Milestone Experion Centre to be the first commercial building in Gurugram which will make the best use of the site to improve the thermal performance in the climatic conditions of the city
New Delhi: In an endeavour towards development of sustainable buildings in Gurugram, GRIHA Council organized the GRIHA-NASA Trophy at the 8th GRIHA Summit. Sinhgad College of Architecture won the Trophy at the 59th Annual NASA Convention 2016-17, organised with the support of Experion Developers, Gurugram. The GRIHA-NASA Trophy is awarded by The GRIHA Council under the aegis of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, in partnership with the National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA).
This year the competition required students to design a sustainable office complex for Experion Developers, a reputed developer committed to sustainable development. The complex, situated at the 32nd Milestone, NH8, Gurugram, was expected to make the best use of the site while providing special attention to massing, solar orientation, wind movement and passive cooling systems. The proposed design was not only required to be designed with least environmental footprint, but also to create spaces that inspire and inculcate environmentally responsible attitude in all the visitors to the complex. The design required to demonstrate the architectural strategies to inculcate sustainable behaviour of the users. The idea is to highlight the climate responsive and passive features of the proposal. The design will create the energy and resource future through green commercial buildings suitable to Gurugram.
The competition this year witnessed an overwhelming response from the students with participation from 73 colleges. The entries were evaluated by an eminent panel of members, comprising renowned names from the fields of architecture and green building – Architect Pranay Deep, Architect Sangeeta Maithel, Mr. M Ramachandran, Sr. General Manager (MEO – Services), Experion Developer Pvt. Ltd.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI and President, GRIHA Council, said, “Extensive participation from the students in GRIHA NASA Trophy is an encouragement in itself. This shows the dedication and enthusiasm from the future generation towards a green future. This competition presents the challenges that students will face in their profession later on. These students will be seen as torch bearers of the future green constructions.”
The designs were evaluated on two parameters – 70% on the basis of innovation in architectural design in terms of effectiveness of the design in influencing user behaviour to be more sustainable through spatial experience, and 30% on the presentation of the scheme.
Besides Sinhgad College of Architecture, the winner of the competition, several other institutes, such as the Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics at Jamia Millia Islamia; Academy of Architecture, Mumbai and Vastukala Academy, College of Architecture, received special mention for their designs.
About NASA India
The National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA) India is the largest architectural student body of Indian sub-continent with more than 200 member colleges. The main aim of NASA India is to facilitate interaction among students of architecture from all over the country and provide a knowledge sharing platform. NASA India holds several events at the zonal level and one annual convention at the national level. During these events several competitions for various design trophies are conducted.
GRIHA & NASA Collaboration
GRIHA council and NASA India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly promote the concept of green buildings and sustainable habitat through the GRIHA platform and sensitize students towards sustainable design. As part of this MoU, GRIHA Council and NASA shall cooperate to execute the GRIHA trophy at NASA annual conventions. Students from NASA member colleges across the country participate to compete for the GRIHA Trophy, which is adjudged by a prominent jury. The winning entries get showcased during the annual GRIHA Summit, where students are invited to share their designs and schemes with participating delegates.