the 36th india international trade fair that starts on november 14 will be the last at new delhis pragati maidan as we know it india trade promotion organisation is redeveloping the iconic exhibition ground into a worldclass convention centre and multilevel parking lot raj rewal designed the hall of nations hall of industries and nehru pavilion all to be demolished for redevelopment the decision has been collectively opposed by architecture and heritage experts the 82yearold architect tells sunday times why some buildings need to be preserved and how smart design can help decongest citieswhat do these buildings representthey were built to commemorate 25 years of indias independence the brief given to us was that they should showcase indias selfreliance through the use of computeraided design even back then and its massive labour workforce there were close to 1000 worker families living on site during construction the credit for erecting these buildings goes as much to them as to the engineers and architects its ironical how the present government wants to demolish these 100 madeinindia structures even as they push the make in india campaign in fact a former president of the delhi urban arts commission had suggested that hall of nations be turned into a museum for make in indiatraffic congestion and lack of airconditioning in various halls are cited as the main reasons for redeveloping pragati maidan did you foresee these problemsno because we built the buildings with features that would protect them from the sun there are sunbreakers on the faade and its meshlike structure allows circulation of air both the buildings and the nehru pavilion comprise just 7 of the entire area we are not contesting the idea of redevelopment but only suggesting that these buildings be amalgamated in the new plan with a little effort these buildings can be made airconditioned airtight and fit for another 200 years does a building have a life when do you decide it has outlived its importancebuildings can be renovated to stand the test of time and reflect the changes in the world but some buildings need to be preserved as they are for their architectural and historical significance for example parliament building central secretariat and jantar mantar in new delhi you can give them a new patina or redo a part of the roof but preserve themhow does the politics of the day influence the way we design and build citiesno matter who is in power our politicians and officials are always travelling to international cities like shanghai or singapore and then trying to replicate that architecture in india they want these shiny glass buildings what they dont understand is that such structures may not always be conducive to our climate conditions we have to find and develop our own vocabulary of architectural designit is also very important to have designliterate people in the leadership and administration and not just economists lawyers and politicians i have a feeling that the current members of india trade promotion organisation