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Zak World of Façades India

Name: Zak World of Façades India
Start: 2026-07-17
Location: Taj Coromandel

edition

223

Date

17 July 2026

Venue

Taj Coromandel

City

Chennai

Speakers & Panelists

Conference Agenda

Every speaker for the day, grouped by session. Select a topic to see who is presenting, the session focus and the talk points.

Session 1

09:00 — 09:50 Delegate Registration & Networking

09:50 — 10:05 Opening Address

11:40 — 12:10 Networking Tea / Coffee Break

13:55 — 14:50 Networking Lunch Break

16:45 — 16:50 Vote of Thanks & End of the Conference

16:50 — 17:30 Post Event Networking

Ankita Bob

Founder

CATA

Topic

Event Convenor & Host

10:05 — 10:25

Aditya Goel

Associate | Senior Strategist

Gensler

Naseera Razak

Managing Director | Principal

Gensler

Topic

How Inside-Out Design Shapes the Human Experience

Talk points

An inside-out approach where human experience is at the center for architecture, planning, and place

10:25 — 10:35

Ashwanii Khanna

Chief Customer Officer

FunderMax

Topic

Building for the Coast: Climate-Responsive, Ventilated & Fire-Safe Façades

Talk points

Designing façades for Chennai's coastal & tropical climate

Fire-Safe façade strategies for modern buildings

Unique applications

10:35 — 10:55

KR Suresh

Regional Director

Avante Facade

Topic

Beyond Compliance: Rethinking Façade Fire Safety in Indian Buildings

Talk points

Shift to performance based fire design (NBC → NBCS)

System testing required / material rating

Façade role in safe evacuation

10:55 — 11:05

G Subham

Business Development | Specifications Manager

ROXUL ROCKWOOL

Topic

Enhancing Passive Fire Protection with Stone Wool Insulation

Talk points

Strengths of Stone wool Insulation - Fire resilience

Importance of tested passive fire protection system

Improving building sustainability with Circular Stone wool

11:05 — 11:25

Yogesh Tantia

Director - Architecture

DSP Design Associates

Topic

Precision By Design - Engineering the Face of Modern Architecture

Talk points

Designing with precision from concept to construction

Balancing aesthetics, performance & buildability

Digital workflows & collaborative delivery

11:25 — 11:40

Rohan Keswani

Director

Aluplex

Topic

Scaling Smart Skins: Façade Innovation Across India’s New-Age Commercial Campuses

Talk points

Key takeaways from landmark projects in tackling the challenges of scale, complexity, and timeline

Designing high-performance façades that respond to climate, comfort, branding, and urban context in India’s commercial hubs

What’s next for commercial facades — emerging trends in materiality, sustainability, and façade delivery for both IT and corporate campuses

12:10 — 12:30

Nandakumar BS

Founder

Evermark Façades

Topic

Engineering Value – Not Just Cost

Talk points

Value engineering beyond cost reduction

Smart material & system selection

Collaborative decision-making for better outcomes

12:30 — 12:50

Harsharaj Shetty K S

Deputy Head - Engineering

Schueco India

Topic

Innovative Façade Solutions

Talk points

Transom less construction

Custom solution - hospitality

Safety & sustainability

12:50 — 13:15

James Tan

Senior Director

WOW Architects

Topic

The Living Façade - Designing the Ecology of Relationships

Talk points

The Ecology of Place - the relationship between Culture, Memory and Identity. The most meaningful architecture is not designed for a place, It is designed from a place

The Ecology of Coexistence - the relationship between humans, nature and living systems. The living façade is not a wall between humanity and nature. It is the place where they connect

The Ecology of Regeneration - the relationship between architecture, life and time. A living façade is not completed when construction ends. It begins its life when nature, people and time start sharing it

13:15 — 13:55

Gurunathan Ramakrishnan

Director | Principal Architect

UA Design Studio

Kosalraman CJ

Managing Director | Principal Architect

Infraabees Project Management Consultants

Prasana Kesavan

Director

Studio 7 Architects

Shripal Munshi

Founder Principal

Shripal & Venkat Architects

Subbiah Sivasubramaniam

Director

Dius Design Consultants

Suraksha Acharya

Founding Partner | Principal Architect

Midori Architects

Topic

Influence of Design in the Performance of Building Envelopes

Talk points

How can design impact the parameters for the performance of a modern façade?

Analyzing the benefits of considering passive design strategies

Strategizing sustainable design through local material procurement

Reducing operational carbon through efficient envelope design strategies

Role of simulation and performance modeling in façade design decisions

14:50 — 15:10

Dhurgai Kumaran

Director - Studio

FHD Group

Topic

InsideOut: Ecological Approach to Space

Talk points

Blurring boundaries: Reimagining the relationship between interior and exterior as a seamless spatial continuum

Ecological design thinking: Integrating architecture, landscape, climate, and human experience into a unified design approach

Project insights: Demonstrating how ecological spatial strategies create resilient, context-responsive, and people-centric environments

15:10 — 15:20

Uday V Shetty

EVP - Solid X

Viva Composite Panel

Topic

Metal Cladding Solutions for Sustainable Building Envelope

Talk points

Optimizing construction speed with metal cladding

Green certifications: An initiative towards environment friendly cladding

Elevating specification with regulations & industry standards

15:20 — 15:35

TS Aditya

Vice President - Strategy & Business Development

Qutone

Topic

Sustainable Cladding Solutions for High Rise Buildings

Talk points

Evolution of dry cladding systems with ventilated façade principles

Cladding materials: Relevant tests & standards recommended for external applications

Sustainable semi-unitized sintered stone cladding system: features, advantages & benefits

15:35 — 15:55

Prashanth S Kharche

Principal

Kharche & Associates

Topic

Faces of Architecture: Maximizing Visual Impact and Climate Performance on a Realistic Budget

Talk points

Aesthetic & typological differentiation

Climatological responsiveness

Value engineering & lifecycle costing

15:55 — 16:05

Abhishek Shukla

National Specification Manager

Technoform

Topic

Energy Conservation through Thermal Break Concept for Façade and Fenestration

16:05 — 16:45

Ajay Sethi

Managing Principal

URBN Design Studio

Pratik Doshi

National Manager - Façade

Schueco India

R.Vijayan

Chief Architect

L&T Constructions

Rohit Sharma

Chief Executive Officer

Innovators

Shrikrishna Ginde

Head - Facade

L&T Constructions

Sruthi Reddy

Executive Director

Ceebros

Topic

From Concept to Completion: Delivering High-Performance Façades for Chennai

Talk points

Performance-driven façade design strategies and balancing aesthetics, functionality, and constructability

Evaluating performance requirements versus budget constraints

Risks associated with value engineering and substitutions

Bridging the gap between design intent and site execution

How it was

Partners

Presenting Partner

Associate Partners