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Piecing together disparate objects, dimensions and logistics for their master plan, students of Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture are not unlike weavers. Sitting together through the days and burning the midnight lamp, all to see a victorious design, “The only aim was to win at the National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA) Convention. This, when 91 renowned architecture colleges from across India were participating against our college, which is a relatively new college and none of the colleges from the region had made a mark in this one in the past,” chorus Jagwinder Singh and his team of ten members, still unable to believe that they won the first prize in ‘Low-cost Housing as part of Slum Redevelopment Program’.
Started as a juvenile effort, the first hurdle of selecting the site went peacefully well, they tell us. “It’s after the three acres of Madras Colony, Sector 26, was selected as the site for development that we faced the initial challenge. We had to rehabilitate 600 low-cost dwellings in 25 square meter each,” Monica Verma recalls how the green architecture concept was the first thought. “We decided on a plan having common walls, minimum number of doors and frameless windows and use of cheap building material and filler slabs,” lists Mayank Jain. From there on the design element took on, where community spaces, brick facades and green zones dominated all else. “And in two weeks the presentations were done and we were in Pune contesting with the best,” smiles Jain, going back four months when they were treated as underdogs and were mere observers in the association. “And now not only have we won the prize, we have been given the charge of publishing the annual magazine of NASA IndianArch and plan to host the Zonal NASA convention in the campus in June-July,” they chirp. Now that’s what we call a clean sweep!
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