Another celebration of victory – for the winners and us! After two years of a virtual event, the CW team took upon the challenge of staging the CONSTRUCTION WORLD Architect and Builder Awards 2022, and once again brought the who’s who of the industry from across the country together under one roof. “As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future that is essentially unknown.” These profound words by architect Norman Foster rang especially true with the winners at the awards, popularly known as the CWAB Awards.

COVID-19 was a disruptive event, the likes of which the modern world had never seen, much less imagined. The pandemic-induced social distancing norms, which were initially instated for a couple of months, have only just been withdrawn after two complete years. The most drastically hit were businesses worldwide,including the real-estate and construction sector. Operations ground to a halt, supply chains collapsed and projects crawled at a painstaking pace as everyone scrambled to make sense of the norms of this new world where communication was remote and safety was of paramount importance.

So, understandably, after two years of virtual meets and events attended over con-calls, the excitement was palpable as we convened in person at the Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, on August 26, 2022, to recognise and felicitate the top architects and builders of the nation.

The event was preceded by VIP networking, where industry stalwarts who had come to receive their awards and the eminent jury members who assessed and picked the winners from the multitude of entries mingled and swapped anecdotes on the ongoings of the industry and their thoughts on the post-pandemicworld. The overarching sentiment was one of optimism with a quest for innovation and a never-say-die spirit. Thirty-seven companies – builders and architects – from across India made it to the winning list of CWAB 2022 across categories.

In the words of the dignitaries…

Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL & CONSTRUCTION WORLD, kicked off the evening on the perfect note with his welcome address.This gala evening was graced by Chief Guest His Excellency Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, Special Guests from the Consulates of Canada, Indonesia and Qatar, event partners, an august audience, and the stars of the evening – the winners. Addressing the winners, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari designated those present in the hall as “masters of their field”. He said, “At the base of every trade, occupation and profession is character. In trying to be better, we must improve on what good we can do and, thus, to build a nation, we need to build good character.”

The selection methodology

This year’s theme for the CWAB Awards, based on which projects are assessed and awarded, was S. W. O. T:Sustainability. Wellbeing. Onsite-Adaptability. Technology.

With as many as 700 nominations, the process to do justice to every single entry is long-drawn, tedious and an event in itself. Elaborating on this arduous six-month operation that culminated in such a glamorous ceremony, Falguni Padode, Co-Founder and Group Managing Editor, ASAPP Info Global Group, said in her welcoming address, “These CWAB awards, as they are now known, were born 17 years ago. The intention was to recognise and award excellence amongst the design-build community.”

The process begins by inviting nominations across all categories early in the year. This year, CWAB Awards received 715 nominations across categories: National Architects and Builders, Regional Architects and Builders, and Noteworthy Projects from across the country. All the shortlisted nominees were vetted by a separate jury assembled for each group.

Winnerspeak!

The winners’ list was a perfect mix of established names and emerging creative master planners.The CW teamrecorded reactionsof the winnersof the Top Architects and Builders in the National category as their firm’s names were being announced.

“It is always a delight to be here and be chosen by the jury for the CWAB awards,” saidNiranjan Hiranandani, Founder and Managing Director, Hiranandani Group. “Construction has been an important part of the India growth story. It contributes to GDP growth and brings along immense employment opportunities. We are doing a great job for the country.”

Raman Sapru, Director-Design and Engineering, K Raheja Corp, said, “This award is no less than the responsibility – which we fairly acknowledge. ESG is the basic foundation of our business, and we completely resonate with the theme of this year. This is a collective work of all our stakeholders, employees and everyone who has put their sweat into it.”

And, Dinesh Dubey, COO West India, Prestige Estates Projects, expressed, “It is great to be back in bone and flesh after the pandemic and to gather here together. We have entered the Mumbai market and it has been more than welcoming to us. We owe this to our 12,000 employees and 350,000 families who stay on the Prestige properties.”

Speaking on the theme of sustainability, Yatin Patel, Founder & Principal, DSP Design Associates, said, “S.W.O.T. really resonates with the kind of work we do. We decided 50 years ago that we would design for green whether our customers wanted it or not.”

SP Patki, Principal Architect, PG Patki Architects, said, “I have stated before that CWAB is akin to the ‘Hollywood’ of awards. I would like to build on that this year: This is the closest one can get to a national award for an architect. That is what all of us look for –recognition for all the hard work that we do over the years.”

Delivering a commendable project is not a piece of cake. It takes multiple hands and brains working in sync towards one goal. As Ravi Sarangan, Founder & Director, Edifice Consultants, said eloquently, “To be acknowledged among the best of architects is the result of all the efforts put in by the Edificians – the boys and girls at Edifice who have toiled hard, especially through the last two years of the pandemic.” He dedicated the award to his hard-working team saying, “This award is in memory of the two of them who lost their lives during the pandemic.”

In agreement with Patki and Sarangan, Sanjay Puri, Principal Architect, Sanjay Puri Architects, said, “It is really not about one principal partner but the whole team.” He applauded CW for conducting the awards every year in spite of the lockdown and the pandemic.

More than just validating good work, awards like CWAB 2022 aim to give the industry a boost to push for the better. AbhaNarain, Principal & Founder, AbhaNarain Lambah Associates, said, “It is an absolute privilege. We are humbled and encouraged to do better work.”

“We are here this evening to celebrate those with intention who have made it.”

On 15th August, on the 75thanniversary of India’s Independence, CW completed its 25thyear. Welcoming His Excellency Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, and addressing the rapt audience comprising the winners, attendees, sponsor partners and jury members, Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL & CONSTRUCTION WORLD, said, “It feels CW has made a small contribution by having stayed for 25 years out of those 75, witnessing the progress of the building and construction industry.” Here are some excerpts from his inaugural speech:

CW has always put excellence at the forefront. It is the parameter and the benchmark for building real estate, infrastructure and smart cities – and now also building smart factories.

There are multiple verticals in the construction industry and wheels within wheels. Who the decisionmaker is has an impact on everybody’s interest. With that in mind, the principle of the First Construction Council, a non-profit started in 2003, is to drive integrated thinking for nation-building.

For the 25thyear, CW has opened a new media arm, ASAPP Studios, to distribute news and information through video. To kickstart it, 25 videos have been released showcasing contractors building roads, ports, airports, metro rail and high-speed railacross the country. Going ahead, a separate series has been planned for architects and builders as well.

Smart Urbanation 2022 celebrated the 7th year of the Smart Cities Mission earlier on the same day. Plenty has been accomplished behind the veneer of smart cities that oftengoes unnoticed. Whether it is the 500 Amrut cities or 200 smart cities, what gets seen and talked about are the low-hanging fruits. However, they are basic amenities that are only now reaching the corners of the nation.

India enjoys one of the best financial payment services in the world – its stock exchanges handle one of the largest volumes globally.

This demonstrates that we have the capacity for execution. Once the intention aligns with it, there is immense potential.

 “At the base of every trade, occupation and profession is character.”

At the presentation of the 17th CWAB Awards, the grandeur was heightened by the presence of the evening’s Chief Guest, His Excellency Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra. Shri Koshyari congratulated the organisers, saying, “For a layman, it is difficult to understand what architecture, building or engineering is. It was surprising to discover that Mr Pratap Padode is not a builder but a CA – surprising because he has organised this event perfectly. And I congratulate him for that; he should be called the biggest architect here. And I congratulate all of you, the winners.” Here are some excerpts from his speech:

Our country has been celebrating the Amrut Mahotsav this year and our Honourable Prime Minister has throughout laid stresson nation-building, which, in my opinion, you are all contributing to. Architecture simply does not mean building a monument. It goes beyond that.

I must also offer congratulations to the jury for their judicious decisions on the awards.

We all do good work and in our own different fields. All of you gathered here are experts in your areas of operation. But there is a lot to do for our society – and promoting others is an important aspect.

When we talk about true nation-building, we need to think about the ways we can contribute. At the base of every trade, occupation and profession is character. In trying to be better, we must improve on what good we can do and, thus, to build a nation, we need to build good character. If we do that, we will all be doing a great service to the nation.

As times change, engineering changes and techniques change. I am not well versed in modern-day technologies. So, I cannot speak on these things. But wherever we go, I hope we always try to do better, and I humbly request you to keep contributing to building our nation.

While not all of us can be akin to the eminent personalities that are considered big names today, it is possible for us to strive to be better at being our best. It is my humble request to all of us to be aware of how we are impacting our nation and take the onus for a tap that is leaking to get it fixed or to fix potholes that are left unattended. If we do this, within the next decade, our nation will definitely be a nation of our dreams that we are proud of.

Partners in success

Contributing to the success of CWAB 2022 was the support that came from its many partners. With Marmo Solutions joining as the Presenting Partner this year, Panasonic Life Solutions was the Powering Partner, KEI Industries the Platinum Partner, LANXESS the Sustainability Partner, Schindler the Smart Mobility Partner, Johnson Lifts & Escalators the Gold Partner, RDC Concrete (India), the Concrete Partner, and Tata Structura the Associate Partner.

Commenting on his partnership with CWAB 2022, Ashish Bhasin, Founder and Managing Director, Marmo Solutions, said, “This was our first year of partnering with CWAB and it has been a prolific experience – an evening that celebrates victory among the top notch and emerging architects and builders of the industry. Right from the exclusive networking opportunity in the VIP pre-event to being a part of presenting the awards, wegot the opportunity to interact with the industry and come close to understanding its requirements. Marmo Solutions believes in ensuring quality, which is what we experienced in this partnership as well.”

For his part, Dinesh Agarwal, Joint Managing Director, Panasonic Life Solutions, shared, “Over the years, CWAB has built strong credibility of recognition for exemplary architecture and interior work and residential/commercial projects. Panasonic is committed to providing products and technology solutions for creating these modern infrastructure and spaces.”

“It has been a great industry opportunity for KEI Industries to be part of CWAB 2022,” said Anil Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, KEI Industries. “We had insightful exchanges with the winners of the awards and other stakeholders present during the event. The interactions and response on KEI from everyone present at the event were excellent and we look forward to continuing sharing our knowledge, products and services at such forums for fruitful business associations.”

And the celebration continued!