The winner of the Gold in the Interior Design category of the AYDA India Awards shares his experience

Shivam Singh designed a socio-cultural hub that would allow regional craftspeople to display their wares

Shivam Singh will go on to represent India at the grand finale of the AYDA Awards | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The theme for the 2022 edition of the AYDA awards India by Nippon Paint was “Converge: Pushing the Reset Button”. I was shortlisted in the Interior Design category from among 450 contestants. During the last leg, one-on-one mentorship sessions helped me streamline my final presentation.

The finale gave me a chance to meet and interact with a panel of prominent architects and interior designers from across the country and to present my designs and answer questions from the jury in a live session.

For regional crafts

My project was to create a socio-cultural hub that would open new employment opportunities for regional craftspeople. Today, people are migrating to metropolitan areas in search of better living conditions. My goal was to give people a stage to display their talents and share their understanding of culture and craftsmanship. By utilising locally accessible materials like Dholapur Beige stone and Dholapur Red stone, the museum’s carbon footprint can be reduced. While villagers will be encouraged to enjoy the museum as a part of their legacy and culture, visitors will be given a glimpse into the villagers’ daily lives.

By using clean lines and a calming colour scheme reflecting the underlying principle of the villager’s philosophy, I incorporated sunken courtyards between the buildings to passively cool down the space and also use it for other purposes such as Pottery making, stone crafting and bangle making. Steps were taken to ensure that the light distribution in the workshop replicates the building’s façade and produces simple shadows while affording seclusion behind the glass. Skylights enhance the natural light and create shadows on the local stone floor. The studio’s functional setting upholds the objective of making art available to everyone.

The AYDA platform not only encourages budding student architects but also gives us a chance to learn about each other’s diverse backgrounds across a range of categories. The competition not only recognises our achievements but also provides a space for networking, learning, and growth. Winning the gold in the Interior Design category gives me a chance to represent India on the global stage later this year. I will be competing against finalists from 16 other countries, which will be a more intense and fruitful learning experience.

The writer is a graduate from the Chandigarh College of Architecture.