Budding architect won the first prize in Waste Material Installation Challenge

Sukanya Patel is a fourth-year student at Apeejay School of Architecture & Planning. Her hobbies include painting, travelling and reading. Recently, the budding architect won the first prize in ‘Waste Material Installation’ design competition of Harit Prem Bharat organised by Prem Jain Memorial Trust. When asked what inspired her to take up architecture as her career, she expressed, “During my school days, I loved fine arts and I was always curious to know about the historical background of paintings and architectural features of any culture. From there, my interest in architecture developed. I see being an architect is a creative profession. We can see the journey of our hard work, which went from rough sketches to  real-life. It shows the effort of restless nights. Read edited excerpts of the interview to know more:

Tell us about your recent achievement at the Harit Prem Bharat competition? 

I have won 1^st prize in the Waste Material Installation Challenge. I got to know about it through Instagram, I have been following Dr. Prem Jain Memorial Trust for a long time. I received a reward of Rs. 3000.

What inspired you to participate in this competition?

I have an interest in arts, and I saw it as an opportunity to do what I love. There are so many things around us, which can be reused in a beautiful way. I wanted to design an art using natural materials like rice, to give the art an aesthetic look. 

Also Read: AIT-SAP students put their best architectural works on display 

Take us through your preparation for this competition? How did you design the prototype? What materials did you use?

The art installation I designed was monotonous. Basically, I used shades of brown rice and pasted them on a reused cardboard. The materials I choose were roasted rice, cardboard and glue. Instead of colouring the rice after pasting, I roasted it at different temperatures to give it the variation in colours. Then I sketched out the drawing and pasted each grain according to its colour. It took me around 7-8 hours to complete the whole art. 

Anything in particular you kept in mind in terms of design aspect?

I wanted to give it a complete natural look, so I used no colours.

What are your future plans?

I want to pursue my masters in urban planning.