BNCA students shine at the 66th Annual NASA Design Competition (ANDC) of National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA, India)
Structure prepared from repurposed material provides nurturing environment for kids of construction labourers.
Pune : A team of students from MKSSS’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA) received special mention award (fourth rank) at the recently held 66th Annual NASA Design Competition of the National Association of Students of Architecture, India (NASA) organised at the Eranad Knowledge City College of Architecture, Kerala. The Competition received a total of 284 executed and BNCA ranked 4th after being shortlisted in the Top 51 entries in Stage one. This year the topic of the competition was centred around showcasing the transformative potential of repurposing discarded materials to create innovative spaces. The team created a special play and nurture environment for kids of construction labourers at a construction site in Pune. The project is aptly named “Ashray”, and is kindly supported by Wani Projects & Infra Pvt. Ltd & Shree Sairaj Buildcon.
Dr. Anurag Kashyap, Principal, BNCA congratulated the team of students and said that ‘This is a significant achievement as it aligns with our approach to imbibe solution-oriented thinking among students that will foster a culture of innovation and creativity’.
Prof. Mahesh Bangad said that our task encompassed not only conceptualization but also the physical construction, utilization, and documentation of our project. To meet these requirements, our team of 80 students from various academic years of MKSSS’s Dr Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women, collaborated diligently.
The team decided to utilize Earthbag technology, a sustainable construction method that repurposes waste materials, particularly construction debris. This decision aligned with BNCA’s commitment to environmental responsibility and resource efficiency. The material was used to create a nurturing and playful environment for the children of the labours residing in the labour camp at a construction site by Shree Sairaj Buildcon in Balewadi, Pune. The construction process involved building a continuous wall reinforced with steel bars for structural integrity and a roof supported by hexagonal wooden frames and waste flex material. For the flooring, layers of cow dung were utilized, adopting sustainable construction practices. The structure took shape with about 700 cement bags with site debris laid in a circular shape.
The project was led by Unit Secretary Sudiksha Anantharaman, Unit Designee Trupti Thapa, guided by Prof. Mahesh Bangad & Dr. Sharvey Dhongde (Vice-Principal, BNCA).
In conjunction with our project, the team organized a Donation Drive on the 66th NASA Foundation Day, collecting various items such as old toys, books, clothes for the underprivileged children at the site. The construction site was complete with installation of wireless lighting and placing discarded cement-testing blocks on the site boundaries. The project was completed with compiling on-site footage and preparing documentation, which was presented at the Annual NASA Convention.
