 a very warm welcome to the Havers Insignia presence, EDEX, a series by Realty Glass Masterclass. Friends, EDEX Talks is a unique initiative dedicated to facilitate the development of an ecosystem for world-class designers in India. The one-of-a-kind architecture and design talk show aims to enable the process of collaboration with the best in the industry, so as to position architects, designers, and manufacturers as partners offering complete solutions. I am Sapna Sri Waswar, Editorial Diplas Magazine, and let's begin with a brief introduction of Realty Glass. Some people are born to show the world which path to choose in a crisis. Some brands are born to do the same. And during the times of challenge, the stalwarts of Indian real estate industry have chosen to do just that by showing others the way to finding opportunities even amidst a crisis. By showing the world how to go about delivering on promises even amidst adversity. Success doesn't just happen, it happens by design. By pushing the boundaries, by raising the bar, it's days of creating a vision and nights of bringing it to life. Knowing that pictures are worth a thousand words and every word makes a difference. It's doing the research, trusting your instinct and finishing what you started. For the past 17 years, Realty Glass has been turning obstacles into opportunities. Keeping the industry informed on the latest developments and waiting to inspire debate and discussion. Bringing forth the perspectives of industry leaders bringing hard work and achievement. Keeping the industry connected. This is what we are built on. This is what we are building. Realty Plus and we lead the way. So this was a brief snippet of what Realty Plus is, its products and its initiatives. To know more about Realty Plus, we'll get in touch with Ms. Sripti Kedia, publisher and business head at Realty Plus at Sripti at exchangeformedia.com. And now, moving on to the program of the day, I welcome Mr. Vivek Yadav, Senior Vice President of Havels India Limited, to please share his views on this edX series presented by Havels Insignia. Let me give a brief introduction of Mr. Yadav. He is an industry veteran with over 31 years of experience in electrical and automation, having worked in all domains from residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure. He has extensive experience in products and solutions from circuit protections in low voltage and medium voltage to automation in industries and homes. Mr. Yadav is currently heading Havels Domestic Circuit Protection, electric wiring accessories and home automation business, along with projects and enterprise business which cuts across all business verticals in Havels. Mr. Yadav, I hand it over to you now. Yeah, thank you so much, Sapna. And it's my pleasure to be here on this platform with Sonali Bhagwati and you would hear about her very soon. So I wanna tell you more about what this edX series is and the larger program under which we are driving this platform which is called the Havels Insignia program. But before that, when I speak about it for a few minutes, before that I want to see, I want you to see a video of Havels and why it is important to see video of Havels is because the depth and the width of what we do in terms of offering products and various services including our manufacturing would be visible in this video. So please have a look in this video and appreciate what Havels is today in terms of what we offer to wide variety of customers. So please play the video, please. For more than six decades, Havels India Limited has been focusing on building a better future, a future where technology is used to drive progress, improve business outcomes and create a better quality of life. Today, Havels stands tall in the FMEG sector as a major power distribution equipment manufacturer with a strong global footprint, owing to its innovative future-ready products for a wide spectrum of applications. With the acquisition of Lloyd in 2017, Havels has made a foray into high-potential consumer durable segment with offerings of air conditioners, LED televisions, washing machines, refrigerators and dishwashers. The new synergy further complements the brand's deeper-into-homes vision. Havels owns some of the most prestigious global brands like Crabtree, Lloyd, Standard and Rio. Its global network constitutes over 5,000 professionals across its offices. As part of its make-in-intel philosophy, Havels is manufacturing 97% of its products in-house. With 14 state-of-the-art, fully automated manufacturing plants located across India, Havels offers superior quality and globally benchmarked products to its customers. Havels has set up a large distribution network to set new benchmarks in prompt delivery and service to customers. Over 11,000 dealers, 150,000 retailers and 700-plus Havels Galaxy exclusive brand showrooms across the country are helping customers to choose on its wide range of products. Havels has a robust supply chain management system with 31 warehouses located pan India. The meticulous forecasting and demand planning delivers seamless tracking system. Havels is the first FMEG company to offer doorstep service, offering a seamless post-purchase. It has the largest service network with 800-plus service points covering 441 towns, 247 across India. Havels Center for Research and Innovation, CRI, at Noida with a team of highly qualified engineers and designers continuously work towards creating differentiated and innovative products while adhering to stringent quality norms at par with international standards. Havels products are certified by nationally credited laboratories such as CRI and ERDA. Havels has a strong in-house IT vertical which develops innovative technology platforms to support its robust service and supply chain management system. Growing together is ingrained in the ethos of Havels and has resulted in it launching many innovative and profitable schemes for its dealer community. Havels has strong credentials in B2B and large government projects as well such as lighting up Kolkata Railway Station and partnering with NBCC India Limited to beautify and transform the night view of India's heritage monuments like Omayustu as it believes in the philosophy of spearheading the progress of the nation without ignoring the past. Havels has taken giant strides to create an innovative world full of possibilities not only for itself but also for all its channel partners and customers with a commitment to improve people's lives and help create a better global society. Havels is inspiring the world and making a difference. Okay, so as you have seen in the video the width and depth of the products and solutions that we offer they transcend from homes going to infrastructure and going to industries and covering all types of buildings. So you would have also seen the manufacturing strength, the service, the design infrastructure, the R&D infrastructure that we have. So with this it became imperative that we engage, that we interact with the specified community. And for that we try to create a program which is called the Havels Insignia program. And what is this program? It's about interacting with the specifiers, engaging with specifiers and with them under a framework which we call as four-eyed framework, incubate, generate new ideas, interact with them, share knowledge, create a linked community and influence. Influence means in terms of setting trends in terms of publishing papers, maybe some yearbooks and create a competitive environment for innovative designs. So under this four-eyed framework we have several programs. The first program that we started was edX. So today we are into the sixth episode where we have our renowned and very well-known speaker coming on stage. And before that we've had some international designers also in this series. So this series again, as Sapna initially elaborated it's a unique initiative which is dedicated to facilitating the development of an ecosystem of world-class designers who will come on this platform, share their expertise, share their, you know, renowned works with again a community which will get linked to this program, this webinar. Today it's being attended by a lot of such designers and also the other partners in this ecosystem who would be executing such projects. The next could be under a different eye that I mentioned the four eyes could be let's say a yearbook. The yearbook would highlight, you know, cutting-edge design ideas, innovative viewpoints which would also set the agenda for the themes and designs for that year. We would also include globally benchmark works by leading specifiers across the globe. And this yearbook would become an ideal reference point for running architects and interior designers. White papers I mentioned. So white papers would be to educate the audience to bring to light a new or different perspective and also delve deeper into issues, trends and policies which would be related to residential and commercial infrastructure and also highlight causes that experts feel very strongly about and deep dive into their implications and benefits. We would create contests. It could be redesigning city, redesigning a monument and invite again national and international level designers who could come and participate in this. Also the last in this would be an award for the best design for recognizing the best amongst the best. So that's what the overall Havel's insignia program would be. And as I said, edX is one eye out of those four eyes. So we will take this program forward today and I would hand it over back to Sapna to take the program forward. And this important episode where we have one of the most renowned architect amongst us Looking forward to this Sapna, please. Yes, we are all looking forward to it. Thanks, Mr. Yadav for sharing that brief on various Havel's initiatives that you just mentioned under the four eyes, including this very, first of its kinds design talk show series that we have today and thanks for setting the tone of the day. And now let's bring on stage as we are all awaiting the star of the day. Joining us is architect Sonali Bhagwati, President of Design Plus Architecture, Private Limited. Let me give a brief introduction of our speaker. Ms. Bhagwati graduated with a degree in architecture from September and has trained with architect Bernhard Kohn as recipient of scholarship from the Institute, Frankenstein architecture. He has been a member of the Delhi Conservation Society and is the member of Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation. She has served two successful terms as a member of Delhi Urban Arts Commission and has served on a committee of experts by Ministry of Environment to evaluate mining in the Arrabbi Hills. She has been published as one of the 20 best architects of India and named as one of the top 12 interior architects in the country. So we have with us today, Ms. Sonali Bhagwati. Ms. Bhagwati, thanks for being here today with us and let me hand it over to you now. Thank you, Sapna. Thank you, Havels for having me here. It's an absolute pleasure. And I think it's wonderful this initiative where you bring forth these topics which are so relevant to all of us. It's not only for architects and designers, but I think it's for community at large that these kind of topics have a lot of relevance. And I really congratulate you for putting forward these initiatives. You know, I think when I saw the topics, I thought to myself that I am an architect. I'm a designer. I am not an engineer. So numbers and figures and pie charts and bar charts are really not my scene. I look at livable spaces, which is what we all, it's all around us. We all create habitat to live in. That's what human beings require. So when we talk of habitat, we talk of livable spaces, we talk of built environment, it is something that I look at from a design perspective. How does a designer, what role does a designer play in understanding what is around you and imbibing everything that is around you to create a smart, a livable space? And I feel that the moment a space is livable and it is well thought through, it by default becomes a smart space. Adding technology is bringing it to another level. And that can be done with the help of a lot of, you know, engineering and other things. But the base comes from design. And without a sound base, no technology is gonna really work. So I feel that as a designer, the best thing we are most well equipped to create the foundation of what we call good livable spaces. Can we have the presentation? Okay, so I'm saying that what is really a smart space is a smart livable space. According to me, a smart livable space needs a lot of learning from the past. First, we talk of the environment. That comes first because we live on Mother Earth, that's our habitat, that's our natural habitat. So environment is the first portion I would say. The second portion is the human being. So it's for these two things coming together that calls for the entire topic of discussion. And hence, human-centric environment is exactly what we are talking about. So that is really every built environment that we are talking about today is meant for human beings and has to be human-centric. According to me, technology has to be there for human beings, not human beings for technology. Technology has to be there for the human-centric built environment and not creating an environment for technology. For me, it's the first basic background. And the first basic is got its roots from the past. Next, let's talk of vernacular architecture. I mean, vernacular architecture has so much to teach us. It may be relevant today, it may not be directly relevant today, but I think the learnings from vernacular architecture are how did a civilization, how did a society respond at the particular time when this building was built? So architecture is really, it is a manifestation of the state of the society, how evolved it is, how civilized it is and how technologically sound it is. So whatever architecture that we see will always tell the story of the society of that time. If you see this, the Havelis of Rajasthan, you will see that a stone was something that was in abundance around there. And they used this natural material, which is all around them. And they used it as a response to the hot and airy climate that they had. And they started creating fretwork, they started creating jullies that shaded them, that gave them filtered light. So it was a very clever response to a hot and airy climate with a local material. There was no transportation cost, there was nothing. So this is something which becomes a source of learning. No matter what the situation may be today or even 50 years from now, the hot, airy climate will remain and the stone will remain. So these are the things which will never change. It is only how we respond to them will change. Next. Now, if you see a pole house in Picharath, the way they created the verandas, creating these verandas was a direct, it was a social response. The way the facades were carved because the wood was found in abundance around there. Wood is a soft material to carve, they could create. And it's a structural material. So they created the structures out of wood, they embellished it. And they created from a climactic and a social response, the verandas that was part of every household in a pole. They would have a swing out there, the family would sit out there in the evening. And it would be a very seamless community interaction. Next. This is a courtyard house. Now, courtyards were another very integral part of our vernacular architecture. Our climate in this country and created, I mean, gave rise to a courtyard concept where all the openings were going to be towards the inside of the house and not towards the outside. The courtyard would have water, it would have natural cooling. The verandas would go around it and it would create the air movement that was so necessary in the part of the country where this was built. So again, a direct response. Stericota tiles on the roof, they were cooling aspect. So all these responses to the three or four basic issues which was climate, local materials and social interaction. So these two or three issues were the main governing points which gave rise to the typology of these vernacular buildings. Next. Again, a smaller courtyard house with greenery. Next. If you see the way the structure is, the way the columns are, the way the columns are, the combination of wood and stone. So these are the kind of things, they understood the material and they used it to its full potential. They created magic out of the material that was locally available. They used colors, they used everything that was around them to create really magical and very, very livable spaces. Next. When we start looking at our old cities, the urban structure, it was always very, very compact. The old Indian cities in terms of planning, they had very narrow streets and the buildings and the built structures were very tightly packed. And each of them opened inwards into a courtyard. So the tight, compact building placement actually managed to give shade to each other and shield the walls from direct heating from the sun and help keep the entire, what we call the passive cooling system and help bring down the temperature. The courtyards with water created passive cooling and it became a very, very environmentally sound and sustainable model of urban fabric. The compact development, dwelling density, internal and external connectivity, open spaces, walkable neighborhoods, access to social services, collective cohesiveness, local area governance, crime and safety, economic diversification and social cultural diversity. All these features came together in a way that made these areas, these old cities, these communities extremely livable and in itself very smart because every aspect of life was actually addressed and taken care of. Next. The elements of smart urbanism, what we gain from this is compactness, which means it improves walkability, it reduces energy usage, increased social interaction, access to community services, mutual shading and reduced travel demand. The density, the higher density is viable interactions between urban functions and activities, compact development, efficient use of natural resources and it discourages automobile ownership. The mobility, it reduces travel, the need to travel because everything is much more packed together. Accessibility is very good, environment and pedestrian friendly and it is, I would say, anti-motorized vehicular growth. Land use mix because it all always, I mean, today we talk of mixed land use in these larger projects that we do because after all these years of learning, we have come back to the basic. What our old cities had was mixed land use. You had a shop at the bottom, you had a house at the top or a house behind, you had an educational institute close by, you had different, so you had all your necessities in a very tight, a very small radius. So this mixed land use is a model that we have learned from the past again. So this ensures safety on streets increases accessibility, attractive local streets are created, it boosts local creative economy and high neighborhood charm. So mixed land use is a very, very sort of important aspect of, it was a very important aspect of creating a very livable neighborhood. Next, diversity, so because there was a mixed neighborhood, if there was rich social and cultural mix, it promoted walking, it was very closely grained and it created very, very interesting urban landscapes. Passive solar design, so it favored micro climatic conditions, it reduced cooling and heating loads. It was environmentally very viable and it promoted local craft skills. And in the end, it was, we call the green urbanism. So all these issues that we have, we are these, what I would call the factors of the, I would say the denominators of our old cities, our livable environment. And I think when we take these today and we re sort of purpose them into today's situation, they yield very, very rich design results. So understanding and imbibing these as we go forward becomes a very, very important part of our new developments. Next, what happened to our old cities? Now, just talking back, going back to the old cities, what it was built on, the principles it was built on, we just saw. But today, there is a complete breakdown and there is a chaos in these old cities due to the factors which are increased, where things have not been managed. There have been no controls. So there is increased commercialization. Like if you take the example of Old Delhi, in 1870s, a large part of the old city was demolished to bring in the railways. Now, the old city was really never designed to take a railway. It was not a concept that existed when the old city was designed. So when you bring in a railway, which is a very, very different form of transport and a different quality of transport, it brought with it lots of wholesale goods. And when those goods got off the train, they needed space. And the old city, which was really not designed for it, became something what you see over here because a completely alien concept was suddenly thrust into it. When the Darbar's happened, large roads were opened up and vehicular transport for the first time was introduced in the old city. Now, because of that, suddenly, there is again a mobility part starts playing an important role and a lot of outside things started coming in. This is what started causing all the chaos and breakdown of the infrastructure. Next. Now, that's what started happening, building technology. Earlier, mainly all the buildings were ground, ground plus one, very ground hugging. Today, due to all the different evolutions in building technology, we have gone higher, we have gone seven floors, eight floors in the old city, which was not meant to be that high. The space was not designed to take those densities. There is complete lack of urban control. Earlier, the urban controls came from a cohesive community. Today, there is no cohesive community because there are complete outside forces. And because of that, there is a complete breakdown of the urban structure which you see over here. Next. So we said that what happens if you want to take some of our old cities and you want to make them livable again, what do we do? How do we make people like us who do not live or who have nothing more to do with the old city technically? How do you encourage people to go back to the old city? How do you encourage people to go and relive your heritage, to appreciate your heritage and not just sort of look at it as a place that you never want to go to? So we said, let's pick up Shahjahanabad with this old Delhi and let's see what we can do to somehow restore some part of its glory to bring the walkability back into the city. How to create these walking loops, you know? And if you want people to walk, you have to give them an experience. You have to take them back to what the old glory used to be. So we decided to examine a few streets and see what were the things that were really causing problems. So we said, okay, one of the things that we were was, you know, there was all sorts of services that were happening. Then there was haphazard signage and controlled facade finishes, temporary structures, lack of facade controls and shop fronts, encroachments. You know, there was no defined pavements. There was no definition of no proper lighting, no hocking zones. So these are all the essentials of any urban scape which were completely missing. Next. So we said, let's try something. Let's see what we can do. So we said that let's look at a few steps, very, very simple few steps to do, where we can start adhering to a material palette, a color palette, restore some of the architecture, get a uniform signage system in, restructure the roads, define the pavements, bring in lighting, bring in street furniture, define where the parking should be, repredestinize some of the streets and look how it becomes, you know? It just becomes a different place. And this is what we need to aspire. This is what I would say, re-smartening the place. It used to be a wonderful place. It has gone down. Let's see how we can make it into a nice, liveable, smart, liveable habitat again. Next. We took another street. This is, you know, a Kenari Bazaar which is going towards a town hall. So this is, again, another typical street, very commercial with all sorts of vehicles going through. There is no control whatsoever. And again, the problems were the same. So we said, okay, what can we do? So we tried a little work on this, a little photo montage to see what can happen. And next, and this is what can happen. A little bit of material control, a little bit of color palettes that you determine, bringing, restoring the old elements. A lot of the old elements exist. We just need to bring them back, make them vehicular-free, create proper zones, bring in the lighting, bring in the signage, and it just becomes a different space altogether. And this is completely non-invasive and extremely doable. So this is what I feel is re-smartening our neighborhoods. Next. This was a small Kenari Bazaar, a small street. And you can see, it's actually very beautiful because it has all these beautiful tinsills and all sorts of Quota, Kenari, all these things lined all across the road. So it's visually very, very exciting, but the visual excitement just completely gets taken away because of all the chaos and the services and the wires and everything happening all over the place. Next. And look how it can become. Just a little bit of smartening up, little bit of controls, a little bit of street lighting, a little bit of defining the walkways and it becomes a new area. Next. This is one of the residential areas. It is indeed an extremely nice area with these beautiful doors, lovely cast iron columns, lovely balconies, and it's just getting lost with this full network of cables and wires and pipes and all sorts of things happening. Next. And see what it can look like. It just, you bring out the beauty of this lovely Kuchrapati Ram. Next. This is another very small gali where again we found some beautiful old elements still very, very intact and we thought we could really restore this area. And next. And see how it becomes. It's still the same space. It's just completely cleaned up. It's just, you put a little bit of artwork, you put a little bit of paint, you put a little bit of restoration and just organize your lighting, organize your signage and it's a new space. Next. These are the kind of facades that we can recreate on these streets. And this would really bring back a lot of value to the old city and rejuvenate. And I believe that when people make money, anything that you do becomes successful. So if it increases footfalls, people come in. This becomes socially active. It becomes economically active. You have a waste management, you have a proper sanitation. It just becomes like any old city in the world which has great value. Next. This is one of those internal courtyards which is completely taken over as a go down space. Lovely big doors which are completely stained and not visible at all. Lovely nice columns. And nothing of this comes to light when you first see the space because it's only the chaos and the warehousing that takes over your visual, your eye. Next. And look what it can become. It's the same courtyard. It's the same elements. It's just completely cleaned up. Just a little bit of refloring, a little bit of furniture and it can become a lovely little cafe. So idea is that with a little intervention and a little planning and a little community participation, we can look at creating, recreating very smart liveable spaces within our old city again. Next. Then on top of that, to make it go further, we can look at roof mounted solar panels, rainwater harvesting, solar charged LB outlets, introduction of horticulture. Next. You know, Wi-Fi universal access. This is something which is so greatly lacking in our cities or in our, all our built environment. We have no consideration for the physically challenged or the elderly. You need to be young and agile to traverse our cities. And that is really not acceptable. So universal access is very important, bilingual and braille signages. So it's call boxes, CCTV cameras. These are what I call the digital smartness which can enhance the living spaces that you have created and take it to the next level that can bring it to the level that you expect any modern city to be. Next. So these are, I would say some of the learnings that I look at as how do you sort of go back to making smart and livable habitats. So the learnings from the past, the parameters that we feel made our old cities successful can be very easily learned and imbibed into a newer environments. So one is recreating smart old cities, rejuvenating them. And second is to learning from there to create new contemporary environments and new contemporary livable habitat. So if we understand our past, I think it gives, it equips us very well to build for the future. So I'm gonna talk about two schools which are, I would say, an attempt at sort of using the learning from the past into a present context. The first is this Vidya Gyan School which is a residential school created for economically weaker sections by the Shivnagar Foundation which is outside Delhi, outside Noida in UP. And the second one is Thapur University which is an old university. But about four or five years ago, they decided to go in for a very, very large expansion program. And we came in and we looked at doing this expansion where we look at as an extremely avant-garde forward looking architecture, but it actually imbibes the spirit of everything that we have from the past. Next. So this is a Vidya Gyan School. We had looked at courtyards. We had looked at burgolas, deep verandas, use of all local brick. So idea was to use materials which were locally available. UP brick is very good. So everything was an exposed brickwork. There were brick jollies because of the harsh sun because everything was to do with passive cooling. There was extensive amount of body culture. Courtyards were created, little seating places. So it was a school that was created for economically weaker section but it had all the attributes to keep it very interesting, very lively and very early. Which, can you go back? Which actually gave the people, the kids who go to school over there a great sense of belonging. They did not feel alien over there and that was most important because any habitat, any space must make the user feel very, very comfortable because that's the first principle of smartness. Okay, this is a Thapar University. So we decided to look at the red stone. That is what North India is so sort of synonymous with. Agra stone as the basic visual sort of, how should I say, visual connection to this as a design language. So we looked at creating, so there were a couple of things. There was the climate. How do you make a place work well where basically you want to use passive cooling, you want to keep it very low energy and make it very comfortable. So there was couple of blocks in this. There was the learning center, there is a boys hostel, there's a girls hostel. So this is a part of the boys hostel. And what was important to know over here is that we decided to take a design language where we created a very, very high podium. The podium is about nine meters high and the undercroft becomes a very, very active space except it's a full public space which functions very well during all the hot months. And the top of the podium becomes very beautiful plazas in the wonderful winter months of Patiala. So Punjab has a very nice winter as well. So the above and the lower parts of the podium become the two weather sort of responses, the winter side and the summer side. Next. So if you see over here, this is where your undercroft is. You have all these spaces happening at the bottom and then you have the other blocks that are going above are all in the red sandstone. They are actually in GRC, but they are sort of imbibing the look of the red sandstone and a lot of it is just sandstone jolly work. So a lot of the glass which is on top which is going to have direct sun is protected by the jolly that is made with the red sandstone. So it is red sandstone and concrete. So this is how it becomes. So the shaded areas at the lower level become very, very interesting, very active. They have the cafes opening up, the kids study. It's like a very, very vibrant space now that the university is functional. So this is how the undercroft comes, and they have seating spaces, they have open gyms and the upper areas are all completely protected and with the jolly work, giving it the requisite shade and the privacy were required. So this is the way the buildings come together, the lower level and the upper level. And we have a lot of burghoulas. So there is a lot of greenery now that has come up and all these lower areas with the water becomes very, very comfortable in the summer months. And we see children hanging around here all the time, even through the summer months, except for barring one or two months when the summer holidays are there, all these spaces are very, very active. So this is the way the space feels next. So the lower area is like one whole separate interaction and the upper areas get connected with all these bridges and the podiums and the plazas that sort of tie up the various buildings. So this is how these lower areas are coming together, just a few pictures. And if you see over here, all these areas above have a lot of glass, but because of the jolly, they all remain, they require much, much lesser air conditioning loads. And it's a very energy efficient building. And this is how it looks from inside. And this is the top plazas. So the winter months, these are the plazas that get active and this got children all over the place over here. So these are the top plazas. So here you see the lower area and the upper area, upper area in the background and the lower area in the foreground. And then of course we have these large cutouts through which you can look inside and the glass opens up and the jollies which are the most important feature. So the way Rajasthan stonework jollies came about, this is an attempt to imbibe the jollies of the modern day. Also, we felt, I mean, we found that, these jollies were extremely useful even in the boys' hostel because in all the hostel rooms, we have a veranda and a lot of the children, they have, you have laundry hanging and you have all sorts of things hanging. And these facades look really, really bad after a while because it's very difficult to control. But because of the skin that we have put on, the facades remain so controlled and it gives full privacy to the balcony. So even the children are not really embarrassed to put their things out. And it just makes, and it makes sure that you have the same look of the building at any time of the day or year. So if you see, this is a very high plinth that is created and the jollies that go all the way up over here. And this is how the rooms look out into the balconies and monumental steps that sort of connect the lower and the upper level. And even the building blocks are not like standard building blocks where basically we find, it's like one block after another. These blocks are also very, very well modulated. And what we achieved very successfully over here is that each hostel block, the rooms are around a sort of a central space. It is not accessed through a corridor. They're all single loaded corridors or they are accessed through a common area and the common areas are staggered on different floors, giving it into a double height or a triple height space and increasing the visual connectivity from a lower area to a upper area to the next area. So the visual complexity that gets created inside due to these staggered spaces makes it very active, socially interesting and very, very, as an architectural space, very exciting. Next. So this is how the facade becomes, but it gets lit from inside in the evening. Next. So this is the learning center. So the learning center itself, also if you see what one has tried to do, if you remember what I was showing you, the columns of the Chettinad Homes, the way the forms of our vernacular architecture, the beauty of those forms, we have tried to look at that. Today ideally people start creating building blocks. They are just sort of blocks of A, B, C, D, whatever. But here we have tried to modulate a block. If you see the lines are not straight, they are modulated. There is a lot of emphasis on volumes and the quality of space that is created. So there is, it is a very dynamic space. It's not at all static. As you move, the space changes with you. The lighting is looked into very, very carefully. There is, they are very well lit. And idea is to create this great spatial complexity, which makes it extremely exciting at any time and it doesn't bore you when you come into the space. Next. And if you see over here, so you know the way we have modulated the ceilings, the slabs, the way they're going, they're crossing each other, the larger double height spaces that get created. So there is a lot of play of angles and forms. So it's almost, I would say like a sculpture. So it's like, when you start making a study model, you start turning and twisting form, this is like that. So this is literally like sculpting a block of, a space out of a block. Next. Next. So this is really the quality of space that you're getting in the library area. So you have a large staircase going up on one side. You have, you know, and then, you know, this creates a nice sort of a central space where everyone comes together, everyone looks into it. It's like the town square, you know? So a lot of the learnings of our old cities, the way we live, the way things were, the kind of excitement that got created due to the organic nature of things has been brought back into a contemporary form over here. Next. So this is the library area. And this is the central area. So Thapar University has been actually selected that this learning center has been selected as the best educational institute worldwide. And it has just won the award of being the best educational institute. So it has been a labor of love, but I think it's been a great learning curve for us. And I feel so good that we've managed to create something which is not only, it's a nice piece of architecture, but I think it has, it goes back, it has its roots where it all began, you know? And that's what I feel good about. Thank you. Thanks Ms. Bhagwati. I think you rightly mentioned, we have now started using the word livable, but it was already there in our architecture long time back. We had been making livable and smart cities. Mr. Yadav, you just saw the presentation and how we had been creating these compact cities for energy efficiency, for controlling the heat and the climate for the residents of that particular area or the region. In today's time, we are not that lucky to have sprawling complexes. We are living in apartments, we are living in high-rise buildings, tall buildings. So energy efficiency for architects has become a big challenge. So how are you looking at these solutions, the products that can be part of the buildings to provide similar kind of energy efficiency that we had seen in our older buildings? You know, the contrasting challenges when you look at existing cities and you want to redesign them, the examples that we saw in Sonali's presentation about the old city, the old Delhi side and how it can be transformed in livable spaces. Of course, it has its own challenges, but those spaces also can become smart. That's how Sonali through her presentation brought it about. Not just living in those old cities, but how even life can be enhanced, the quality of life can be enhanced in those spaces. Contrasting to that is how we live in cities today in high-rise buildings. One statistics, if we look at the amount of energy which is guzzled by buildings, be it residential or commercial, it's 40% of the total energy produced is consumed by these buildings. And the big part of that energy goes into one area which is lighting and the other area is air conditioning. So companies like us, I mean, have solutions for lighting which are definitely energy efficient. On top of that, you have controls with which you can minimize the use of lighting using daylight, natural daylight, using shade control, using occupancy sensing. So you can reduce the consumption there. So there are many, many more technologies where you can integrate with the integrated building management system and bring down the energy cost and reduce the carbon footprint. So this is just one example which I said, but when you use electricity, you have to make it safe, reliable and efficient. Safe to use means you use switch care which is to make it safer where the natural energy usage of the switch care has to be reduced. So there companies like us play a part. So there are many other areas, apart from the basic hygiene that we can give to buildings, hygiene products that we can give to building, hygiene, I don't mean by the actual hygiene, but the basic products that we can give to not just these new buildings, but even old buildings, how you can refurbish the old structures. So this is, I think, my view of, on the old part and the new part. I have a connecting question, very interesting presentation, Sanali. Thank you so much for bringing out this facet of the old places in our cities. We can, being Delhi, we can very easily correlate with the old Delhi area and how that has come about. I mean, I would want to ask you, what were the main challenges when you work on these kinds of spaces, these streets, both residential as well as commercial? I mean, how do you deal with people who are already living there? How do you deal with the utilities? Because these two would definitely pay a big part in transforming the areas and also doing these projects in a time-bound manner. And also without disturbing the actual architecture, the visible architecture of those cities, of those places, of those buildings, utilities, houses, doors, jalis that you mentioned. I mean, how do you bring those about? You know, Vivek, what happens is that anywhere in the world, if you go, if you own a piece of heritage, you are fortunate. You take great deal of pride in it. You do not indiscriminately destroy it because there are controls in place. So first of all, we have to change from the, from a base level, you know, that this is a heritage precinct, any old city. I mean, I'm talking about Delhi because I'm most familiar with it. And if you own a piece of your head, of property over there, it is a piece of heritage. And it needs to abide by the laws which are laid down to protect it, enhance it, and, you know, take it forward from there. What can be done about it? What can't be done about it? So I think first of all, these baseline rules have to be laid out. It's a hard call, it's a hard bullet to bite, but unless you do that, you will remain a Nambi Pambi and nothing will happen. So you have to be able to take these calls and put your foot down and say, okay, one is not talking about demolishing anything, one is respecting that. But within that, at least respect what comes onto the street, you know? So it is a minimal amount of invasion that one is talking about, which is only at the interface of the public and the private domain, that's all. And I think that's the least a landowner or a property owner is obliged to do, number one. The other things are all to do with utilities. Because of indiscriminate building and, you know, no controls, people have done things all over the place. Idea is to consolidate. Anywhere in the world, you will seek services, our underground tunnels are made and things are worked out. There are simple standard solutions for this, engineering solutions. Idea is that you need to be able to do that. Number three, you have to prioritize your accessibility. And try and work out a pattern where the vehicular movement is restricted to certain zones. You go to Geneva, when you go to the old city, you may be an extremely wealthy person with this apartment which costs maybe a million euros in the old city, but you still have to walk there because you are proud to be in that old city, you know? You are at an advantage. I mean, you are actually fortunate to be there. And that is what has to come out. If you have a place facing Jama Masjid, what better can you have? So we have to sort of reinvent our basic concepts and then take a few hard calls and we are looking at only the utilities. We are not looking at demolishing or changing our private domain, which is already there. It's the interface that we are looking at. So I think with a little bit of effort, I mean, if they could build Sabar Mati, you know, the riverfront, they can do this for sure. I don't think it's such a big challenge. I think it all starts from taking pride in your heritage. So when you start feeling that. Yeah. So it will automatically come to that. But taking a cue from the question that I mentioned to Vive, do you think technology, as you mentioned, that we have all sorts of technology, we have all sorts of solutions, it's just the right application of them. Do you think technology is an enabler when we are talking about sustainability in the modern context, when we are talking about human centricity in modern context? Is technology an enabler? Of course technology is an enabler, but I always feel that technology has to enable good living. Good living doesn't have to follow technology. So technology is for human beings. And technology has to be brought in as it works best for a particular situation. I mean, if you go to, let's say hypothetically speaking old Delhi and you put in a glass building over there and try and make it green, that's out of context technology. So I mean, that technology has to be for the right thing. And yes, for the right thing, it is a great enabler. We come back to right application and the right context of using the technology. Now we are all talking about work from home. Everyone is now because of the last one year of pandemic. Going forward, what reinventions do you envisage in residential segment or the commercial segment because of the work from home? Change is the only constant as we say. Design wise, how do you see work from home changing our residential and our commercial spaces? You know, I've done a lot of research on this and there were two or three things that emerged. One is that people who have good homes, it's very romantic to say work from home and all that. Because you have the space to work from home. But don't forget at least 50% of the workforce that go to our normal office are not so fortunate to have dedicated work from home spaces. There are people who come from small town. There are two people to our home sharing a space. People share apartments. So it is not as rosy and hunky dory as it is made out to be. Also for a lot of people getting dressed and going to office, there's a great thing to look forward to. Going to office is a social event as well. So let's not forget that we human beings are social are inherently social beings and we require that social interaction. But how at the same time, one of the things that has come about is that a lot of people would travel one to two hours a day. To go to work and back. So a lot of time and energy was wasted only in commuting. So definitely one of the learnings is that that is something that we can reduce. We cannot stop but we can reduce. We could look at creating. This is something which I feel very strongly about. Create what I call the 24 sevens of work spaces. You know, like how we have the 24 seven stores. You create 24 seven work spaces, which are work pods. They're small spaces, they are neighborhood spaces. They are like your 24 sevens in your neighborhood. You walk a hundred meters and you shouldn't come to a 24 seven. Similarly, you walk a hundred meters and you should be able to come to a work pod. And you should be able to swipe your card, login, become a member, use a desk with wifi connectivity and it's a 24 seven. So it's a co-working shared space, but not like the we works. It is a co-working at a community level, you know? So let's say three days a week, somebody can still log in, sit at a desk and work peacefully with full connectivity, with full access to all the wifi and everything and not spend two hours commuting to work to a main office. Twice a week, you may still go there, but other three days you could still work out and still retain the formality of working. Still have the social interaction and the main offices become more as team workspaces, you know? Not so much as the standard workspaces that we always took them to be. So I think the model of workspace could change. The way people work could change. And I think it could give rise to some very exciting new models. That's true. I think the Indians are very enterprising and we might soon come at, you know, as you mentioned, community level workforce, very affordable for anyone just hire it for a day or, you know, and work out of that. Vivek, what do you have to say about such a concept happening and how is the solution provided? Actually, you're looking at work, work from home, how customers are coming to you for their lighting solutions, you know, especially when they're working from home. So, you know, pandemic has actually opened up a lot of opportunities for a company like ours. We've been able to, you know, see a rising trend of demand for, you know, products which will make life easier for working professionals at homes. In the pandemic, you know, touching surfaces has become a taboo almost. So how do you make those surfaces either, you know, touchless, I mean, the gadgets touchless, operating those gadgets touchless is one thing. The other is that if there are, you know, surfaces which definitely would be touched, you know, something like operating a switch. So how does, with the use of good materials, how do you make them, you know, surfaces which do not transmit virus? Okay, when the virus comes in contact there and it doesn't multiply and then it dies. So these, some of these, you know, habits and some of these, I would say, necessities which have become very pertinent today in the current context has given opportunities for coming like us to introduce new product categories, introduce, you know, products which are suitable for customers and we've been able to, you know, address those needs of consumers. And my view on this is that, you know, work from home as a concept will not die, okay? It will not be the same what it used to be for the pandemic. People would start going back to office and I very much agree with Sonali when she says that, you know, people look forward to the event. It's going to office is not just, you know, going to office to work. It's, you know, you know, getting ready in the morning that morning routine is very important for the emotional well-being of people. You can be in house for, you know, a few days, few weeks and if you're forced maybe for months, but look at what it is doing to the mental health of people. So, but the other side, if you see that if the life has to be balanced, so work from home definitely would be, you know, some, I would say that, you know, some portion or some amount of, you know, people would be there who would, you know, balance it out. Companies would have to allow this. There are a lot of companies who are forcing their employees to come back to office now, but if it is, you know, customer facing where customers have started coming and if it's customer facing job, you have to do that. But if the job is that, you know, you manage projects online, then there is no need to come to office. It has to be a fine balance between both two. And I believe that, you know, both these models would coexist as we move forward. That's right. I think hybrid model of working is here to say many, say many developers are already providing business centers and they are, you know, towers for the residents. You know, so as you've actually said, you know, work from home and other changes that we have seen, especially in the last two years has transformed architecture, design, real estate development, product manufacturing, you know, how solution providers are looking at solution. So Nali has a designer. Now, you know, we have seen of like what Vivek mentioned, contactless operations are going to be, you know, part of our designs, our buildings. What are the challenges as a designer? You see challenges and opportunities now that we will see going forward when we are designing our buildings. No, so I think there has been a big learning curve and a lot of things that one never probably considered earlier are definitely sort of taking for, you know, front stage now. You know, there is a great sort of awareness in many ways on, you know, your basics, like, you know, your proximity, your hygiene, your, you know, and a lot of people are now being a lot more attention to these things than what it was earlier. So that is, of course, I think one good step in that sense. Also, as I said that, you know, people not coming to, I mean, if you don't need to come to work or you don't need to attend a meeting in person, I mean, people have started accepting that earlier. It was a very common thing that even if you wanted to talk about one thing, you called everybody, people traveled half an hour, one hour from different parts of the city, came for a meeting, did a half an hour meeting, chatted for the next one hour and went back. Now today, if there is a meeting at 11, maximum by five past 11, people are online, you talk by 11.30, you finish your talking, another five minutes meeting is over and you're back to what you're doing. So there is a huge amount of awareness of time, sort of utilizing your time properly and not wasting time on infractures things. So, you know, there are some of these things which have emerged and I think at all levels, people are accepting it. I mean, people are accepting, even site visits with video, you know? So, which was something quite unheard of earlier. I'll give you an example. There is this last development that we are doing in Udyog Vihar, it's like six towers. We used to, our teams used to go to New York once a month for meetings with the developer. It was such a strain to go all the way to the US for three days, four days, once a month. Also huge expense, it's a waste of energy at all levels besides the money and time. Today, because of the pandemic, everybody was forced to go on Zoom and people have realized that the same thing can be done on Zoom almost as easily, you know? So, now probably those meetings will happen but once in six months. So, I think these are the good things that have emerged out of the pandemic. Okay, that's great. So, these are some of the things that probably the design community has changed in terms of interactions with clients, in terms of interactions with stakeholders and probably in terms of within your team members, I think. I think the biggest advantage of Benefit has been the carbon footprint now, because of the entire travel, as you mentioned, flying every month. So, the reduction in carbon footprint. Now, coming back to the last question, Vivek, do you think IoT connected buildings are the center now, now that the way we are looking at everyone on Wi-Fi and everyone on connected devices? I think that's going to be the norm as you go in the future. Yeah, it's a default thing. Connected technology is going to be there for all pervasive everywhere. The appliances that we use at home, they are going to get connected, not just for the ease of use, but also for the manufacturers to do, proactive diagnosis, giving the customers the service just in time when the product is about to go through a cycle where parts need to be changed. And if there are serviceable parts, they can be changed in time without the stoppages of service. So, that's one example, just one example I gave. But be it home or be it a large commercial building, they will all be coming in cable. When I say coming in cable means for the people who will use those premises, people who will manage and maintain those premises, and for the service providers who are going to be being associated with the services being provided in those buildings, they will all be connected. So, that's the future. And when all these buildings will exist in a city, the city will be smart. So, that's what the smart city concept is. So, connected buildings, connected products, connected appliances, connected gadgets is going to be the norm as we move on. And that's the reason why companies like ours, even if we are creating small, small products of day-to-day needs, which were traditional products, dumb products, they're also becoming intelligent and smart. I mean, just for an example is a simple fan, a simple lighting in homes, a downlighter that you use, a normal bulb that you use, they're all getting connected. Today, we may not find many use cases because we are not able to visualize, but as people start to use, they will develop their own use cases for these connected devices. So, future is connected world. It's moving very, very fast, I would say. And I foresee that a few years time, at least in cities, there will be a lot of connected homes, there will be a lot of connected buildings. And of course, the smart city concept which the government is driving is the right step in that direction. That's right. Pandemic has been a great accelerator of technology in our everyday lives. So, Nali, like Vivek mentioned that connected devices, connected appliances is going to be the future. How do you see designs getting impacted? As you mentioned, design is the foundation and over that you build the technology as an enabler, as an add-on value. How do you see the designs getting influenced by so much of technology in our everyday lives? You know, the moment we start having products which can talk, I mean, when I say connected, they are able to talk to each other. The moment that starts happening, it starts making things very seamless. So, where in design, one would have looked at compartmentalization or a certain approach. Those sort of boundaries start blurring and things start becoming a lot more continuous, seamless, merging from one into another. So, definitely, it would have an impact on design. Like, for example, you know, till some time ago, if one is looking at a home with certain kind of fenestration. Now, with the kind of connectivity that we have and security systems that we can put in, one doesn't have to worry about many things that we would have looked at in the facade, let's say. So, yes, it has impacted the design and it has taken it to another level. Similarly, internal spaces, lighting, the way your lighting comes on, the way, you know, it senses the ambient lighting, it comes on, goes down, control. These things, we would not have done the kind of facade lighting that we do now if it was not connected, if it was not able to function the way it is functioning today, you know? So, yes, the end product in a design definitely is moving alongside the technology that is coming in. Okay, fantastic. So, as our speakers mentioned, the technology is influencing design, but still design remains the basis of whatever we create. We are talking about livable and smart city. And as Sonali said, the boundaries are merging now. So, there is a fading of boundaries between compartmentalization of what designers actually, we are seeing now living spaces being used as offices, now bedrooms being used for multifunctional purposes. So, that's happening. So, that was great talking to both our speakers. And thanks for taking those questions from our audience and sharing those wonderful insights. We also have Mr. Ramal Behal, head for Enterprise Business Habels India here with us. He had been listening to the entire conversation. Ramal, what is your take on this entire conversation and the presentation that we just saw? You're on mute, Ramal. Thank you, Sapna. What a fantastic presentation. And really, on behalf of Habels, it has been an honor and a privilege for me to be part of this conversation. And also, I would like to take this opportunity to propose a vote of thanks to our honored guest, architect Sonali Bhagwati. Your emphasis on the good livable spaces and the habitats combining design with technology is so relevant in today's scenario. Your vast experience on the various award-winning projects which combine heritage, health, buildability and science, helping to build a human-centric environment has really been enlightening. And each one of your projects, like the Thapa University or the Vidya Gyansk School, are really unique and memorable architectural experiences in themselves. I personally liked your thoughts on the digital smartness, which is so, so important in today's scenario. We at Habels also understand and honor our past and use our learnings from the past. We imbibe the philosophy of working in a close collaboration with our clients and partners and stakeholders to together achieve a successful and sustainable outcome. So, I mean, today's session truly has been the merging of art, culture and history with technology. So, I would like to also thank all our honorable participants who have taken time out for participating in this EDX series. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing team. Thank you so much and have a great day ahead. Thanks, Ramu. Thanks so much for putting the right words, you know, very efficiently summarized, I think. The takeaway from today's session is have pride in your heritage. Let's maintain our heritage. It does not take too much, you know, as we have seen the presentation, it's just a little upliftment and we have our heritage intact with us. Technology is going to be a big influencer on our designs, but design remains the foundation of all and, you know, the technology is the value addition onto it. As Mr. Vivek Yadav said, connected world is the future. So, on that note, thanks, Mr. Bihar, for giving that thank you note on behalf of Reality Plus and Havas India. Thanks, Mr. Vivek Yadav, for being part of this session and sharing your views as a solution provider. I once again thank our speaker of the day, architect Sonali Bhagwati, president, design plus architecture, private limited for sharing her knowledge with the design fraternity, for sharing her such valuable thoughts and inputs with our audience. And most of all, a sincere thanks to the awesome audience for being here and sharing their time and sending those wonderful questions which we put up to our speakers. So, do keep watching this space as we bring to you yet another acclaimed design expert in the next episode. But till then, thank you and goodbye. Thanks, Mr. Sonali Bhagwati once again. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.