Indian Architecture Awards 2012

By Pari Syal

Photography: courtesy the architects

Felicitations seem the order of the day world over. Celebrating architecture, we bring you the annual architecture awards by Indian Institute of Architects – by the Architects, for the Architects…

World over, architecture has brought to life many a diverse style, configuration, attitude, even terminology… all open to interpretation, subjective in its applications and inclusive in its meanings.

Infrastructure, urban development, town planning, buildings and their distinctive architectural vocabulary in the midst of heritage structures, modern skyscrapers, vernacular idioms and world views… this is perhaps one field that explores design to the maximum; and considered to be the Mother of all Arts, has undergone and continues to showcase a sea-change, showing transformations in all its parameters – in recent times – a lot in its geometry, depending on the who, where and why of a building! And each of these efforts are celebrated via some or the other awards and felicitations somewhere across the world.

Winners of IIA Awards 2012

India’s exclusive and most prestigious honour bestowed upon professionals in India, for Excellence in Architecture, which aims to encourage, acknowledge, appreciate and honour the significant contributions of member professionals, was recently concluded – on 14^th Oct’12 at Mumbai.

Being one of the oldest and most respected marks of success in the architects and builders community in India, the awards are the only ones that are judged by the architects, for architects all over India and are chosen by an independent panel of member representatives from each region, who act as jury during the judging process.

The awardees for year 2012 are:

Residential Category

Awardee: Single Residence - Ar. Jayadev, Cochin

Project: Rithu, Cochin

Highlights of Project: Integrated indoor-outdoor transition; simple lines; play of colours; ample natural light and ventilation.

Awardee: Multi-storey -Ar. Kiran Venkatesh of InFORM Archietcts, Bangalore

Project: Housing Tower One, Hyderabad

Highlights of Project: Green features; responsible living and social interaction spaces; strong massing and colour scheme;  aesthetic of  building  derived from functional and creative moves  intrinsic to planning rather than as external application of elements.

Housing Tower One - Ar. Kiran Venkatesh

Public Category

Awardee: Ar. Manit Rastogi & Ar. Sonali Rastogi of Morphogenesis, New Delhi

Project: City Centre, Siliguri

Highlights of Project: Most significant is the bio-climatological approach; interface between township and city; break-out spaces in the form of landscaped terraces on each floor; indigenous to the city.

City Centre, Siliguri -Ar. Sonali & Manit Rastogi

Interiors Category

Awardee: Ar. Tushar V. of Ochre Architects, Bangalore

Project: No. 20, Office Extension

Highlights of Project: Functional planning with break-free geometry; water bodies; innovative and significant interiors.

Landscape-Design Category

Awardee: Ar. Akash Hingorani of Oasis Designs Inc., New Delhi

Project: Bhairon Marg Urban Landscape, New Delhi.

Highlights of Project: Integrated approach of urban planning that amalgamates the field of Landscape design, transport planning and urban design to bring about a cohesive space that works for the pedestrians as well as vehicles.

Bhairon Marg Urban Landscape - Ar. Akash Hingorani

Research Category

Awardee: Ar. Yatin Pandya of Footprints E.A.R.T.H., Ahmedabad

Project: Concepts of Space

Highlights of Project: Unravelling the inherent virtues of traditional Indian Architecture and interpreting them as universal dictums, relevant to reinstate in contemporary times.

Adalaj Miniature - Ar. Yatin Pandya

Industrial Category

Awardee: Ar. Sunil Patil of SPA, Pune

Project: Fratelli Wines, Akluj

Highlight of Project: Soul of this building are intricately designed spaces, which interact with each other in such a manner that the visitor can feel the process of wine making. Landscape as key microclimate modifier. Simple no-nonsense approach.

Fratelli Wines - Ar. Sunil Patil

Heritage Buildings

Awardee: Ar. Pankaj & Ar. Pranoti Modi, Ahmedabad

Project: Restoration, Rehabilitation & Retrofit - LIMBDI

Highlights of Project: Sensitivity hand-in-glove with dynamism – an ideal approach to heritage architecture.

Urban Infrastructure

Awardee: Ar. Sourabh Gupta of Archohm, Noida

Project: Vadodara Bharuch Toll Plaza

Highlights of Project: Reinterpreting urban infrastructure typology through dramatic visual experience and functional optimization.

Vadodara Bharuch Toll Plaza - Ar. Sourabh Gupta

IAnD heartily congratulates its architect friends on their most recent accomplishments!