Buildings should reflect Telugu culture: panel

AMARAVATI

THE TASK of designing a modernlooking Amaravati, the new Andhra Pradesh capital, got complicated for master architect, Foster and Partners of UK, with an experts committee headed by Dr Parakalaprabhakar,advisertocm N Chandrababu Naidu, suggesting that all designs should reflect Telugu culture. The two-day meeting of the experts’ panel startedinvijayawadawednesday.

The committee will give ideas that would be submitted to the master architect.

“Since we are calling Amaravati a people’s capital, the buildings should reflect local culture. The experts committee will encapsulate the ideas discussed and submit them to the architect for incorporation in the final designs. The architect will submit three options by April-end. We will choose one and finalise,’’ Dr Prabhakar said.

Dr Prabhakar appealed to experts to offer their ideas based on the nine concept cities within Amaravati. The nine cities are: Knowledge city, health city, electronics city, tourism city, justice city,mediacity,sportscity,finance city, and government city.

The committee is of the view thatthedesignsshouldreflectthe structures of ancient kingdoms.

Director of Tirupati’s Sri Venkateswara museum, V Ranganayakulu, said the government should study ancient ‘manduva logili’structuresforfreeflowofair and sunlight. While some said the buildings should have historical names, others suggested that the Assembly building should reflect the design of Chandragiri fort.

Cine-architect Anand Sai said entirecityshouldbeinonecolour. Director of Cultural Affairs Vijay Bhaskar said the structures should reflect the history of Kalinga kingdom.

N Chandrababu Naidu