The Economic Times Architecture & Design Summit charmed Mumbai with industry stalwarts showcasing innovations in the world of design, its trends and impacts, not just in India but across the globe.

The summit had industry sleuths deliberate on new trends wherein leaders like Mr. Kamal Malik, Principal Architect, Malik Architecture addressed the audience “Architecture and site should have an experiential connection, a metaphysical link.”.

A special informative case study was presented by Dilip Chabbaria, Automotive Designer (DC Auto) on reverse psychosis discussing about how the auto sector is prompting design to change / Moving Beyond Texture. He added, “design is one of the key enablers in our ability to create opportunities and markets. We have through design an ability to dictate an outcome and what we want something to be. Through this, we can shape our tomorrow and arouse creativity”.

A highlight of the show was an acclaimed talk on Texture by Ee Tiong Lim, Senior Design Director, Atkins Asia. He emphasized on the importance of textures & forms in the world of designs. It is very important for architects to be in tune with the context, culture and heritage of their surroundings. They need to incorporate local architectural elements into their designs.

With alignment to the theme ‘Texture in Design’, the event facilitated discussions on elements and principles of design through texture and impact of texture on built environment. Addressing the topic, Abhishek Somany, MD, Somany Ceramics elaborated on the international best practices in the design space and the impact of texture, which are the key drivers of the next phase of growth for the A&D industry. He added “ Texture is the ethos of design, it goes hand in glove. You can’t have texture without design and vice versa. Technology has advanced in a way that sees us replicate any texture in any number of finishes. This accentuates design. To my mind texture plays the most pivotal role in creating any kind of design”.

The panellists came from different industries and professions who gave their feedback on texture and design through their industry point of view.

The A&D summit recognised regional designers and held panel discussion across several cities across Kochi, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, finally culminated into a star studded event which saw the creme de la creme of the fraternity in Mumbai.