The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), organised a ‘Seminar on Campus Development: Reflection and Future Direction’ on June 27, to celebrate the dedicated engagement and significant involvement of various stakeholders in the completion and operationalization of its phase 1 projects. The seminar also touched upon the future development of the projects.
Among the guests were Professor Sudhir K Jain, Founding Director of IITGN and current Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University; Professor Amit Prashant, Officiating Director of IITGN; and other participants of the IITGN campus development, including architects, CPWD engineers, contractors, and professors, staff, and students of the Institute.
During his remarks, Prof Jain reflected on the process and unusual collaboration shown by all stakeholders in the building of the IITGN campus. He said, “IITGN has done a tremendous job in the development of the campus, be it in terms of design, cost or quality, all because of the guiding principles that were followed, including building a good team, having transparency, an ethical ecosystem, open dialogue, conviction and courage, hard work, and most importantly, extraordinary collaboration and cooperation among various stakeholders. This spirit and good intentions that everyone worked with to create a good project have made the IITGN campus one of the most admired educational campuses in the country. I am sure that if these principles are applied in any projects, the results will be outstanding.”
In addition to Prof Jain’s address, Prof Harish P M, former Dean of Campus Development of IITGN; members of the Building and Works Committee of the Institute; Manu Mittal of CPWD; P K Chopra, Registrar of IITGN; L P Srivastava, Advisor of IWD at IITGN; and other stakeholders shared their experiences from various stages of campus development of IITGN. Many of them also shared their deep admiration for the Institute’s commitment to the welfare of the campus construction workers, even during the most challenging time of the Covid Pandemic.
At the event’s conclusion, Prof Amit Prashant called for the extraordinary collaboration to continue and for the campus to establish new benchmarks. He said, “IITGN has showcased how the collective efforts by a large and heterogeneous team can create extraordinary projects. The Institute has done path-breaking work in campus development in the past ten years under the leadership of Professor Jain, and some of our practices are now followed by many institutions and architects. It is now our collective responsibility to maintain the beauty of the campus. Let us continue this journey with our shared vision to take this institute to newer heights.”
The planning and execution of various construction projects have earned IITGN widespread appreciation and several national awards. These accolades include a 5-star GRIHA LD rating, HUDCO Design Awards 2015, YES Bank Natural Capital Award 2018 under the Eco Campus category, One District One Green Champion Award 2020-21, and second prize in the National Water Award 2020 (in the category of ‘Best Institution/Resident Welfare Association/Religious Organisation for Campus Usage’), among others. Most recently, the Institute has won the ‘AESA Award 2022’ in the non-residential institutional category for its Central Arcade building.
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