Seminar

A seminar was conducted in the seminar hall of B.I.T Mesra on 3rd October 2009 as a part of Zonasa’09. Three eminent people working with vernacular architecture and conservation were invited for the same.
1. Mr. Bulu Imam – Director, Sanskriti Kendra Research Center, Hazaribagh, Convener INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Culture) and campaigner against coal mining in Karanpura valley (http://www.karanpuracampaign.com/).
2. Dr. Ajay Khare- Director School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal and an active conservationist working with DRONAH (www.dronah.com)
3. Mr. S. D Singh- State Convener INTACH Jharkhand and an alumnus of B.I.T Mesra.

Mr. Bulu Imam presented a lecture on ‘Post Architectural Habitat in a Globally Warming World’. It made students think of a fast approaching world where there will be fights over water and not oil, where coasts will be flooded and when high rise buildings will be rendered useless because there will be no electricity. He implored the need to explore the simple solutions of a mud hut, a leaf dwelling and the self sustaining and simple life of villages when we design in a radically altered world.
Dr. Khare shared his experiences as a young conservationist in Jaisalmer. He talked of pragmatism in conservation (‘we should not be conservative while conserving’) and why certain structures need to be retained for the knowledge they contain for future generations.
Mr. S. D Singh presented his attempts of conserving the Rajmahal area with a group of students.
Audio-visual presentation made by winning students were played and discussed by the panel. It was widely agreed that that simple and passive techniques of yesterdays make more sense. The challenge to the modern day architect remains to make right choices over market driven sensibilities.
The entire experience of conducting the competition ‘Translating Traditions’ was very enriching. It was heartening to see the variety of structures studied. It put me in contact with a lot of students from across India as well as a number of architects and individuals who work towards upholding indigenous architecture.

Architects discuss displayed sheets

Dr. Khare talking about conservation as other Panelists look on.
Students engrossed in Bulu Imam’s talk.Winning Sheets displayed in the background

Inaugration ceremony of ZONASA'09

FINAL RESULTS

Dear Participants,

We are pleased to announce the results for the design competition ‘Translating Traditions’ supported by the 2009 BERKELEY PRIZE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FELLOWSHIP.

The competition was a great learning experience for both the participants as well as the organizers. We were glad to see the plethora of response and the variety of structures studied. It was also heartening to learn about the sensitization of youth towards their past and their zeal to carry it forward.


FIRST PRIZE (USD 1000)- Mukund Iyer and Hamed Khalidi, Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai

SECOND PRIZE (USD 750)- Apoorva Shenvi and Neha Parulekar,Sir J.J College Of Architecture, Mumbai.

THIRD PRIZE ( USD 500)- SHARED BY-
1.Arpita Choudhury, Indian Institute of Technology,Roorkee
2. Honey Jalali and Spondon Bhagowati , School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi

SPECIAL MENTION (USD 250) - Somraj Sarkar and Arnab Biswas, Bengal engineering and Science University, Shibpur

Winners are invited for the east zone ZONASA ’09. A seminar/discussion on the same topic will be held on 3rd October, 2009 where the winners are required to present their designs prior to prize collection.

The jury members for the competition were-

Ar. Chitra Vishwanath (www.biome-solutions.com)is a Bangalore based architect whose firm Biome Environmental Solutions specializes in creating indigenously ecological buildings.

Ar. Gita Balakrishnan is the lady behind Ethos (www.ethosindia.in) and very popular among students. She is at the forefront of organizing various green design competitions.

Dr. Satyaki Sarkar , Senior Lecturer,Department of Architecture, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi has special interest in urban conservation and has done a lot of work in Calcutta along the same lines.

Thank you all for your co-operation and support.

FINAL SUBMISSION

FINAL SUBMISSION: 15 th SEPTEMBER, 2009

Hey!

Hope all of you are hard at work for the second round......

Zonasa for zone four has shifted to 1st-3rd October,2009 hence the date for the submission is getting pushed........

Here are answers to some frequently encountered queries---

1. Last date for submission in 15th September, 2009

2. We require both a) softcopy by mail and b) Sheets by courier

3. Please bear in mind postal delays, last minute internet failures etc while sending over your entries. Select courier companies that can be traced online for your ease as well as ours.

4. As mentioned in the brief, winners are required to be present for the seminar at BIT during zonasa. It will be held on the second day i.e 2nd October. So, it will be a good idea to chalk out your travel plans and book tickets in advance given the Durga Puja rush at that time. The travel expense will be borne by you whereas food and accomodation for two days will be taken care by us.

While working on the final submission it please be mindful of some jury comments--

1. Always quote your sources...magazines, books, architects etc

2. Give personal interpretations, ideas and experiences. It makes the work more interesting.

3. Translation means your interpretation and execution of the study conducted.

4. Link between your previous studies (first round) and execution should be visible and logical.

Best of luck!!!

Results: First Round

Hey,

There were a total of 42 entries in the first round. Choice of buildings and issues was diverse and refreshing. Judges picked out the 16 most promosing projects that had the potential for the second round-

1. Mukund Iyer and Hamed Khalidi, Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai
2. Somraj Sarkar and Arnab Biswas, BESU, Shibpur
3. Sharanya Srinivasan and Fareeha Bivi Omar, MEASI Academy of Architecture, Chennai
4. Apoorva Shenvi and Neha Parulekar, Sir J.J College of Architecture, Mumbai
5. Rashi Bharati and Kanika Melhotra, Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon
6. Honey Jalili and Spondon Bhagowati, SPA, New Delhi
7. Mayuri Playekar and Prachi Deokar, LBHHSCA, Mumbai
8. Sangeeta Kumari and G. Anand Rao, PMCA, Cuttack
9. Prakash T and Mahantha JM, NIT, Trichy
10. Pallavi Sharma and Pallavi Upadhyay, SDCA, Dasna, Gaziabad
11. Atul Rarraf and Alaknanda Yeshwant, MSRIT, Bangalore
12. Piyush Das, PMCA, Cuttack
13. Arpita Choudhary, IIT Roorkee
14. Swati and Tarun Gautam, SDCA, Dasna, Gaziabad
15. Gargi Roy and Shubhro Kar, BESU, Shibpur
16. Monisha Palinvelu and Archana R, R.V College of Engineering, Bangalore

Congratulations to all winners and Best of Luck for the second round!!! In the second round we seek answers to 'HOW' you intend to give a tangible form to your study.....on the applicability of the techniques learnt from the past in the current context.

NOTE: All winning teams are requested to submit scanned letters from their HODs stating that the submission made in the first round is the intellectual property of the participant by 16th August, 2009 failing which their selection in the second round will stand cancelled.

magazine

Hey!
While awaiting for the of results the first round we are working towards compiling a magazine to be published at the end of this competition. Besides publishing winning entries it will contain personal experiences, sketches, photographs etc. Cover design is also open.
So feel free to mail in with any suggestions or entries!!!!

First Round Submissions closed

Hey!!
The submissions for the first round of translating traditions has come to a close.
Thank you all for the wonderful response!!
In case you have not received a conformation mail after the submission do let us know as soon as possible. (call: 09931354863)
Watch this space for results in the comming week.
:)