JURY AWARD
By Kalpit Ashar and Mayuri Sisodia
Jury Citation:
The project looks at a specific solution for a specific situation in Mumbai with great cultural detailing. The study and analysis is rich, and the team has adopted a lot of different techniques in order to negotiate an incredibly complex neighbourhood.
Due to the density and tempo of the site, the intervention is mobile and exploratory. The development of hyper-specific solutions and configurations for different street interfaces is appreciated. Simultaneously, the broader idea of reclaiming sidewalks as public space in one of Mumbai’s more busy streets is also commendable. The engagement with citizens and government stakeholders in order to prepare a participatory plan is critical in Indian urban spaces.
Due to its scale, and the nature of the context that this project sits within, we commend it with the ‘You and Your Neighbourhood’ Jury Award.
You can watch the presentation by the team here:
REDEFINING THE CITY FOR THE PUBLIC
By Purvi Chhadva
Jury Citation:
The project has been awarded for the gesture of reclaiming open space in the city of Ahmedabad, where there is not much available. It is incredibly tactical, as it employs minimal means, namely, occupying vacant land, re-aligning the road and planting some trees, yet the project has the potential to bring about a considerable change. It is a democratic project, as it focuses on play spaces for young children and their caregivers, and also very believable, as the landscape urbanism approach that has been conceptualised does not require a lot of resources.
This strategy addresses a universal problem and helps to imagine that in a consolidated, dense city, one can still transform the leftovers into public space.
You can watch the presentation by the team here:
HONOURABLE MENTION
The Workshop at the Metro Station
By Aishwarya Gupta
Jury Citation:
The project works with a new urban condition, increasingly prevalent in large Indian cities, created by overground metro lines and station buildings that connect the users of this infrastructure with the city.
It rightly recognises that mass transit brings millions of workers in and out of the city every day and that our cities do not accommodate this floating population. By giving space to the ubiquitous informal enterprises that otherwise occupy the interstices of the dominant spatial order, the proposal provokes strong sentiments, seeking to expand the imagination of a metro station and to argue that it can be the occasion for pursuing equitable development. Through a Lefebvrian ‘production of space’ and deft handling of ‘place-making’, the proposal draws us into debates about the commons and their productive role in cities without questioning infrastructure as an urban necessity.
The proposal has been prepared with empathy and attention to detail, evident both in graphic quality and ideological stance, which makes a compelling case for imagining urban infrastructure as an architectural context and rendering it as a catalytic event.
COMMONS AND THE CITY
By Kapilan Chandranesan and Vijaykumar Sengottuvelan
Jury Citation:
The Trichy Commons Network proposal is a project of design intelligence and legibility. It identifies an urban condition that applies to many cities and towns, not only across India, but around the world. On the periphery of Trichy, the Uyyakondian canal is transformed from a neglected sewage dump into a community asset where the revitalized canal becomes an agent of connection for the people who live beside it. The proposal works across several scales in many ways through a series of design interventions tactically positioned along the canal.
Collectively, these interventions act as catalysts that could trigger major positive change over time. The scheme’s originality is in its combination of these diverse urban elements. There is an expansiveness about the project that is based in both gritty realism and a forward-looking spirit. Careful attention was paid to the site context. The scheme embodies an approach that works at the intersection of urbanism and environmental responsibility, through citizen activism. In recognizing this project, we offer our support for its continuation and eventual implementation.
You can watch the presentation by the team here:
STREETS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
By Sushma Aradhya
Jury Citation:
The well conserved, historic and vibrant neighbourhood of Fontainhas, the old Latin quarter in Panaji, Goa, has always lacked a public waterfront despite being flanked by the Rio de Ourém creek and the Mandovi river. This project seeks to widen Rio de Ourém, that runs along the eastern edge of the Fontainhas, to create a new public promenade. This will enable the lively and winding streets of this 200-year old, dense settlement to culminate into an expansive, linear public space, stimulating social and cultural events along the water’s edge.
The project is well presented, with a series of thoughtful ideas to activate promenade life. The Jury appreciates its sensitivity at both the architectural and urban scales, which makes the proposal desirable and seemingly achievable. If done well, the project would add valuable public space to the historic fabric of Panaji.
You can watch the presentation by the team here:
HOMES IN THE STREETS
Plugged-in Commons
By Sindhuja and Nandja Chopra
Jury Citation:
The project is very flexible, and does not require any land. Through a bold proclamation of reappropriating space for the expression of collective culture, the project is an unapologetic call for collective action. The development of a kit of parts provides a framework by which the city may be built by citizens themselves in an imaginative way.
The use of urban farming for spaces in-between buildings is commended. The spirit of collectivism, while romantic, is attractive, and the idea of using a cheap, easily available material like bamboo is interesting.
You can watch the presentation by the team here: