The Charles Correa Gold Medal is an award initiated in 1998 by Indian architect and urbanist Charles Correa. Through the format of the Gold Medal, the Charles Correa Foundation intends to not only challenge students and schools of architecture to focus on pressing issues, but also to emphasize the role that architects can play in society as “agents of change”.
This year, the Charles Correa Gold Medal focused on thesis projects that addressed ‘Equitability through Design’. By raising the question, ‘Who are we designing for?’ The Gold Medal sought to reflect on the opportunities and responsibilities that we as architects have in creating spaces that are equitable and inclusive. This encompasses equal access to space, shelter, infrastructure and the commons.
AWARD CEREMONY
This year, the Award Ceremony took place at the TARQ Gallery, Mumbai on the 22 October at 5pm in collaboration with the Architecture Foundation. The evening commenced with the Architecture Foundation India releasing The State of Architecture – Practices and Processes in India: A Research Framework, edited by Kaiwan Mehta, Ranjit Hoskote and Rahul Mehrotra. The book launch was followed by a panel conversation between the editors, Rahul Mehrotra, Kaiwan Mehta and Ranjit Hoskote, moderated by Nancy Adajania. The discussion offered an important forum to reflect on contemporary architectural practice in India.
The evening continued with the 29th annual Charles Correa Gold Medal 2026 Award Ceremony, centred on the theme of Equitability through Design. The ceremony opened with a conversation between jury members Qaid Doongerwala and Rahul Gore, in dialogue with our Director Nondita Correa Mehrotra. This was followed by the announcement of the Charles Correa Gold Medal 2026 Award Winner and the Honorary Mention. The award recipients then presented their thesis projects, sharing the ideas, research and design approaches with the audience.
JURY DELIBERATIONS
Quaid Doongerwala and Rahul Gore, two of the 2026 Gold Medal jury members, joined Nondita Correa Mehrotra to discuss this year’s theme ‘Equitability through Design’ and the thesis entries that most accurately addressed the prompt by tackling spatial injustices through design. The conversation also explored the role of the thesis in the academic journey of graduating architecture students.
Devashree Shah, jury member, addressed the audience through a video message, reading the jury citation for the Honourable Mention and congratulating the awardee. This was followed by a message from jury chair Sibel Bozdogan, who reflected on the significance of this year’s theme and shared her experience of engaging with the diverse ways in which students explored equity through their thesis projects. She concluded by reading the jury citation for the Charles Correa Gold Medal recipient and extending her congratulations.
JURY
The jury for the Charles Correa Gold Medal 2026 is Sibel Bozdogan (Architect and Educator), Quiad Doongerwala (Architect and Educator), Rahul Gore (Architect and Researcher) and Devashree Shah (Architect and Researcher), where they mainly looked for entries that consider the site and context of the proposed project with clarity in the formulation and addressal of real-life issues.
The jury for the Charles Correa Gold Medal 2026 was chaired by Sibel Bozdoğan, an architect, architectural historian, and educator whose work focuses on modern architecture and its global contexts. She shares her reflections on the overarching theme and the theses of this year’s edition.
GOLD MEDAL 2026 WINNER
This thesis is commendable for reimagining essential energy infrastructure as a civic resource, transforming a conventionally restricted, utilitarian space into a place of shared public life. Respecting its industrial heritage while moving beyond the conventional museum, the project explores how infrastructure might be returned to the commons, bringing utility, civic engagement, and collective ownership into dialogue. Its strength lies in the clarity and adaptability of its proposition: a framework that extends beyond a single site and offers possibilities for reinterpretation across diverse urban contexts. By rethinking access to infrastructure, the project advances a compelling vision of architecture as a means of fostering equity, civic participation, and a more inclusive public realm.
HONOURABLE MENTION
This thesis explores how the urban fabric can be stitched together to create a more inclusive city. It grounds equity in the reclamation of a disused industrial landscape as shared civic ground, while also spotlighting an important part of the city’s heritage. The project considers the urban scar not simply as a rupture, but as an opportunity to reconnect the city and its communities. Its plan reveals an interesting spatial complexity and a thoughtful negotiation between preservation and new intervention, while the architectural quality evident in the drawings offers promise in translating this ambition into built form. Ultimately, the thesis presents a timely inquiry into how urban divides might be overcome, advancing the potential of the social commons as a more accessible, connected, and inclusive public realm.
AWARD CEREMONY
Watch the Award Ceremony of the Charles Correa Gold Medal 2026 above.