The JIIA-Anchor awards, instituted in 1989, recognise outstanding architectural contribution in six categories: residential, public, interiors, industrial, landscape design and research. This year, the winners in the residential category were Ravi Gadre, Sanjay Puri and Ashok Mody for having designed Gadre House in Pune, Aishwarya in Vadodara and Antara in Panchgani, respectively. These are either single dwellings or multi-family dwellings, and include shelters, apartment blocks and housing complexes.

Parul Zaveri and her husband, Nimish Patel, who designed the Torrent Research Centre for the pharmaceutical company in Ahmedabad, won the award for public architecture. The jury said of their work, "The design is an excellent effort to evolve an architectural form out of the concerns for energy conservation, an eco-friendly approach, use of locally manufactured equipment and locally available technology."

Zaveri and Patel lived and worked in the US, and then in Nigeria, before they returned to India in 1979. They set up a consultancy named Abhikram, which now focusses on historic settlements. The couple is committed to the conservation of India's heritage and have adopted a policy of preservation towards architecture. They call their work a combination of traditional methods, innovative ideas and resource management, and believe that architecture should establish a continuity with the past. They have received much recognition for this approach and been covered in national and international publications. Patel and Zaveri often travel to lecture at and participate in seminars and workshops around the world.

Another awardee in the public architecture was Christopher Charles Benninger, who won a commendation for the Mahindra United World College in Pune. Incidentally, this award appreciates buildings and complexes made for the government or for public and private sector organisations. The buildings could have been designed for administrative, commercial, religious or educational purposes. Another category in the JIIA-Anchor awards is that of interior design. And here the proud winner was Percy Kuttar, creator of the Mumbai Sheetal Design Studio. The jury found the studio an "excellent combination of abstract forms, pleasing colours, functional lighting and elegant furnishing".

Kuttar is a graduate from the JJ College of Architecture. He trained with a Mumbai firm for about seven years before he set up 4.4 Design with three like-minded designers who stood for a contemporary approach. Since its inception in 1993, 4.4 Design has executed many architectural and interior projects. Although these varied in style and scale, Kuttar feels they were united by his analytical and utilitarian approach. His firm has won two awards from the journal, Indian Architect and Builders, in the past year.

JIIA-Anchor gives out awards in the industrial category. This year, the honour was conferred upon Akshaya Jain and Raka Chakravarthy for a garment export factory the team designed in Faridabad.

Pune's Pharoah Club House won the honour for landscape design. Vikas and NIlima Bhosekar received this award, which honours open spaces that serve any public or private use, not necessarily in the context of an architectural project.

Rajratna Jadhav's work on `Eastern Regionalism and an Indian Identity' was also appreciated by the jury in the research category. The judges liked the architect's insight into professionals, who were trying to assert their regionalism as well as their Indianness in their designs.

Vasant Ranade, chairperson of the Publishing Board of JIIA, commented, "As the premiere architectural association in the country, the IIA constantly strives to promote the cause of architecture in India. The increasing number of entries received each year and the diverse nature of projects clearly reflects the growth of the profession. It also shows that our talented Indian architects are second to none."

Judging by the photographs of the winning structures, one might agree.