Gold
Even more enhanced focus on urban design and planning
Originally called the House of Parliament, it was designed by the British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912 as part of their wider mandate to construct a new administrative capital city for British India. The 92-year-old Parliament House, also known as Sansad Bhavan, is home to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and one of the most impressive buildings in Delhi. It is said that the circular structure of the 11th-century Chausath Yogini Temple inspired the design of the building. Now, this complex is set for a facelift. Design firm HCP Design Planning & Management has already been awarded the project, which is to be built at a cost of Rs 9.22 billion. The firm is preparing the master plan of the project, including designs, cost estimation, landscape and traffic integration plans, and parking facilities.
Indeed, the pre-eminence of design and planning has come to the fore now more than ever before. In addition to administrative structures, the pandemic has highlighted the need to develop healthcare infrastructure and control the outbreak in dense urban environments.
While the Indian economy has significantly slowed as a result of COVID-19, hospitals are struggling to cope with queues of patients. Their experience has generated interesting learning for the construction industry; in particular, for those planning and designing hospitals. A big experiential takeaway from the frontline is the need for flexible design. Read our August story on Hospital Design and Construction Post-COVID here.
CONSTRUCTION WORLD has been curating ideas such as these for urban design by creating a platform to showcase the best architects and builders in India—the CONSTRUCTION WORLD ARCHITECT & BUILDER (CWAB) Awards—for the past 15 years.
Since their inception in 2006, the CWAB Awards have become the most coveted awards for the architectural industry, with over 100 jury members, recognising over 50 architects and builders and 36 noteworthy projects as well as giving out 28 regional awards.
While this year has been challenging for all, the show must go on! This must-attend event of the building industry will be held virtually, thereby allowing not only the building industry from India but also neighbouring countries who are seeking inspiration from the talent showcased at this event. To honour all the winners of the past 14 years, as well as crown new ones, the CWABAwards will be held on August 28, 2020. Who will be the new faces that will shine at these awards—any guesses? Tune in and find out!
Meanwhile, here’s a list of the winners of the 14th CWAB Awards.
India’s Top Architects
India’s Top Builders
CWAB Regional-South
Top Architect (Tie):
Top Builder
Top Architect
CWAB Regional-East
Top Architect
CWAB Regional-North
Top Architect (Tie)
Noteworthy Projects
Top Challengers 2018-19
Centre suggests states to list power firms
Power Minister Manohar Lal urged states and union territories to consider listing their power generation, transmission, and distribution companies on stock exchanges to attract investment and improve operational efficiency. Addressing the media, after a conference of power ministers, Lal highlighted the need for increased capital inflows to meet India’s rising power demand, which has placed added strain on the sector. “With the growing power demand, there is a growing need for investment in the sector and improving operational efficiencies. States may identify and take up utilities for lis..
Metro on backburner as Tricity set to get new e-buses circuit
To boost connectivity for the commuters of the Tricity, a new circuit-cum-network of electric buses (e-buses) is all set to come up that will cover Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali. The move comes days after Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said that in Chandigarh the ridership is not according to the criteria set for operating a Metro. He had also said that the option of a pod taxi can also be explored as it will not impact the heritage of the Union Territory (UT).Officials stated that the e-buses decision intends to provide an eco-friendly public transportati..
Rajasthan government plans to develop hi-tech city near Jaipur
On the lines of Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City and Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy (HITEC) City, Raj govt is gearing up to develop a "hi-tech city" close to Jaipur. Recently, Boston Consulting Group – a multinational consulting firm – gave a presentation on the concept of hi-tech cities, follwing which the state govt has started looking for suitable land on outskirts of Jaipur. "We are going to construct a hi-tech city on the outskirts of Jaipur. We are trying to ascertain the amount of land required for core areas of the city and for areas wh..
