To say that Transparence 2009 was a success would be more than an understatement. It would be equivalent to attempting to throw some light on the sun.

28th December 2009, SRM University Campus, G.P Ganesan Auditorium. That’s where it all happened. Transparence blended in with the annual NASA Convention – organized at the same venue on the same day.

In this fourth edition, Transparence proved that it was much more than just an architecture design competition. What started off as a humble attempt to provide students of architecture a platform to showcase their talent, ended up as a lesson in architecture, hard work, innovation, creativity, perseverance and much more for everyone present. At Transparence this year, the students taught more than they learnt. It is well and truly said – Child is the Father of Man.

After a warm welcome and review of the regional rounds through an enjoyable audio-visual, the mentor of the event, Ar. Vidur Bharadwaj delivered an interesting speech. Without much ado, the jury was introduced and the presentations plunged into. Ar. SR Sikka, Ar. I. Zachariah and Ar. Christopher Beninger kindly consented to be the judges.

Eight teams – Two from each of the North, South, West and East regions – competed in the war that was Transparence. The sky was the limit; for a seemingly limitedly-scoped theme (“Ecotel” – an eco-friendly, green hotel building), the students sure came up with some outstanding ideas.  Right from forms of nature to fairy tale-like la la lands, they had it all.

The winning concept was “Evolve with nature; nature’s impression in design; a design inspired by elements of nature”. The award was bagged by a team of three enthusiastic youngsters from Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai. The runners up were the IIT Kharagpur team, which used water as the primary element of design conceptualization, mostly in terms of rainwater harvesting and optimum utilization of this life-giving substance. The first runner-up prize was bagged jointly by teams from IIT Roorkee and SAP Chennai, who worked on the concepts of “Bubbles” and “Eco-Village” respectively.

Renowned Architect Karan Grover stood out in the event through his brilliant presentation on Green Architecture, which comprised not just drab powerpoint slides but several videos, images and relevant examples that drove home every point he made.

Saint-Gobain Glass also took this opportunity to launch SGG Envision, its latest offering in architectural glass. Ar. CN Raghavendran did the launch honours.

The end of Transparence 2009 marked the beginning of Transparence 2010, the theme for which was duly unveiled and revealed to be “An International Convention Centre”, and Ar. Niteen Parulekar was proclaimed the mentor.

All in all, the Grand Finale of Transparence 2009 was a truly memorable affair.

Press Coverage of Transparence 2009