UltraTech Cement's IndiaNext initiative's 4th edition concludes

UltraTech Cement, an Aditya Birla Group Company and India's largest manufacturer of cement and concrete, has concluded the final round of the 4th edition of its IndiaNext initiative in Mumbai.

Three winners have emerged from the shortlisted zonal round in each of the three categories: individual or multi-family housing; community facility and infrastructural solution.

From the individual house or multi-family housing category, the 'Aqueous Communes' entry - MAD(E) in Mumbai Team was adjudged the winner for providing a replicable model solution for flood resilient homes while in the 'Community facility' category, the 'Village Social'- MAD(E) in Mumbai team was awarded for laying down an effective concept for a community centre where people could interact amongst themselves and discuss growth alternatives.

Lastly from the 'Infrastructural facility' category, MA Architects was declared a winner for providing a versatile solution derived from light concrete that utilises recycled waste to solve the infrastructural issues across villages in India.

Special Mention award in the Infrastructural Solution category from amongst the final round of participants was given to Daisaria Associates for their LECO tool kit concept.

Additionally, prizes were also in store for the National student winner in the Community Facility category, which was won by Omdayal School of Architecture and two student runners-ups in the Individual house or Multi-family housing category which was won by Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology and Jamia Millia Islamia University respectively.

The 4th edition is focused on making India's villages self-sufficient and progressive through its 'Village2047' theme. The participants were challenged with the task of identifying a model village listed under the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan having a pressing architectural, planning or infrastructural issue.

Participants needed to analyse the social, structural, spatial and economic point of view and further use it to design an individual house or multi-family housing, community facility or an infrastructural facility that would effectively improve the quality of life of the inhabitants.

Having received overwhelming participation in all the above three categories, the zonal winners advanced to the Finale round that was conducted in Mumbai on 18th October where a jury consisting of 13 eminent personalities critically evaluated them and eventually identified the winner in each category.

Apart from the prize money, all shortlisted ideas received detailed scrutiny from the jury panel and the feedback provided to the participants is expected to act as a catalyst in their quest to honing their creative skills to develop infrastructural solutions for problems that plague India today.

Through the IndiaNext initiative, UltraTech Cement has successfully established an annual platform that offers the most noted professionals and brightest of students from the engineering and architecture sector to bring forth solutions to the most pressing need of the hour of independent India and help set a revolution of innovation in building solutions.

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