Nirmal – An Inter College Design Competition 2021-22

Event	NIRMAL – An Inter College Design Competition 2021-22
Session	2021 - 22
Years	B. Arch - 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Year
Date	30th November, 2021
Venue	Zoom webinar, Youtube
Faculty	Prof. Smita Dalvi, Prof. Kavita Sawan
Youtube Link	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOoR6dzPNR8

MES Pillai College of Architecture, New Panvel (PiCA) in association with the Soroptimist Welfare Association (SIBC) announced ‘NIRMAL’ – an inter-college design competition to observe the World Toilet Day. It is an official United Nations international observance day celebrated on 19th November every year to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. This action is linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of “water and sanitation for all by 2030”. https://www.un.org/en/observances/toilet-day.

The aim of the competition was to raise awareness about providing access to sanitation for all and to explore the role of architectural design in improving the quality, usability and cultural image of such facilities. The focus of the competition was on the Navi Mumbai and Panvel region, such that architecture students can contribute creative solutions to meet the goals of inclusive development of the area where they are studying. The design competition was open for students of architecture currently studying in the architecture colleges in the region of Navi Mumbai.

The event was graced by the appearance of chief guest Ms. Yvette Lee , President of Soroptimist Welfare Association (SIBC), members of SIBC, Juror Ar. Parul Kumtha, faculties and students of PiCA and PHOC

Details of the Competition:
NIRMAL 2021 Competition Brief

“How can a utility such as a community toilet can become a catalyst for social
change?” This is the central question that this competition addressed in the context of Navi
Mumbai region. The architecture of the community toilets were addressed with a fresh approach. Here, the emphasis was on sensitive programme formulation and innovative design strategies rather than mere technical solutions.

The participants were instructed to select a slum pocket or an informal settlement (or a portion of it) in Navi Mumbai or Panvel Municipal areas to locate their design of a community toilet facility. They were advised to select the location from the listing of such settlements created by the Shelter Associates by making the use of their mapping and database availability in public domain. https://shelter-associates.org/index.php#map-plugin

The participants addressed the following concerns in their design proposals:

The role of design programme and space planning in community toilets.
The role of architectural design in achieving a good standard of hygiene.
Appropriate design response to the chosen context and users.
Innovation in public toilet architecture for inducing a change in the perception and cultural acceptability of a community facility.

Schedule for NIRMAL 2021
1st November: Announcement of the competition brief and opening of online registration
10th November: Last date for registration
15th November: Last date for emailing queries by the registered participants. ndc@mes.ac.in The queries will be clubbed and responses will be mailed to all registered teams.
19th November: Special Guest Lecture by Ar. Pratima Joshi, Executive Director of Shelters Associates. On the occasion of the World Toilet Day (Online mode).
4th December: Last date of submission of competition entries by the registered participants.
20th January: Announcement of the result, jury comments and display of winning entries.

We received 60 registrations for the competition. Team one handled the process of registration. Participants registered for the competition by filling up the online form. They were provided with unique team numbers. The final submissions were accepted as anonymous entries. 13 entries were forwarded to Team 2 which was led by Prof. Smita Dalvi. It was then sent to the jurors Jury members Ar. Parul Kumtha and Dr. Mustansir Dalvi to select the winners.

Result of Nirmal 2020 competition :
Winner : Ajay Kushwaha, Shalin Kapadi

The design by the winning entry

First Runner Up: Darsheet Vora, Aniket Vajule, Shrisha Gujar

Design by First Runner Up team

Second Runner Up: Rau Tambat, Faiz Kasu, Suyash Ghodke
Popular Choice Award: Rau Tambat, Faiz Kasu, Suyash Ghodke

Design by Second Runner Up team

Prizes:
1st Prize: Rs. 10,000/- and certificate
2nd Prize: Rs. 6,000/- and certificate
3rd Prize: Rs. 4,000/- and certificate
Popular Choice Award: Rs. 1000/- and certificate

Digital certificates of participation are given to all eligible competition entrants.

Ar. Parul Kumtha, one of the jurors congratulated all the winners and addressed the students on this occasion. Chief Guest Ms. Yvette Lee expressed her gratitude for collaborating with Pica for the World Toilet Day initiative.

The Event was concluded by PiCA student Mudra Dhuri by giving a vote of thanks.