On August of 1999, the Department of Architecture of University of Indonesia held the first International Seminar on Vernacular Settlement, ISVS 1, at the Depok campus with the theme "The Role of Local Knowledge in Built Environment". There were participants from five countries, including Indonesia, who presented their papers. The second ISVS, also held at Depok, was titled "Resistance and Resilience of Local Knowledge in Built Environment", attracted participants of 13 countries presenting their papers in February 2002. After hosting two ISVS, Department of Architecture of University of Indonesia considerd it important to expand the network and host this seminar across Asia. However, the disaster in Aceh struck, and the consequent international attention on issues specific Vernacualar Architecture in Indonesia made it important for the seminar to be held in that country for one more time. Consequently, the Third ISVS   was held at the Department of Architecture of Petra Christian University and the Department of Architecture of Parahyangan Catholic University, in Surabaya, Indonesia; in association with the Lembaga Sejarah Arsitektur Indonesia (Institute of Indonesian Architectural Historian). It attracted participants from the 13 countries who presented their papers in March, 2006.

The fourth international seminar on vernacular settlements is being hosted by School of Architecture, CEPT at Ahmedabad, India in February 2008. The theme of the seminar is "Vernacular Settlements and Architecture in Transition".

Part I:The Seminar

February 14, 15, 2008
Keywords: Plan organization, Form, Material techniques, Climatic response, Disasters, Mega project and response, Social spaces, Inside-Outside relationships, Kitchen, facade, details, symbolic value, conservation, topography and response, Settlement Center, Neighborhoods and Fringe

Even though the change is an inevitable phenomenon, it happening without a structured study results in abrupt built environments. In most Asian philosophies, change is considered inevitable and a well come ingredient that has been cautiously controlled by the society. On the same token the process of aging has been awarded certain dignity. At what cost the change happens, especially in the context of the less advantaged ones, has not been a social concern. Mahatma Gandhi saw the real freedom of India coming from the positive changes happening in the rural depths of the country. Today, a lot of water has passed since Gandhi and the roots of modernity have grown a conceptual tree of globalization. Asian ground reality and its future in this context of globalization" are two pictures that require close scrutiny. Communication revolution and globalization have collapsed the geographical distances into close proximities and shorter time for larger achievements has been made a measure of development and progress. Asian diversity in the vernacular building types and settlements has been affected considerably in the past couple of decades due to various forces and sectors of development. Thus comes into picture "Speed or Pace?" as a theme through which the vernacular living environments and the changes taking place therein can be examined. "Speed" as scientifically definable phenomenon while "Pace" has something to do with walking and rhythm. "Speed" is measured by instruments while "Pace" can be used for measuring. The last half of the twentieth century has witnessed many such projects where changes in or replacement of original type have caused a dissatisfied life in terms of the socio-cultural aspects of the people. "Modern" version of the replaced types have invariably lacked in place making, informality, humane relations, character and such other aspects. This seminar aims at understanding the building types and settlements that are going through change/metamorphosis/transition or for that matter have remained unchanged due to definable factors. Thus what has changed, how the changes have occurred, where in the type the changes have occurred, magnitude, quality, reasons, effects, etc. would help in the forming of the topics. Topics based on case-studies/ field studies as well as theoretically geared ones would be contributory to the seminar. For example post-colonial studies on Asian and African nations provide for an excellent background to explore issues of change taking place in vernacular building types and settlements. In addition to its affect on the built environment, what is also important is to understand the agents of these changes, their origin and intent. The issues of polarization, gentrification on Asian regional identities as an after effect of globalization can be another area of exploration along with understanding the change in empowerment and delivery mechanism under the influence of the capitalistic system. Participants may present both case study based and theoretically geared papers exploring the seminar themes.

Areas of explorations

Amalgamation of vernacular in contemporary-Total switch over to contemporary- Response to disaster- Relocation due to Mega projects- Degeneration of type- Vanishing types- Effect of Modernity/ urbanization- Changes in materials and technology and such.

Part II: Field Study cum Workshop

February 16, 17 2008

As an important feature of the seminar there will be a guided and conducted tour of a few selected micro regions around Ahmedabad. This will allow for participants from various parts of world to probe the conference theme through study and presentation and get a better insight into the regional nuances of vernacular architecture in particular, while getting an exposure to the classical and modern urban cultures in general of some regions of Gujarat. This component of the seminar will be called a Field Study cum Workshop and will result in a report based on a previously worked out format of both the study and the report/portfolio.

The participants of this activity will be divided into three to seven groups depending upon the number of participants who elect to join. Each group will study and make presentations on either of the three microregions, which are Patan, Vadodara and Siddhpur.

All the above regions are around 100 kms distance from Ahmedabad. The participants will be accompanied by local students for on-site guidance and help with compiling presentation. A template will be provided for the presentations. The participants are expected to investigate the regional flavor of the study area while focusing on the vernacular. A pre-event presentation on Bhuj area in the Kutch will be made as reference.

The aim is to be able to generate serious interaction between the participants and the students while giving/facilitating an opportunity of an in-depth inquiry to the participants. Ahmedabad as a city is associated with origins of vernacular house types, Indo-Islamic architecture legacy, industrial progress, Mahatma Gandhi&s freedom movement initiatives including his Ashram, modernist movement and avant-garde School of Architecture.

Prof B V Doshi
Balkrishna Doshi, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects was born in Pune in 1927. After initial studies at the J. J. School of Architecture, Mumbai, he worked in london and then for four years with Le Corbusier (1951-54) in Paris. Doshi returned to Ahmedabad to supervise Le Corbusier&s works in the city(1955-59). His studio, Vastu-Shilpa (environmental design), was established in 1955. Apart from his international fame as an architect, Prof. Doshi is equally known as educator and institution builder. He has been the founder-Director of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad (1962-72), initiator of the School of Planning (1972-79), founder Dean of Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (1972-81), Founder Member of Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad and first Founder Director of the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad. B.V.Doshi has been instrumental in establishing the internationally known research institute Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design. The institute has done pioneering work in low cost housing and city planning. As an academician, Dr Doshi has been visiting the U.S.A. and Europe since 1958 and has held important visiting professorships in American Universities. In 1976, the Government of India awarded Doshi with the Padma Shri, an esteemed national civilian honour. B.V.Doshi was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of Pennsylvania and in 1989 Doshi was awarded the Gold Medal of the French Institute of Architects.

Dr Hasan-Uddin Khan
Hasan-Uddin Khan is currently Distinguished Professor of Architecture and Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University and Visiting Professor of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trained at the Architectural Association in London, he has practised in the United Kingdom, Pakistan and the United States, consulted internationally and lectured at universities, professional organisations and public institutions. He has served as the Head of Architectural Activities at the Secretariat for His Highness the Aga Khan in France from 1984 to 1991, overseen the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and MIT and was involved in the formation of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 1988, where he directed Special Projects and Outreach from 1991 to 1994, in support of cross-cultural exchange. He has also served as a consultant to the Rockefeller Foundation and was on the advisory board of the Getty Grant Program for architectural conservation. He was founder and editor of the quarterly journal, Mimar: Architecture in Development and is the author of numerous articles and several books, including The Mosque and the Modern World (London: Thames & Hudson, 1997; with Renata Holod); Modernities and Memories: Recent Works from the Islamic World (New York: Rockefeller Foundation, 1997) and The Mosque: History, Architecture, Development and Regional Diversity (London: Thames & Hudson, 1994; with Martin Fishman).

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Seminar Fees

For International Participants (registering between March 1 till October 1, 2007)	US$100	after October 2 till seminar date	US$125
For Indian Nationals (registering between March 1 till October 1, 2007)	Rs 3600	after October 2 till seminar date	Rs 4500

Field Study cum Workshop Fees is US $ 50 for all participants (inclusive of travel)
Student delegates can avail a discount of $25 or Rs 1000/- (which ever applicable) on the Registration Fees.

Scientific Committee

• Dr Amita Sinha
  Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
• Dr Chee-Kien Lai
  Assistant Professor Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore
• Dr Gunawan Tjahjono
  Chairman, LSAI-Institute of Indonesian Architectural Historian
• Dr Ranjith Dayaratne
  Asst Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Bahrain
• Sutrisno Murtiyoso
  LSAI-Institute of Indonesian Architectural Historian
• Dr Shrawan Kumar Acharya
  Professor, Faculty of Planning and Public Policy CEPT, Ahmedabad
• Dr Stephen Cairns
  Head of Architecture, School of Arts Culture & Environment , The University of Edinburgh
• Prof. Madhavi Desai
  Adjunct Faculty, CEPT University
• Prof. Johannes Widodo
  Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore

Advisory Committee

• Nimish Patel
  Abhikram, Ahmedabad
• Dr Shrawan Kumar Acharya
  Professor, Faculty of Planning and Public Policy, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
• Madhavi Joshi
  Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad
• Rajan Rawal
  Lecturer, Faculty of Design, CEPT University, Ahmedabad

Seminar Coordinators

• Miki Desai
  Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture CEPT University, Ahmedabad
• Pratyush Shankar
  Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University, Ahmedabad

Organizing Team

• Madhavi Desai
  Adjunct Faculty, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University
• Vishwanath Kashikar
  Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University
• Milind Patel
  Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University
• Urvi Desai
  Research Associate, CEPT Research and Consultancy Unit, CEPT University
• Parth Shah
  Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University
   
  

Student Team

• Pranav Gajjar, Padmapriya Srinivasan, Prachi, Sangram Shirke, Saurabh Jain