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About |
A&D is an NGO. It was started in 1997 in Paris,
France to support the initiatives of professional associations or
organizations, working in the field of development, to promote their
participative and responsible efforts. In early 2000 A&D sent members of
its team to develop contacts in India.
Architecture &
Développement India was setup in January 2002. It is a branch office of
Architecture & Développement, Paris. It is located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh.
It was observed that the architectural expertise that exists
in India reaches mostly the urban centers and that too to the small percentage
of the well to do. It was also observed
that in spite of a high academic level on appropriate technology, habitat
programs for the economically marginalized groups do not benefit from the
latest progress in research and development and that they are rarely followed
up by an efficient dissemination policy.
The application of this research thus unfortunately remains restricted
and poorly disseminated among the numerous active local actors (mainly NGOs).
It is with this
background of understanding that A&D seeks to intervene by supporting the
initiatives of professionals, associations or organizations to promote their
participative and responsible efforts.
A&D India develops 2
main programs, namely
MIPAA - Multimedia Interactive Platform for Appropriate Architecture
The
activities under this include creation of a web site, survey of materials and
expertise in India, constitution of a network of concerned partners, analysis
of didactic material collected in India, workshops and seminars in India,
proposal for an IT&C strategy, realization of a prototype and organizing
Indian partners study trip in Europe
http://www.archidev.org/mipaa/
IEP
- International Exchange program for Architecture and Urban Practices
The
IEP seeks to strengthen and widen the skills of the students and young
professionals by linking the university classroom to the professional practice
through the sharing of experiences between different cultures. This helps reinforce the local skills and
competencies and stimulates South-South and North-South interactions in three
geographical areas, France, Africa & India.