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The Convention was inaugurated on the evening of 20th Dec 02 by
Sri. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari, Sree Kshetra, Manjunatheswara Temple, Dharmasthala. In his inaugural address, traditional heritage of Karnataka and highlighted the efforts of Dharmasthala Trust in this connection Ar. Balbir Verma, President of the Indian Institute of Architects, in his presidential address, urged representation to architects in Govt in particular to provide representation to architects in Govt bodies related to various aspects of Urban Development. Ar. Paul Hyett, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, in his key note address touched upon the issue of sustainable development of cities and called upon architects to contribute towards the same. Ar. S. Srinivas, convener of the convention spoke about the convention and Ar. Pandurang Potnis, Co-convenor proposed a vote of thanks.

There were three Technical Sessions in the convention related to the theme "JOURNEY TOWARDS TOTAL ARCHITECTURE" Technical session I related to problem definition was held on the 21st the session was moderated by Prof S.V. Ravindra and had three speakers who made presentations. Ar. Kadambari Baxi, of USA, in her presentation, made an interesting point that Bill Gates prefers to call himself Chief Architect of Microsoft. With the help of examples, she illustrated how modern technology and life style especially computer technology is influencing building design. Prof. K.B. Jain of Ahmedabad, stated that the stage of Pre Conceptualization is not limited to identifying functions and areas of buildings by clients. Buildings are the result of dreams of clients and architects therefore have to understand the dreams of clients. Such dreams however vague become fore runners for concept Prof. K.B. Jain said that Great architecture, goes beyond context and cited the examples of Parthenon Athens and Egyptians temples at Luxor. Images of buildings in the mind of an architect take shape even before a brief is finalized, Prof. Jain stated. Prof AGK Menon, of Delhi, questioned the meaning of "TOTAL ARCHITECTURE" and provided a number of alternative possibilities. Prof Menon questioned where there is an "INDIAN WAY OF THINKING" and suggested that the Indian Context of lack of resources, diversity and rich culture should be the prime generating factors for good architecture in India. He questioned the tendency in India to blindly accept Western notions of Architectural development and follow such ideas without question.

The Technical Session II, held during the afternoon of 21st was moderated by Ar. Sudhir Jambhekar of USA. Ar. Sen Kapadia, of Mumbai, in his presentation, said that problem definition and design are inseperable. A HOUSE IS NOT A MACHINE he said. It is the redundant factors, beyond function, which make architecture what it is, he said. He showed a number of examples which redife architectural form making. Ar. Reinhold Martin of USA said he represented a dissenting position from within with reference to architecture in the USA, especially with respect to the silicon valley close to San Francisco. He illustrated, through his speculative research development in the valley. These principles include the a)Golf Course principle b) The atrium principle c) The Entropy principle and d) The I Mac principle. Ar. Sanjay Mohe of Bangalore said that Conceptualization is a personalized act. He said that simplicity as exemplified by Mies Van der Rohe, is the most complex to achieve in design. He illustrated this through examples of his works in Hyderabad, Chennai & Bangalore.

Technical Session III related to Actualization, the process of converting the ideas into reality. The session was moderated by Prof K.B. Jain of Ahmedabad. Mr and Mrs Ramanathan of "Janagraha" explained the importance of participatory democracy in shaping built environment. At present, Government agencies, responsible for delivery systems of Urban infrastructure are dysfunctional. There is a need for Citizens participation, which is what is provided by "Janagraha". They explained the achievements of "Janagraha" in the last one year with respect to improving urban infrastructure. Mr. Mahendra Raj, noted structural engineer from Delhi, in his presentation dwelt on the issue of putting buildings together. Clients are the reason for the very existence of architecture, he said. He explained the various stages involved in Conceiving and Constructing buildings. He opined that various Consultants reporting directly to client produces better results. Ar. Sudhir Jambhekar of USA said although a lot has changed over time with respect to client base, legalities / technology and scale, responsibility of architect has not changed. He illustrated through the Construction Document of New York Times Building, how ideas of buildings are communicated effectively, so that they are executed exactly as envisioned. He also develt on the feedback mechanism used in his firm for constant improvement of architectural services.