World Architecture Day 2024

Today is World Architecture Day, a day in which we celebrate the beauty and creativity of the structures shaping our environment. From ancient wonders to modern marvels, architecture reflects culture, history, and innovation.

World Architecture Day was established in 1985 by the International Union of Architecture (UIA) and to coincide with UN World Habitat Day.

Each year it has a theme and this year’s is “empowering the next generation to participate in urban design”.

With a focus on key issues such as energy efficiency, waste management, the use of sustainable materials and improving urban mobility, it aims to highlight the importance of young architects and their designs of tomorrow’s urban landscapes.

Designing greener, more environmentally-friendly cities, while promoting sustainable economic growth are going to be key drivers for the architects of the future and this year’s event hopes to underline how important it will be to prepare the next generation to meet those challenges.

At Sheldon Bosley Knight we are fortunate our in-house planning and architecture team is made up of young talent who strive to make a positive difference.

Our architect, Indujah Srikaran has only been with us for 18 months but has already made her mark working on a variety of projects with a particular focus of sustainability.

This can be seen in a variety of projects encompassing Class Q and change of use work to re-use existing buildings by either giving them a new lease of life or a new purpose. This allows the building to remain rather than being demolished.

One of these was the design and build of seven homes and a self-storage unit which had originally been four barns. All the existing materials and the steel frame were kept and re-used as part of the architectural design of the new buildings.

Indujah said: “One of the best bits of my job is the sustainability aspect, enabling a building to be re-purposed rather than demolished. This is exactly what this year’s WAD seeks to promote and why young architects such as myself should be leading the charge.

“However, to empower the next generation of architects we need to foster creativity and critical thinking towards the challenges of tomorrow – whether that is achieving net zero climate goals, confronting the housing crisis or addressing inclusivity within the profession.

“By providing wider access to education, mentorship, and hands-on experiences for our younger aspiring architects we can inspire the next generation to shape a more sustainable built environment that reflects diverse communities and addresses a range of challenges.”