AIA International - Beyond Buildings: Reclaiming Architects' Place in Built Environment Space
When: Saturday 29 August 2026 @ 09:00 (Eastern US time), 18:30 (India IST)
Where: Online
Speaker
Coimbatore Narayana Raghavendran, Managing Director, C. R. Narayana Rao (Consultants); Padma Shri Awardee
Description
We invite everyone to join this special webinar presented by AIA International, in association with RIBA and the UAP Special Committee on Foreign Based Architects (FBA)!
This webinar explores how architects can reclaim their central role in shaping the built environment, featuring insights from veteran Indian architect C.N. Raghavendran's decades-long career spanning IT, office, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, public, and sports infrastructure projects across India, the UAE, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and beyond. His work includes notable landmarks such as the Anna Centenary Library (Chennai), Tidel Park (Chennai), the Amazon Campus (Hyderabad), and the award-winning Ebene Cyber Tower (Mauritius).
Mr. Raghavendran is a veteran Indian architect with an illustrious career spanning over five decades. A B.Arch (Honours) graduate from IIT Kharagpur (1965) and M.Arch from UC Berkeley (1967), he is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects and an International Associate of the American Institute of Architects. He has been instrumental in adapting the LEED rating system for Indian conditions, has served on the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's building code committee, and held key leadership roles within the IIA over the years. His portfolio spans healthcare, hospitality, IT, and institutional projects across India, the UAE, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and beyond, and he is especially recognised for pioneering climate-responsive design in India, including the passively-cooled auditorium at Kalakshetra, Chennai, built well before green building practices became mainstream. His accolades include the IIT Kharagpur Distinguished Alumnus Award, the IIA Hall of Fame Award, and a place among Construction World's Top 10 Architects in India.
