SLIA marks 50 years of architecture

The year 2007 marks a momentous year in the history of architecture, with the celebration of 50 years of contribution to architectural education as well as the profession through the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA).

As part of the wide variety of celebrations to commemorate the anniversary, Sri Lanka will hold the prestigious 28th Architects Regional Council of Asia (ARCASIA) Council Meeting with the participation of 17 member states such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Korea and Malaysia.

This will be followed by the Forum from September 18-20. The theme of the international conference is titled "Asianation" Architecture Across Cultures, which will focus on the similarities of cultures in the region.

Three-hundred foreign architects along with 500 local architects are expected to participate.

There will be a wide variety of speakers from across the world, with the inclusion of Architect Antoine Predock of the US, the current Gold medallist of the American Institute of Architects as the main keynote speaker. B. V. Doshi of India, Shigeru Ban of Japan, Zhu Pei of China, Tariq Hasan of Pakistan, Wee Hii Min of Malaysia, Sunil Gunewardhana and Channa Daswatte of Sri Lanka and David Robson of the UK among others.

The sub themes of the forum include an "Asian Endeavour" Mega works by Asian Architects; Breaking the barriers between old and new worlds, "Asian Edge" New directions in Asian design: issues of sustainability, contextuality and historicity at the cutting edge of Asian architecture, "My Asia" Distinctive perspectives of the evolution of Asian society and design in our times, through the voices and lives of Asian masters.

A first day cover to commemorate this event will also be released along with a widely researched 50th anniversary publication, which will cover the history of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects.