Cities becoming more unlivable as they grow, up to your generation to solve urban planning problem: Vembu to students

Vembu said that he was inspired by the Chola temples from childhood which made him think about why such architecture was not being practised in the past 100-200 years”. “Our history is there. We have great temples, Taj Mahal, all of it. But what have we done in contemporary India? What are we doing?”, he told the students..

He said that his company had now built a school in the “Thanjavur agraharam style” which would open on Pongal next year. The building he worked out of in Tenkasi, was a “compressed mud-based building” with no air-conditioning system, he said. “So many people comment: how come it is so much cooler inside?…All this was our traditional knowledge….our homes were built this way hundred years ago, now, all over India we are building the same concrete structures which we should not be doing”, Vembu said.

Urging the students to find a “solution,” he said, “One way to start is to design the micro 50-acre campuses well”.
At least 299 students were given degrees from the Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Design, Anant Fellowship in Sustainability and Built Environment, MSc in Sustainability and Built Environment and Anant Fellowship in Climate Action.

Other speakers were Ajay Piramal, President at the Anant National University, Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi, Provost, and the members of the board were present during the convocation.