DESIGN & MATERIALS-ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH


Shrikant

Interior Design and Architecture is essentially a part of space design exercise.? Designing organized spaces is a need of modern times. The profession has traveled through many transitions, to reach to today’s stage. If we see the evolution from prehistoric age to the modern age,- almost up to industrial revolution in Europe, the process of design was based on the needs of the human being and the society. During the period of industrial revolution, a lot of new inventions, technologies, materials, have influenced the space design profession. In spite of these influences, “design” use to be in a driver’s seat to direct the focus of research and inventions related to architecture and space design. Developed nations have been benefited through this advancement in space design, resulting better quality of life.

Teresa:How about the relationship between Design and Technology?
Shrikant：In last 50 years, slowly, the trend is changing. In large part of the world, we are experiencing the technology taking the lead in influencing design methodology and end products. This intrusion on design through technology has made a serious impact on the lifestyles of people. Further globalisation and advancement in communication technology, has increased the speed of travel of information and knowledge around the world.

Teresa:How to build the proper relationship between the investment and new materials and create more social wealth through Design?
Shrikant：With the changed socio-economic and political conditions in many countries, such as China, India, a lot of new opportunities are being created, resulting, more investments in infrastructure, building activities and industries. This has resulted in use of new materials, new technologies, for the buildings and interior industries. Designers are exploring these opportunities through their designs, by using these unexplored materials and technologies. Although this is a welcome situation for “nation building”, one need to be careful in using this with concerns for safety, protection to environments, ecology, suitability to climatic conditions and finally most importantly context to the people and their cultures. We as designers need to be more balanced in identifying appropriateness of designs, through use of various elements and materials. We all know that space designing is essentially aimed at giving not only the basic shelters to people but giving them the sense of protection, comfort, satisfaction and fulfillment. People are the real wealth of nations. Their mental and physical health is of prime concern for any nation. Some of the developed nations, have gone through this exercise of exploration of various options in the past and finally achieved appropriateness in their work. They have learnt this through a hard way. And it is therefore important that developing countries, in their anxiety and eagerness to achieve the development, need not reinvent the wheel. We can learn from their mistakes and avoid wasteful investments in time and money. The advantage of globalisation and advancement in information and communication technologies can best be used for effective partnership & collaborations to create better, and safer world for tomorrow’s generations.