Architect 2014 to commence in mid February

Friday, 7 February 2014 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA), Architect 2014, will take place between 19-23 February, 2014 at the BMICH. Spanning full five days, the overarching theme for this year’s Annual Sessions is “Architecture Envisioning Futures”. The event will be graced by eminent politicians, architects, industry professionals, students and the general public. Held for the 32nd consecutive year, Architect 2014 will be declared open with the grand Inauguration ceremony by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which will take place on 19 February. The ceremony will include addresses by distinguished invitees and will see the conferring of special honours to architects who have contributed positively towards the growth of the architectural field. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by the opening of the Members’ Works and Trade Exhibition, conducted for the 31st consecutive year, by Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana, Minister of Investment Promotion. Open until 23 February, the exhibition will feature 294 stalls that will display a multitude of products and services in the field of construction while a separate area will be designated to display the work of architects and students. A key event of Architect 2014 will be the National Conference held on 20 February. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development will grace the event as Chief Guest while the conference will also include a panel of eminent guest speakers from overseas as well as Sri Lanka. The panel will comprise of keynote speaker, renowned Archt. Prof. Alan Pert from Australia, Archt. Prof. Masahiro Harada from Japan, Archt. Rajesh Renganathan from India, Archt. Ismeth Raheem, Archt. Nihal Bodhinayake and Archt. Prof Luca Molinari. Furthermore, the panel will include Archt. Pulasthi Wijekoon and Archt. Ruwani Dharmasiri as well. The conference will consist of three sessions, namely ‘Theoretics of Architecture’, ‘Poetics of Architecture’ and ‘Politics of Architecture’ that will impart much knowledge and value to the participants. “Every year, for our Annual Sessions we, the architects, deliberate on a certain issue or theme and discuss about the strategic approach and future of Architecture,” said Archt. Prof Chitra Weddikkara, President of SLIA, commenting on the upcoming Annual Sessions. “I Believe that architects are the first piece of the big puzzle of the built environment and without them, part of the puzzle will be incomplete. The theme this year is ‘Architecture Envisioning Futures’ where we want to ensure that people realise that architecture is the main area in envisioning the future of Sri Lanka’s development.” The Annual General Meeting of the SLIA will take place on 22 February where the council will hold discussions on issues related to the profession, membership, progress and future plans of the SLIA. The Annual Sessions will mark its grand finale with the Fellowship Nite held on 22 February where architects will have the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues. Architect 2014 is organised by SLIA in partnership with strategic sponsor Phoenix FlowGuard, principal sponsor Alumex Ltd., associate sponsors Ranjanas Ceramic, True Value Products Ltd. and Orel Corporation and event sponsors ICC, Asian Paints, Multilac, Lankem Robbialac, Delmege Forsyth and Assalaarachchi Construction Ltd. while the main media sponsors for the occasion will be ITN and Lakkhanda. For more details on participating in the National Conference and the Exhibition please contact the SLIA Secretariat on 115 835 938.