COMPETITION BRIEF

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“Smart habitation is... where the rural and urban divide is reduced to
a very thin line.”

- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

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THE
INDIANEXT INITIATIVE

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At the core of every IndiaNext competition hosted by UltraTech Cement lies the
determined endeavour to take up some of the biggest challenges currently facing the
country. At the same time, it also understands that the solutions to these challenges are
likely to be too huge for one set of professionals to put together. Hence, the initiative
creates a collaborative environment and brings together the best of minds to address
them.

Over the past few years, critical areas like smart city planning, skill development, efficient
mobility and public transport, water, sanitation and waste management, along with housing
for a bursting population have been successfully ventured into. In the last three years,
IndiaNext has leveraged the vision and skills of engineers, architects and builders from
across the country to design for tomorrow’s India.

As it enters Edition 04, IndiaNext, true to tradition, delves right into the heart of a vision that
is steadily turning real. India lives in its villages and that is where our future is evolving. The
initiative is set to explore the compelling dynamics of development through a reality that
cannot or rather, should not be denied anymore. Even before we live the 100 years of
freedom between 1947 and 2047, this competition is poised to go beyond
preconceptions and prejudices and design Village 2047.

THE
STATE OF AFFAIRS

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In 2047 India will celebrate a hundred years of independence. While there will be various
parameters to measure the nation’s progress, the yardstick that will ultimately define our
country’s ‘development’ in the most succinct terms is already emerging and shaping itself
in the most transformative of ways - the rural landscape. 70% of India’s population –
roughly one-tenth of humanity – live in the villages. Isn’t it logical then to assume that their
ability to offer fulfilling lives to their inhabitants is germinal to India’s future as a great global
power? In fact, an India with 6,49,481 self-sufficient progressive villages is a far bigger and
more sustainable opportunity to drive growth than trying to convert the already stifled
chaotic urban environments into “smart cities” like the rest of the world is attempting to do.

Fortunately for us, the question is rhetorical; the Indian rural landscape is no more a
dormant mine of potential. It is well on its way to realising and optimising its inherent
possibilities. Statistics clearly show that a rural to rural migration is far greater than the rural
to urban one, and is an indicator that larger villages are now seen as a more viable
economic option than cities.

The current government, clearly seeing the opportunity to redress the skewed path of
economic development for India has tipped the balance of energies towards the Indian
villages through the introduction of two of the most publicised policies, the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyaan (SBM) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), along with the cluster of 7
schemes under the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan - PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar
Yojana - Saubhagya, Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All Yojana, PM Jan Dhan Yojana,
PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indra-Dhanush.
These initiatives also underline the fact that rural India is growing in strength and is claiming
a greater share of the budget allocation.

However, the fact remains it is not in the progress of rural India that
opportunities lie for India; it is in today’s evolving rural India that progressive
opportunities lie for the rest of this country.

This state of transforming rural India finds mention in these following articles:

Transforming Indian Villages: anilg.sristi.org/transforming-indian-villages-through-

innovations-knowledge-network.

Digital Villages: http://www.vnl.in/media/5026/concept-document_digital-

villages_r12.pdf

Making Villages Smarter: https://theprint.in/economy/the-key-to-transforming-of-

india/30823/

Village Homestays: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/bed-breakfast-

and-a-fat-bank-balance/articleshowprint/62398393.cms

Telemedicine in Villages: https://www.voanews.com/a/telemedicine-transforming-rural-

india-94837509/165754.html

Smart Gaons: http://mtinews.in/how-mobile-technology-is-transforming-rural-india-to-

become-smart-gaons/

Transforming Rural India: https://rural.nic.in/media/ebook1

Rural Telephony: http://www.usidfoundation.org/usid2009/callforpapers/papers/Paper-

P-00024.pdf
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THE
OPPORTUNITY

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Most engineers and architects are based in and practice in urban or peri-urban areas. The
current urban professional and educational view is far removed from the reality that is the
new Indian village. IndiaNext is meant to be both a reality check and the opportunity to
align the course of development along the lines of progress. It is the one big chance to
ride the renaissance of rural resurgence that will call for the questioning of long held
conventional beliefs in building and make way for participation in the making of the nation’s
future.

Question all assumptions; the contemporary Indian village is beyond the urban dictionary.

Rural India is no longer the stereotypical gaon with thatched roofs looking towards the big
city in star-struck wonder. In reality, the local village child sports the latest haircut, listens to
the latest chartbuster, while his father is busy navigating the web to look for global
solutions to crop-yield issues. His mother, like the others in the village, though illiterate,
isn’t idle either. In all likelihood, she is adding to the family income through well-organised
home-stays and the sale of local crafts. What’s more, today’s nouveau rich farmer is clear
he wants the house of his dreams to look like the image he Googled yesterday.

In rural India, are tomorrow’s clients. See the opportunities?

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Data indicates:

A. The migration is not solely rural to urban but rural to rural, as smaller villages are
getting subsumed by larger ones.
B. The increase in per capita monthly expenditure of rural edging out urban India in
2009-12 by a clear 2%.
C. 20% of the villages with a population above 2000 account for 60% of rural wealth.
D. Rural India has a mobile base of 383 million subscribers.
E. There are more rural supermarkets in India than in all of the USA!

While the ambitions are articulate and income is available, house builders and local
contractors rarely benefit from the breadth of the knowledge and experience available with
the urban educated architect or engineer. The opportunity therefore lies in developing a
unique identity that is cognizant of the need of the landscape without the shallowness of
an ‘urban imposition’.

The challenge of this competition is to disabuse any perceptions of the rural segment as
being in need of deliverance. On the contrary, the idea is to interpret their aspirations,
infuse it with world-class design sensibility and create an architectural template that suits
the new progressive rural consciousness.

The competition aligns itself closely with The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin and the
objective of the Union Ministry of Rural Development to provide pucca homes to each rural
household by 2022.

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THE
CHALLENGE

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1. Identify a Village:
The Government, through the Ministry of Rural Development, has identified villages under
the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (see Annexure A) which can be benefitted immediately. Select a
village of 10,000-20,000+ inhabitants that falls in this list and is geographically accessible
to be studied in earnest. A thorough study of its facilities and drawbacks, will be an eye-
opener but will also provide the basis on which to propose the intervention. The process
will require identification of atleast one unique feature of the village - structural or
environmental, and one pressing architectural, planning or infrastructural issue, the solution
of for which will form the basis of this competition.

Refer to Annexure A: List of Villages by Area and Population

https://rural.nic.in/gram-swaraj-abhiyan
Download the pdf titled Updated List of Villages.





2. Generate the Design Brief:
The village study will provide a blueprint for building a brief. A substantial portion of the brief
should enumerate the spatial, social, structural and economic nature of the village. The
analysis will be critical in determining how well the design solution works. Delineate a brief
for a house, community structure or an infrastructure facility for the village. The participant
is also free to look beyond these three identified aspects and focus on a new issue; in
which case the criteria for section, the challenges and the implied impact of design should
be clearly mentioned.

The brief should address the area under consideration, the immediate context in which the
design is proposed and any planning and infrastructure factors that may be critical impetus
in the design direction proposed.

Articulate the design brief within the given parameters.

Refer Annexure B for Design Brief for the House

Refer Annexure C for Design of Community Space

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3. Respond to the Brief:
The design intervention should be one that improves the quality of life of the individual
householder or a community. The design is for a buildable structure but should have the
potential to be replicated or form the basis for a prototype.

The design has to have a real-time feel but may be futuristic in intent. The idea of this
competition is to indicate a willingness to partner the government and industry to actualise
the vision that is Village 2047. Certain assumptions maybe made based on the study
made by the participant and these must be clearly enumerated in order to be read in
conjunction with the brief.

These assumptions should encompass the current aspirations of the village dwellers as
well as keep an eye on international trends on environment, sustainability and economic
models.

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THE
COMPETITION CATEGORIES

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Within the context of the evolving realities in rural India, IndiaNext has identified the
following three areas of buildable design interventions. Participants are free to select any
one for their submission or explore a fourth option that they think is more relevant in the
current scenario. In which case, the submission should clearly state the argument for the
selection:

• The Need
• The Challenge
• The Opportunity
• The Intervention Idea

The site and design selection criteria remain the same as per the suggested categories.

The suggested categories are:

A. Individual House or Multi-family Housing

B. Community Facility
C. Infrastructural Solution

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 A. INDIVIDUAL HOUSE OR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING

SITE SELECTION
1. The plot for the house/housing must be an actual site with accurate dimensions
and the site details should be corroborated by photographs, basic outline of the
plot and its surroundings, existing and possibly proposed infrastructure, as part of
the brief. It could be a house currently under development that would give in-depth
information on the infrastructure and environmental conditions.
2. Ideally a greenfield site - that frees up an existing incumbent government land, land
parcels of the government which could be put to better and more efficient use -
would be even more beneficial. Participants are to probe realistic and practical
ways of finding a setting for their ideas. If the local governing body already has
earmarked sites and areas for the PMAY-G, this would be ideal.
3. The local bye-laws should be identified and adhered to as far as possible.

DESIGN CRITERIA
1. The individual house must adhere to the Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojana-Gramin
(PMAY-G) guidelines and have a minimum area of 25 sq.mt., with kitchen and
sanitation facilities included.
2. The house must serve a family of 4-5 people. If the study indicates other family
sizes, it can be shown as a design option.
3. Climatic and seismic guidelines must be identified and the design must respond to
the same.
4. Local materials and technologies, indigenous skills can be incorporated in the
construction technology proposed for the construction, while complying with the
PMAY-G area-specific guidelines where available.
5. An estimated costing must be included, based on the PMAY-G guidelines. (Refer
Annexure B)
6. The house should have the capability to scale up incrementally and become a 2 or
3 family house or a mixed-use space and provisions for such should be built into
the design. With a view on 2047, the scalability and adaptability to future scenarios
will be crucial.
7. The design should be a readily replicable one, and one that could be used in
varying plot sizes or conditions if possible. These iterations should be shown as
part of the design solution.
8. The design must be able to generate a unique design identity which is aligned to
the aspirations of the new Indian village, and fulfils the promise that is envisioned as
Village 2047.

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 9. The design must demonstrate how it responds to the street (and its neighbouring
houses/context) and existing infrastructure, if any.
10. Designs that build in sustainability, alternative energy sources and are GRIHA-rating
compliant will be rated higher. Eg. If the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All
Yojana is able to dovetail into the proposal, it may be a bonus.
11. The presentation must have a complete conceptual set of architectural, services
and structural drawings along with views and sketches to explain the scheme and
its features.


































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B. COMMUNITY FACILITY

SITE SELECTION
1. The plot for the community facility must be an actual site with accurate dimensions
and the site details should be corroborated by photographs, basic outline of the
plot and its surroundings as part of the brief. Like the individual house, details of the
existing and proposed infrastructure, neighbourhood planning initiatives mentioned
by the locals should also find a mention here.
2. Ideally a greenfield site - that frees up an existing incumbent government land, land
parcels of the government which could be put to better and more efficient use -
would be beneficial. Participants are to probe realistic and practical ways of finding
a setting for their ideas.
3. The local bye-laws should be identified and adhered to as far as possible.

DESIGN CRITERIA
1. The function of the facility must be based on the study done by the participants. It
should ideally address the needs or aspirations of the particular village selected.
2. The area of the facility should be approximately 300-500 sq.mt. Any variations from
these areas should be justified by the participant. (The basic area guidelines are
given in Annexure C.)
3. Climatic and seismic guidelines must be identified and the design must respond to
the same.
4. Local materials and technologies, indigenous skills can be incorporated in the
construction technology proposed for the construction, while complying with the
PMAY-G area-specific guidelines where available.
5. The design must be able to generate a unique design identity which is aligned to
the aspirations of the new Indian village.
6. Response to the street/square it stands in must be articulated including
public ingress/egress according to statutory safety guidelines.
7. Designs that build in sustainability, alternative energy sources and are GRIHA rating
compliant will be rated higher.
8. The presentation must have a complete conceptual set of architectural, services
and structural drawings along with views and sketches with estimated costing to
explain the scheme and its features.

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C. INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTION

PROBLEM SELECTION
1. The issues facing the selected village must be listed and a strong case made for
the issue selected over others.
2. The current situation must be documented through photographs, sketches and
data over a minimum of 3-5 years where required
3. Solutions attempted locally, if any, must be referred and acknowledged.

SOLUTION
1. Present the solution with reference to governmental schemes where relevant.
2. Materiality, resources to be employed should be detailed out.
3. Estimated costing - phase-wise if required - to be given.
4. Multiple approaches to the issue maybe given as part of the presentation.
5. The solution must be comprehensive and constructible
6. The impact on the village and villagers’ lives must be explained completely.
If the solution encompasses more than a single infrastructure segment, then the details of
both must be given equally. If there are multiple parts of the same solution, or are inter-
related then the processes and costing for all must be given.

(Refer Annexure D for Design of Infrastructure)

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EVALUATION
CRITERIA

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The Jury will evaluate entries on the basis of a balanced approach between interpretation
of the concept through the medium of local materials including cement/concrete, design
aesthetics, technical excellence and ability to inspire a global audience. Weightage will be
given on the due translation of the following parameters:

1. Clarity in Interpretation of the Competition Intent

• The entry/entries will be judged on how its design has the ability to resolve
the existing rural housing challenges and provide for a specific solution.
• The entry/entries will be judged on the originality of the idea in which the concept is
translated. Participating team/s are encouraged to establish the intent to
communicate the same through the support of visual and textual materials.
• The entry/entries will be judged on the basis of the longevity of its concept so that
its relevance continues to apply and inspire.

2. Speed of Construction
• The entry/entries will be assessed on how fast and accurately the proposal can
come to life and provide for the people under consideration.
• Special considerations will be given to proposals specifying the details of the
technology and material used in quantities, which can aid faster project
management methods to ensure speed of construction.

3. Balance between Aesthetics and Structural Efficiency within Given Area

• The entry/entries will be assessed on how it strikes an appropriate balance
between form, function, sustainability, longevity, aesthetics, finish and detailing.
• Across all stages, the Jury will take into consideration how the entry/entries pay
heed to structural efficiency, stability and building performance in the long term.

4. Innovation in Material Usage

• The entry/entries will be evaluated on how it has presented cement/concrete as
the main medium through innovation, in association with any other local
material. This can address aesthetic expression, structural systems, fabrication or
even finishing methods.
• The entry/entries will also be judged on the basis of how the primary material has
been used in juxtaposition with other mediums (e.g. wood, glass, technology etc.)
to highlight concrete’s properties and present the overall idea with ingenuity.

5. Responsibility to Economy & Environment

• The entry/entries will be judged on how the design maintains a responsibility
towards the environment in terms of fabrication, transportation, assembly and use
of green methods and the design’s ability to sustain green processes and practices
by the occupants of the houses.
• While resources and budget are listed as main criteria of evaluation, the
entry/entries will be assessed on how it can be constructed within reasonable
means to avoid unjustified expenditure.
• The economy of construction will be major criteria and participants are encouraged
to pursue the cost as low as possible.
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SUBMISSION
CRITERIA

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Please note that the entry/entries must be submitted as per the mentioned guidelines for it
to be considered valid. Any missing or incomplete information will be considered as a
basis of disqualification.

• The entry/entries must be submitted before 12-midnight on February 15th, 2019.

• The entry/entries can only be submitted online.
• Please plan accordingly to ensure that the entry/entries are uploaded within the
given deadline. Any submission/s delivered later than the above-mentioned date
will be disqualified, regardless of the reason.
• The entry/entries should not have the name of the participating team/s at any
place. Any non-compliance will render the entry/entries as disqualified.
• Each entry needs to be sent in separately with its unique identification code.
• Please do not combine multiple entries in the same entry.
• Each independent entry must be compliant with the following guidelines;

Submission Format Visual Representation

• Engineer and architect team/s will be required to submit detailed drawings (plans,
elevations, sections, 3D finished views etc.) and all relevant documents that will
explain the idea from the point of construction.
• This must be composed on a maximum of two A1 panels (2mb).
• If the participating engineering and architect team/s choose to submit a 3D
walkthrough, they must do so in FLV/AVI formats only.
• You can send it over to us via wetransfer or upload on any cloud storage
[ Google Drive ] and send link to us for download, along with your challenge-id
provided in admin profile after registering on info@ultratechindianext.com.

Submission Format Synopsis
• The participating engineer and architect team/s must accompany the visual
representation with a description of the concept in a synopsis of not more than
750-1000 words.
• The synopsis must be in English. Any handwritten notes or regional dialect texts will
be deemed invalid.
• The synopsis must be typed in size 12 Calibri font and be double-spaced.
• The synopsis must address the following issues:
- Establishing the Context – The issue at hand, problem identified and its
scope, potential hurdles in resolution
- Establishing the Concept - Description of the solution proposed, the
approach and its appropriateness
- Establishing the Idea - Description of the merits of the idea vis-à-vis the
evaluation criteria
- Brief profile of the participating engineer and architect team with full contact
details

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Please Note:

• Publishing copyrights to the winning entries will remain with the competition
organiser, who also reserves the right to publish the entries in any media it sees fit.
• Competition entries must not infringe the copyright of any other work, either in
whole or in part. Do not use images from magazines, books, or websites. If
copyright infringement is found, the proposal in question will be disqualified.
• In all the categories, entries must be adapted to a specific site in India, (any Indian
village having a population of over 10,000 as per 2011 census) with specific
reference to its surroundings, climatic conditions etc. The solutions should be seen
as a mass housing response sited on a specific identified village.

(Refer Annexure E- Checklist for Design Submission)

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ARCHITECTURAL
WORK REFERENCES

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1. B. V. Doshi – Ahmedabad

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, is an Indian architect considered to be an important figure of

South Asian architecture and noted for his contributions to the evolution of architectural
discourse in India. His more noteworthy designs include the Indian Institute of
Management, Bangalore and the Aranya Low Cost Housing development in Indore, which
was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In 2018, he became the first Indian
architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Project: Aranya Low Cost Housing

Type: Housing Location: Indore, India
Design Team: Vastushilpa Consultants

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Aranya, 6km from Indore, will eventually house a total population of 60,000 in 6,500
dwellings, on a net planning area of 85ha. The master plan, prepared by the Vastu-Shilpa
Foundation in 1983, is designed around a central spine comprising the business district.
Six sectors, each with populations of 7000-12,000, lie to the east and west of the spine
and are diagonally bisected by linear parks. Ten houses, each with a courtyard at the
back, form a cluster that opens onto a street. Internal streets and squares are paved.
Septic tanks are provided for each group of twenty houses, and electricity and water are
available throughout. The site plan accommodates and integrates a variety of income
groups. The poorest are located in the middle of each of the six sectors, while the better
off obtain plots along the peripheries of each sector and the central spine.

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 Somaya & Kalappa Consultants –
2.

MumbaI

Architect Brinda Somaya is an Indian architect and urban conservationist. In May 2012 she
was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Smith College. In 2014
she was awarded the Indian Institute of Architects Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal for Lifetime
Achievement. She was also appointed an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at
Cornell University from 2017 to 2023.

Project: Rehabilitation of Bhadli Village

Type: Community Location: Kutch, Gujarat

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ANNEXURES

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 ANNEXURE A: LIST OF VILLAGES AND POPULATION

https://indiawater.gov.in/IMISReports/Reports/BasicInformation/rpt_RWS_RuralPopulation
_S.aspx?Rep=0&RP=Y

ANNEXURE B: HOUSING DESIGN BRIEF

NAME AREA REMARKS

Total Area of House (initial) 25 sq.mt Estimated monetary

assistance of Rs 1,20,000/-
for all states except those in
hilly/difficult/IAP areas which
will be allocated Rs
1,30,000/-

Also 90/95 days of unskilled

labour provided free under
MNREGA

Hygiene Area (toilet/bath) 4 sq.mt As per design.

Rs 12,000 shall be
earmarked from the Swachh
Bharat Mission-G

Kitchen Area

Extra areas that may be provided as per

individual capacity to invest

Adequate area for pursuing livelihood

Rain water harvesting

Verandah

Services

Potable drinking water facilities

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Get free electricity or benefit of solar power
lamps, lanterns through the MNRES

Cooking gas subsidies (PMUY) and NBCP

bio-mass cooking stoves

Incremental Housing
NAME AREA REMARKS

Total Area of House (initial) 25 sq.mt

Incremental growth ( upto 2 times) 18-20 sq.mt The growth maybe more if the
each participant can make a case
for the same

ANNEXURE C: COMMUNITY DESIGN BRIEF

NAME MAX AREA REMARKS

Areas could be one of those given below

or others (depending on the study by
participant)

Community Healthcare Centre 400 sq.mt Indian Primary Health

Standards (IPHS)
Guidelines 2011
Exhibition Hall 200 sq.mt
Library 300 sq.mt
Multipurpose Hall 300sq.mt
Panchayat Sabha Space 100 sq.mt
Vocational Training Centre 60-100 sq.mt

The area of the community space (total) 300-700 sq.mt

Additional facilities

Solar power

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Rain water harvesting

Large gathering space (open or semi-

open)

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 ANNEXURE D: INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN BRIEF

NAME REMARKS

The following list is only indicative. The participants may

do their own research and come up with infrastructure
design ideas that are not listed below.

Roads and accessibility to all

Potable drinking water

Rain water harvesting
Clean energy generation
Drainage and sewage disposal
Electrification and solar energy

Sanitation and toilet blocks

Check dam and other means to facilitate agriculture

Bridges

Wi-Fi connectivity

Weather monitoring systems

Dairy and other such initiatives for agri-produce and

industry

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 ANNEXURE E: CHECKLIST FOR SUBMISSION

ITEM SIZE/No.s REMARKS

Drawings A1 size 2 Nos Size of each sheet

must be under 2Mb

Brief Articulation

Photos of the selected site Sketches as reqd Discretion of Architects

on scale to be selected
Plan of selected site with Min 2 photos with date stamp
context
Drawing at Scale 1: 200

Concept Design

Concept Sketches as reqd

Architectural Plans at all levels All drawings at Scale 1:

including 100/200

• scalability as an option
• relation to context
Sections Min 2

Elevations Min 4

Views/Perspectives As required to explain the

scheme

(not to scale)

Details Min 2/ As required to explain

Scale 1:50/1:20

Structural plan Min 1

Structural schedule Conceptual with basic sizes

Services plan- sanitation, Min 1

electrification

Ancillary services plan If required

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3D Walkthrough (optional) Under 150Mb

Estimation & BOQ Conceptual estimation but

should not vary more that 10%
on the final

Structural

Architectural (with basic

finishes as per brief selected
and in line with thePMAY-G)

Services

Synopsis 750-1000 words max

Should cover Calibri 12pt double spaced

The brief

The context

The concept

Advantages of the design

Profiles Upto 750 words

Architect/ Design team

Structural Consultant/Team

Service Consultant/Team

Others

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