Cybertect addresses IIID - Hyderabad on “Living the Future”

Hyderabad|India|September'2009: Institute of Indian Interior Designers, Hyderabad organized a talk on Living the Future. Cybertect James law from Hong Kong was the Keynote speaker at the event. The event was organized in JNA & FAU Auditorium. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Padmavathi was the Chief Guest and Principal SPA, Dr. Vijay Kishore was the Guest of Honour. IIID HRC felicitated Dr. P. Padmavathi, who is the first Vice–Chancellor of this University and the first woman Vice chancellor in the country.

IIID HRC Chairman Gururaj Manepalli introduced the keynote speaker, Cybertect James Law. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the UK from the age of nine, James Law realized his talents in architecture when he was just seven years old.

Flashback to the first day of the new millennium, when James, an architect, announced he wasn’t going to be only an architect any more. The then 30-year-old wanted to be known as a “cybertect”. James had thought long and hard about where he and architecture were headed, and decided it was as good a time to launch the new term.

‘Cybertecture’ is a new way that we will design our world, whether it is buildings, cities, technologies, systems, communities … (to) bring out the best in human wisdom and ingenuity for the betterment of mankind in the 21st century,” said James.

This means the embracing of “clever and wise” technologies, he says, pointing – as an example – to the PAD Tower in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which his firm James Law Cybertecture International, is building. The 26-floor building with 231 intelligent apartments was inspired by the iPod added by James.

One of its first products is a mirror which can monitor a person’s health parameters such as blood pressure and temperature. This was introduced at the recent Asia Pacific Commercial Property Awards 2009 in Singapore, where his firm also picked up an architecture award for “The Cybertecture Egg”, an intelligent building in Mumbai, India.

“Cultivating Cybertecture, inspiring it, pushing it” are all part of “the greatest project” for him. “I never see projects as finite things … they are a journey.”

After the presentation by James Law, the event was thrown open for question and answer session, where the mesmerized audiences were left asking for more.

The event concluded by presenting the mementoes to the guests by the IIID HRC committee members Ravi Anchuri, Satish Mahajan, Balagiri Vardhi, Chairman Ar. Gururaj, while Ar Shantanu Choudhry gave vote of thanks. Committee member, Interior designer, Sona Chatwani was the Program coordinator for the event.