The 8th edition of Surfaces Reporter's The Talk of Town event was successfully concluded at Crowne Plaza, Okhla, New Delhi on 16 March 2019. Various eminent architects, designers, urban planners and industry experts from the city attended the event and shared their valuable thoughts, ideas and experiences. Please click here to view all the images.

The Talk of Town is a vibrant platform aimed to connect, engage and expand the circle of architects, artists, and designers in order to facilitate learning, sharing and networking among the industry’s who’s who and the aspiring ones. The prominent event covers several key topics related to Architecture & Design in the form of panel discussions, presentations, mini-talks & more.

The engaging event started with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Ms Madhurima Chowdhury, Curator, The Talk of Town, Ar Vivek Gupta from AVA Associates, Ar Sabeena Khanna from Studio KIA, Manishi Aggarwal from Design Cosmos, Mr Kuldeep Singh CEO, JSL Lifestyle and Ar Vistasp Bhagwagar from AVA Design Studio. Please click here to view all the images.

The lamp lighting was followed by a welcome note by Ms Vertica Dvivedi, founder of WADe Asia and Editor-In-Chief of Surfaces Reporter Magazine. It was inspiring to hear from her the story behind the inception of The Talk of Town, why and how the meticulous journey began. She shared, “WADe is a big event where we saw a lot of participation from India and across the country but still we were not satisfied. And, we felt a sort of gap because even with that kind of mega event, we felt that going to the cities & towns, and talking to the people there, gathering and discussing is equally important. That's where we thought of creating The Talk of Town."

Ar Vivek Gupta, AVA Associates Sharing Views on Plagiarism in Design

Giving an enthusiastic start to the day, the first-panel discussion threw light on the 'not-so-discussed' topic 'Plagiarism in Design,' where the distinguished architects shared their experiences and also provided solutions for curbing the practice. The session was expertly moderated by Ms Tanya Khanna, founder of Epistle Communications. It was an interactive, interesting and enriching panel discussion, bringing to light the immensely important issue related to design.

Ar Vivek Gupta said, “I don't think the process of being original will ever seize." Ar Sabeena Khanna, Studio KIA, also gave her profound view on the topic, “I still believe in the pencil-paper tool, which gives shape to the first thought of expression.”

Manishi Aggarwal from Design Cosmos and Vivek Gupta from AVA Associates

“Using special materials and being innovative is the only way out from plagiarism,” suggested Mr Kuldeep Singh from JSL Lifestyle. During the Q & A session, Mr Ashok Goyal, one of the delegates also shared his view on 'Plagiarism in Design- what's the thin line of difference between inspiration and copy.'

(From L-R) Madhurima Chowdhury, Anchal Chaudhary, Vertica Dvivedi, Sabeena Khanna, Payal KapoorSoon after the panel discussion, it was refreshing to hear Mr Vikas Jha from JSL lifestyle. His views on the benefits of using stainless steel in building provided a lot of insight to the architects and designers present at the event.

Taking the knowledge sessions further, Ar Dikshu C. Kukreja, Gold Medalist from School of Planning and Architecture and a Member of American Society for Regional Planning, US spoke on 'Architecture Theory and Praxis - Urban Responses.' He advised the entire architecture fraternity, “Architecture is a fulfilling profession. We should look at half glass full and fill the rest and then we can make a meaningful contribution.”

 A special presentation by Ar Dikshu C. Kukreja on the topic "Architecture Theory and Praxis-Urban Responses"

Ar Dikshu Kukreja's presentation was powerful and connected well with the audience. Mr Vikas Jha from JSL Lifestyle was then invited on stage to share the offerings from the group. He presented the possibilities of better and enhanced lifestyle & experience with their designs and products. Mr Jha was also accompanied by his diligent team and two senior officials who were part of the panel discussions - Mr Mandeep Singh, CEO, JSL Lifestyle and Mr Kuldeep Singh, AVP, New Product Development, JSL Lifestyle. 

Mr Vikas Jha, JSL lifestyle

The event also provided an opportunity for young, as well as seasoned speakers like Ar Rajendra Kumar, Ar Monish Siripurapu, Ar Shweta Kaw & Ar Manjari Khanna to present their ideas & innovations through crisp mini-talks on varied topics. Mr Makarand Kendre from RENSON gave an outstanding presentation on the need for improving the indoor climate for better health and how their product can help everyone achieve that. Please click here to view all the images.

Presentation by Mr Kendre, RENSON

Ar Rajendra Kumar provided valuable insight into what needs to be done for achieving the required transformation in the paradoxical smart cities and the adjacent dump cities in India.

Ar Rajendra Kumar, SOA, NIU 

And, in a talk later, Ar. Monish Siripurapu talked about the consequences of global warming the world is facing today and how a Natural Cooling System can help to overcome it.

Ar Monish Siripurapu, Ant Studio

Ar Shweta Kaw (Meraki) talked about the 'Strength of Passive Design' and Ar Manjari Khanna (MSA+ABSI) shared her thoughts on a novel concept- 'Building Security.'

Ar Sonali Bhagwati, President, DPA

The panellists - Ar Sonali Bhagwati (DPA), Ar Radhika Dhumal (The Architectural Studio), Olga Chepelianskaia (UNICITI), Ar Gurpreet Singh Shah (Creative Group) and Ar Swanzal Kak Kapoor (SAKA) engaged in a thoughtful discussion on the topic 'The Urban City - Experts talk about City Architecture, Public Domain, Urban Development, Ecology and more.'

Ar Swanzal Kak Kapoor, Saka Studio

The panel discussion gained a lot of momentum and enthusiasm with intuitive and thought-provoking questions put up by the young and dynamic moderator- Ar Mitu Mathur (Gian P Mathur & Associates).

Olga Chepelianskaia - Founder and Principal Consultant - UNICITI 

“Good things can happen in our country, provided we understand how to do it, change can be brought, we need to have the right mechanism,” - an important insight shared by Ar Gurpreet Shah.

Ar Gurpreet Singh Shah, Principal Architect, Creative Group

Soon after started the presentation by Ar Akshat Bhat, Principal architect, Architecture Discipline, on ‘Future Practice’. “The moment you do something that people around are good at, then they want to retain it, nurture it,” shared Ar Akshat Bhatt.

Ar Akshat Bhatt, Architecture Discipline, sharing a special presentation on Future Practice 

The third and the last panel discussion began in the presence of prominent panellists- Ms Payal Kapoor (Vision), Ar Abhigyan Neogi (Chromed Design Studio), Mr Mandeep Singh (CEO, JSL Lifestyle), Ms Vertica Dvivedi (Editor, Surfaces Reporter), Ar Chandrika Sahay (Meraki Dezine) and Ms Asha Sairam (Studio Lotus), in a rich discussion on the topic “Decoding the Design Trends for 2019 - The India Perspective.” Ms Anchal Chaudhary from (rat [LAB]) ably moderated the session.

(From L-R) Ms Anchal Chaudhary from (rat [LAB]), Ms Payal Kapoor (Vision), Ms Vertica Dvivedi (Editor, Surfaces Reporter), Mr Mandeep Singh (CEO, JSL Lifestyle), Ar Abhigyan Neogi (Chromed Design Studio) and Ms Asha Sairam (Studio Lotus) and  Ar Chandrika Sahay (Meraki Dezine).

The event concluded with unique perspectives shared by Ms Vertica  Dvivedi on the Design Trends for 2019. She presented the factors in a graphical representation and said, "There is nothing like one trend that fits all. From our experience, we look at factors and lifestyle change that determines the choice and inclination of people. For 2019-20, the four factors that would determine the trend of surface design & finishes are 'Organic Love', 'At Home with the World,' 'Busy Bee', and 'Untamed millennials.'"

The next event in the Talk of Town series will take place in Lucknow on 6th April, followed by Ahmedabad on 27th April and so on. Stay tuned to the talk of town website for latest updates.

About The Talk of Town

The Talk of Town nationwide mini-series is the brainchild of #SurfacesReporter and #plyreporter, which are today a synonym for thought-provoking content on designs, products, and projects in the industry. Deeply connected within and around the industry, the magazines possesses humongous intellectual wealth and a delighted clientele to serve.

It is encouraging and immensely satisfying to be able to identify and connect with the community of art maestros, budding talents, architecture geniuses, design prodigies, and many more creatively brilliant personalities in their respective hemispheres. The Talk of Town is a conference platform for you if you operate in the realm of these hemispheres.

For sponsorship, speaking opportunities, participation, and other engaging opportunities, please toss a line to madhu@surfaces.in. Upcoming events will be held at Lucknow/Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh/ Ludhiana, Goa, Bangalore, Nagpur, Calicut/Kochi, and more.

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Please click here to view all the images of 'The Talk of Town' event by Surfaces Reporter in Delhi on 16 March 2019.

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