year ago, the HRD ministry had asked the CBI to probe alleged repeated violations of norms by the Council. The demand for a CBI probe was seen as a result of a six-year-long tussle, including legal battles, among different arms of the government to wield the power to recognise institutions and courses concerning architecture. After a series of deliberations, the Committee, headed by senior Congress MP Oscar Fernandes, is understood to have decided to ask the Ministry to redraft the Bill and come up with a comprehensive legislation. The report of the Committee is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the upcoming Budget Session. Section 10 B of the Amendment Bill seeks to give powers to the government to supercede the Council for a period not exceeding two years if the body fails to comply with the directions of the government, abuses its powers, and underperforms "persistently". During the period of the supersession, the Council's entire property will be vested with the government. This provision came under a lot of criticism from the members of the Committee. "How can the government say that a body fails to listen to it will be superseded," said a Committee member. But the HRD Ministry has made its position clear on the issue. "It has come to notice that the Council of Architecture has exercised certain administrative and financial functions beyond those stipulated in the said Act and also did not adhere to the advice of the Central Government in certain cases," HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had said while introducing the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Act provides for registration of Architects, standards of education, recognised qualifications and standards of practice to be complied with by the practicing architects. The Council is charged with the responsibility to regulate the education and practice of profession throughout India besides maintaining the register of architects.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/par-panels-no-to-govt-plan-to-control-architecture-council/567514.html