Construction World Architect & Builders Awards: 2008 To Be Held on Aug 22

The 3rd Construction World Architect & Builders Awards will be held on August 22 at the ITC Grand Central, Parel. The awards organized by ASAPP Media and supported by the Builders Association of India (BAI) and Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) will be presented to a total of twenty recipients – ten architects and ten builders. His Excellency S.C. Jamir, Governor of Maharashtra, Dr. J.M.Pathak, Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and over three hundred senior professionals from the construction industry across India will be present at the event.

Russell Gilchrist from Skidmore, Owings & Merril, Chicago, designers of Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world will deliver the key note address. Russell, with a history of working on innovative and world-renowned projects, will provide valuable insights on unique trends in architecture and the growth of international high-rise construction in his keynote address.

Constituted by ASAPP Media, the awards recognize exceptional work done by Architects and Builders in various aspects of infrastructure and real estate industry over the years. The selection was based on a survey conducted amongst the professionals from the industry.

“We have used the perception mapping process to select winners. An exhaustive survey was conducted among professionals within the industry. The highlight of CW Architect & Builder Awards 2008 is that it is recognition and admiration by peers. The awards are given by the industry to the industry. The value of the awards is highlighted by the fact that the whole industry is participating in the awards,” says Pratap Padode, Managing Director, ASAPP Media Information Group

Padode, who has been instrumental into getting the awards constituted adds, “Our consistent efforts in documenting success, recognizing talent, addressing pertinent issues, and creating the awakening for a transparent and well-governed industry are bearing fruit in the form of a community that is more forthright about sharing information”

Architecture as a Profession

Architecture as a profession is the practice of providing architectural services. The practice of architecture includes the planning, designing and oversight of a building's construction by an architect. Architectural services typically address both feasibility and cost for the builder, as well as function and aesthetics for the user.

In the 1440s, the Florentine architect, Alberti, wrote his di Re Aedificatoria, published in 1485, a year before the first edition of Vitruvius, with which he was already familiar. Alberti gives the earliest definition of the role of the architect. The architect is to be concerned firstly with the construction. This encompasses all the practical matters of site, of materials and their limitations and of human capabiliity. The second concern is "articulation"; the building must work and must please and suit the needs of those who use it. The third concern of the architect is aesthetics, both of proportion and of ornament.

The role of the architect, although constantly evolving, has been central to the design and implementation of the environments in which people live. Architects must have the skills and knowledge to design, plan and oversee a diverse range of projects, from a small residence to stadium.

The work of an architect is an interdisciplinary field, drawing upon mathematics, science, art, technology, social sciences, politics and history, and often governed by the architect's personal approach or philosophy. Vitruvius, the earliest known architectural theorist, states: "Architecture is a science, arising out of many other sciences, and adorned with much and varied learning: by the help of which a judgement is formed of those works which are the result of other arts." He adds that an architect should be well versed in other fields of learning such as music and astronomy.