Designing gurdwara wins him international accolades
Jalandhar-based architect Udayveer Singh Thakur honoured with WA award for his religious project
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Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, July 17
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City-based architect Udayveer Singh Thakur of Space Race Architects has made the city and the architect fraternity proud by winning the 34th cycle of World Architecture Community Awards (WA). He has been awarded for his religious project — Nirmal Kutiya Gurdwara — under the ‘Realised Interior Design’ projects category and is the first architect from the state to win the title.
Giving a tour of his masterpiece to this correspondent, which is based at Arjun Nagar on Ladowali Road here, Udayveer pointed out the contemporary elements of his architecture such as use of cantilever slabs, linear block with travertine stone cladding and a large glass at the exterior facade.
About World Architecture Community Awards
AdvertisementThe World Architecture Community Awards (WA Awards) recognise remarkable projects that have the potential to inspire exciting questions about contemporary architectural discourse. The 34th cycle of this award was held online and Jalandhar’s Udayveer Singh has bagged the award under the ‘Realised Interior Design’ projects category.
“When I started working on the design of this project in 2015, I had in mind that I want to design something that will be remembered for ages to come. I want that after a centenary, when visitors shall pay homage to this sacred place, the contemporary nature of the building and palatial interior design should take them down the memory lane of the 21st-century architecture of a gurdwara,” he said.
He said it took him nearly three years to turn his vision into reality and the estimated cost of the project was about Rs 1 crore. In March 2018, the gurdwara was opened to the public, he added.
Architecture and interiorof Gurdwara
- Cantilever slabs, stone cladding textures
- Large glass at the exterior facade
- Skeleton dome and onyx flagpole
- Blind pointed arches, use of diffused sunlight
Divulging details about what makes his architectural design stand out, Thakur said the gurdwara has a skeleton dome that depicts its presence from a distance. “There is a splendid fountain erected outside the main entrance directly aligned with the dome above. A water source is present on both the ends of the structure to witness its reflection. Also, a unique element in the building is that one can see the refraction of a floating Nishan Sahib (sacred symbol at the top of a flagpole) with onyx light at the bottom.”
He further said the interior of the building was beautifully canvassed with chandeliers, blind pointed arches at the rear wall, floral-patterned carpet floors and shades of beige on the embellishments.
“There is also an opulent use of the diffused sunlight from the east direction that adds spiritual ambience to the interiors of the building,” he added.
Udayveer said, “I was, since my childhood, fond of sketching. When I was in Class VI or VII, my father hired an architect from Delhi for the construction of our house. I showed my sketches to him and he advised me to make a career in the field. I decided to be an architect in future.”
“I have completed my studies in architecture in 2010, from Guru Nanak Dev University. In 2013, I started my own firm. I have recently also won the ‘Most Innovative Young Architect of Punjab’ award,” he added.
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