The Tourism and Public Works departments will jointly conduct a three-day workshop on Thursday aimed at framing a holistic design policy and practices in consonance with Kerala’s traditional design concepts while imbibing new trends and also foreseeing future needs to add a distinct touch to the State’s physical assets.
Since physical assets like tourism infrastructure, public spaces, signages, bridges, and streets were crucial in enhancing the total experience of tourists, the workshop, ‘Future by Design’, aimed to evolve a thorough design policy for designing and preserving them aesthetically, said a release from the department here on Wednesday.
The workshop will feature design experts from prestigious institutions in India and abroad. Director of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Prof. Praveen Nahar will hand over the draft of the design policy to Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas at the valedictory session on Saturday for further proceedings. Former Dean of School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, Prof. K.T. Raveendran will present the draft design policy at the valedictory function.
The workshop will be attended by around 150 delegates, including officials and representatives of Kerala Tourism and PWD. They will deliberate in around nine various sessions to consolidate suggestions and opinions that would help frame the design policy. The design policy being formulated will enable both departments to give a greater thrust to the design aspects while planning developmental projects in the State. The policy will act as a guideline for planners, policymakers, architects, and other stakeholders. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the workshop at Craft Village at Vellar, near Kovalam, on Thursday.
