CEPT University of Ahmedabad has regularly taken up initiatives to inspire, encourage and support students and their creativity. One such project is the university’s The Young Talent Architecture Award that was launched in 2020. This Award is part of of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, Mies van der Rohe Award. The initiative came about when an independent Asia edition was organized with the four strategic partners of the European Union that are China, India, Japan and South Korea in 2020.
This award is aimed at connecting talented students with renowned architecture firms and institutions and open up scores of opportunities for them. Through YTAA, recently graduated architects, urban planners and landscape architects can connect with the right firms and take a step towards their path to success. These young men will have a golden opportunity to develop strategies and synergies with firms and institutions of their interest. Supporting these students is essential as they will be the ones responsible for transforming the environment in the future.
This year, the award’s theme was ‘Role of informal spaces in modern urban planning’, and many intelligent and hardworking students of architecture participated. Today, an exhibition was inaugurated at the Lilavati Lalbhai Library of the university, where works from the students were showcased. Mohan Rao, an eminent landscape architect from Bengaluru, gave the inaugural speech at the event.
CEPT Alum Shreeni Benjamin is one of the three winners of the Asian Edition of the YTAA. Benjamin’s entry, based on her thesis, is on coastal management, which is one of the most important parameters to be considered in urban planning for a resilient future. Her project is focused on the island of Aliabet, a part of the river Narmada’s estuary, which has formed connections with the mainland due to the depositions afflicted by the anthropogenic activities.
