(February 2010) December 2009 marked the first presentation of the All India Stone Architectural Awards (AISAA). The award-winning objects, distributed in three categories: interior, exterior and landscape design, simply must be seen. The awards were distributed by the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS). 29 Architects were in the running.
Jayant Dharap (Forethought Design) calls his demarcation „Wall of the 340 Shadows“ designed for living quarters in the city of Pune, or Poona as it is known in the Western World. The wall is comprised of 340 vertical stone slabs or „fins“ as the architect calls them. The rhythmical repetition of gaps draw ever-changing lines depending on the position of the sun or the perspective of the beholder. The slabs are 3 cm thick and 28 cm wide. They are made of White Makrana Adanga Marble.
An innovative use for stone slabs was realized by Gaurav Bhatnagar (Mail) in the Anokhi Shop in Jaipur: He perpendicularly installed sandstone slabs to attach the clothes-hangers or the shelves. The slabs’ thickness of 5 cm assures that the arrangement can bear heavy loads. The size of the slabs is 90 cm x 1,80 m.
The material employed is Teak Sandstone named so because of similarity to the wood. The surface is bush hammered. The slabs stand demurely perched on a pedestal of the same stone. At the walls, the slabs serve as separators into which wooden shelving is fitted. The bottom is comprised of large-size Rainbow limestone tiles.
Anokhi is one of the most renowned textile manufacturers of India. The idea was to give the showrooms something unique, modern but at the same time robust and traditional according the architect. He points out a unique characteristic in working with the huge stone slabs: special care was needed to ensure that the corners didn’t chip or break away.
With Birkha Bawari near the city of Jodhpur, Architect A (Anu) Mridul succeeded in combining the traditional with the modern in designing a so called water harvesting scheme: the facility employed the classical forms of regional architecture as well as the local Rajasthan lime stone Red Jodhpur also known as Chittar Stone.
The facility is comprised of 14 pools spread over 235 m in a row. On average the pools measure 9 m wide and 18 m in depth. The total volume is approx. 150 million litres. The walls of the cistern are made of limestone. Also the separators between the pools are made of stone, though their appearance is that of wood. The red and beige stone’s claim to fame was attained through Umaid Bhawan Palace.
Center for Development of Stones
Fotos: CDOS
Other prizes:
Pinnacle Awards, USA
Prism Awards, USA
American Society of Landscape Architects
International Stone Architecture Award, Italy
Premios Macael, Spain (Spanish)