IFBE and Avid Learning present an illustrated talk and presentation with Principal Architect RMA Architects and Author of Bombay Imagined, Robert Stephens presenting radically sustainable plans from Bombay's unbuilt past, highlighting projects that would have shaped a climate-resilient Mumbai, if realized. Robert will share excerpts and visuals from his recent book – Bombay Imagined: An Illustrated History of the Unbuilt City that documents ideas that never saw the light of day. Richly illustrated with archival drawings, contemporary speculations and artistic overlays, the presentation will illuminate long-lost futures from the city's never-before-seen past. 

About the Speaker :

Robert Stephens After completing his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech in 2007, Robert Stephens left his childhood hometown of Summerville, South Carolina and moved to Mumbai, India. He joined RMA Architects as an apprentice at the age of 22 and is now a principal at the same firm. Robert is part of the core team at RMA responsible for recent additions to Mumbai’s built environment, including the CSMVS Visitors’ Centre (2011) and Children’s Museum (2019) at Kala Ghoda, and the under-construction Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Crematorium at Worli. In 2016, he founded Urbs Indis, a studio that narrates lesser-known civic histories through the juxtaposition of archival material with contemporary aerial photographs of urban India. His work has been exhibited in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Edinburgh, and has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, DOMUS India and Scroll.in. He currently lives in Mumbai with his wife and son.

About Book :

Beginning in 1670, Bombay Imagined: An Illustrated History of the Unbuilt City tells the story of 200 unrealised urban visions — aspirations of an evolved metropolis boasting everything from humane housing and expanded parks to sanitation systems and more. Ideas that never saw the light of the day are richly illustrated with archival drawings, contemporary speculations and artistic overlays, illuminating long-lost futures from the city’s never-before-seen past. Bombay Imagined is a testimony to the audacious dreams of city-lovers, a chronicle of untold narratives across centuries and an insight into the tides that have shaped present-day Mumbai. Bombay Imagined, An Illustrated History of the Unbuilt City is now available for pre-order on www.urbsindis.com.

About Sustainability Now Series :

Sustainability NOW is a thematised and targeted series of discussions, videos, masterclasses and more --- that aim to convert audiences into change makers and active catalysts and custodians for a greener future. Speakers include artists, designers, material researchers, chefs, architects, creative entrepreneurs, policymakers, environmentalists, urban planners, educators, scientists, social media influencers, philanthropists, scholars, technologists, business leaders and many more voices. This series has consisted of both pre-recorded episodes and live sessions which have covered a range of topics from architecture, art, design, heritage and technology to fashion, textiles, materiality, food and agriculture – all in the context of sustainable practices and philosophies.

 To know more about programs under this series, please check our website :

www.sustainabilitynow.in