‘Heritage conservation, a new avenue for architects’

Senior architect emphasizes the importance of heritage conservation in architecture, highlighting opportunities for students in the field.

Senior conservative architect Satish Babu Deshmukh has said that conservation of heritage sites and buildings is a specialisation in the study of architecture which will provide a sea of opportunities for students in academic and professional activities.

Delivering a lecture on “Training in Conservation of Heritage Sites” to students of the Architecture Department at Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Dr. Deshmukh said that conservation of heritage sites is an emerging area of specialisation in architecture.

“There are different types of heritage sites, including natural heritage like the Valley of Flowers at Chamoli in Uttarakhand, built heritage like ancient temples, palaces, buildings, forts and other such structures of yesteryear and mixed heritage sites like the Angkor Wat in Cambodia consisting of a built structure of Buddhist temples and vegetation and hillocks surrounding the temple. Architects taking up restoration activities should ensure that historical, cultural and aesthetic significance of these structures or natural heritage sites is retained in its original form,” he said.

Pointing to the advancement in conservation of heritage sites, Dr. Deshmukh said that conservation activists have started widely using Artificial Intelligence to restore heritage structures in their original form.

Dean of the Faculty of Architecture Shreelakshmi Kowtal, senior faculty member Suresh Patil, Farida Tabassum, Goutam Biradar and others were present.