Dr. K. Thirumaran is an Architect from India. Since 1990, he has been practicing architecture and made many consultancy services for various projects. He is working as Professor in the Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (NITT). He was the Head of the Department (HoD) in Architecture at NITT. He had served as the Member of BOG (Board of Governors) in NITT. He is carrying funded research project from TEQIP. He organized the first National Conference on Recent Trends in Architecture &Civil Engineering towards Energy Efficient and Sustainable Development - 2019 (NCACESD 2019) in the Department of Architecture, at NITT. He has organized many national-level workshops for the architecture students in building construction techniques and software skill developments. He authored the book “Impediments of French Architecture Facades in Contemporary Buildings of Puducherry” in the LAP LAMBERT Academic Publisher, UK. His research interest extends in the areas of Built Heritage and Urban Conservation of various historical temple towns and heritage towns, and also the sustainable built environment. Currently, many research scholars are doing their Ph.D. under his guidance. He has published more than 35 research papers in the peer-reviewed journals. He is also a reviewer in various international journals.Dr. G. Balaji obtained an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Architecture from the Thiagarjar college of Engineering, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Masters in Architectural Conservation from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India. His research interests include place attachment, morphological changes of channels and physiochemical variations in river water. He was a project coordinator for the joint venture with Columbia University on water urbanism, Madurai, in the year 2015 and was also an invited expert as a jury member for Urban design Project at Columbia University, New York. His contribution as a project director towards the development of the Madurai city includes preparation of the Detailed Heritage Project report for the Madurai city under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Mission Renewal in the year 2008 and SMART city mission in the year 2016. He was a technical advisory member for the restoration of the Thousand Pillar Hall in Meenakshi Amman temple in the year 2007 and currently a regional screening committee member for restoration works of Heritage temples across four districts in the state of Tamil Nadu. His recent publication includes “Evaluating the impact of Impervious surface cover of the Madurai Urban Sprawl on River Vaigai through physio chemical parameters, Environment and Urbanization ASIA, and “Investigating the impact of Urban setting on Girudhumal River in Madurai,” Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science. Prof. N. Devi Prasad is a registered architect and urban designer and has practiced as a professional for over thirty years. He holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He has been in the profession of architecture and planning for over three decades. His works have extensively focused on architectural projects of different scales, including residential developments, institutional campuses, business workspaces, laboratories and large scale industries including those in Special Economic Zones. As an urban designer registered with the Institute of Urban Designers, India, he has substantial experience handling issues confronting urban scenarios. He was involved in several research studies associated with Varanasi Ghats in Uttar Pradesh and historic precincts of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry in Kerala. In addition, he also worked on projects related to the temple town of Kancheepuram, the historic religious core of Mylapore in Chennai and the World Heritage site of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. He authored a monograph on the historic area of Fort Cochin and an operational document for the Government Municipal Administration Department for the provision of public sanitation services in Tamil Nadu. As an academician, he has been a guest lecturer and a thesis review critic for over twenty years at several architecture schools in Bengaluru, Chennai and New Delhi. He also conducted several faculty development programmes focusing on professionalism in teaching and effective learning methods. He is a strong proponent of Applied Immersive Learning and Collaborative Practices between governing bodies and academic institutions in achieving urban development goals. He is an Executive Committee member of the Chennai Centre of the Indian Institute of Architects and an Executive Member of the National Council of the Institute of Urban Designers, India. As a Professor and Director of the School of Architecture, he has headed the administrative and academic activities of the school from its inception in 2015 and is a member of the Academic Council of VIT, an Institution of Eminence recognised by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.
