The BMW Guggenheim Lab in Mumbai explored the growing need for public spaces that enhance everyday life for more of those who live Mumbai. As part of this exploration, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN) launched a global search in November, 2012 for innovative proposals to redesign one of Mumbai’s busiest transportation hubs, the Kala Nagar traffic junction. Connecting Island City to Mumbai’s western suburbs through five main traffic arteries, this junction has one of the highest traffic volumes in Mumbai, with about 60,000 drivers and cyclists passing through per hour, both above and below the flyover, at peak times. Research also shows that the Western Express Highway, which connects with the junction, ranks among the ten most dangerous roads in Mumbai, as measured by casualty rates.
The competition, administered by Lord Cultural Resources Private Limited, spearheaded by Lab Team member Trupti Amritwar Vaitla, and supported by Vivek Phansalkar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, was open to students and professionals; it challenged applicants to restructure the junction’s traffic flow and explore ways to refit its infrastructure with new public space and pedestrian functions. The selection committee awarded three honors in the professional category and two honors in the student category. A “people’s choice” winner, selected from either category, was decided by more than 200 community votes at the skywalk of the Kala Nagar Junction and visitors to the Lab at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.
Images from the winning proposals can be seen in the slideshow above. Below are the winners, along with downloadable PDFs/JPGs of their proposals, and a list of the shortlisted finalists. An overview of the competition brief, as presented by Mumbai Lab Team member Trupti Amritwar Vaitla, can be downloaded here.
Winning Entries
Kala Nagar Traffic Junction: It’s Time to Change Our Outlook (JPG 8.6 MB)
Radhika Mathur
Revive Faith in the Practices of the Past (JPG 10.3 MB)
Sweta Parab and Hrishikesh More
The Daily Circus (PDF 4.0 MB)
Mayuri Sisodia and Kalpit Ashar
Students:
Kala Nagar Traffic Junction (JPG 2.6 MB)
DYPCA—Shreesha Arondekar, Gargi Thakur, Pooja Kudale, Anaya Patil, Snehal
Sonawane, Asmita Rai, and Sayali Potnis
Cycle Patterns: Traffic Evolution (PDF 1.2 MB)
Andres Pérez, Diego Duarte Guerrero, and Jhon Hinestroza
People’s Choice:
Exploring Existing Public Spaces (JPG 6.4 MB)
Vedika Tulsiyan, Jaynish Shah, and Karan Sancheti
Shortlisted Entries
Professionals:
Sky Garden: Rewarding Those Who Invest in the Daily Public Commute (JPG 12.6 MB)
Nikhith Ashok
Studio-NA/Balamurugan.G
Not Just Kala Nagar (PDF 499.2 KB)
Architect Sabu Francis and Associates
Kala Nagar: A Joyful Journey (PDF 3.7 MB)
IDEO Innovation and Design Pvt. Ltd.
Revitalization Proposal for Kala Nagar Junction (PDF 3.2 MB)
Amit Karambelkar and Ninad Patil
Kala Nagar Traffic Junction: Rethinking (JPG 8.0 MB)
Morphogenesis
Kala Nagar Junction: Transit Gateway (PDF 9.0 MB)
EHDD—Samir Shaikh
Solution, Optimization, Enhancement (JPG 9.2 MB)
Gaurav Sardana, Prachi Donde, and Palak Kothari
Students:
Exploring Existing Public Spaces (JPG 6.4 MB)
Vedika Tulsiyan, Jaynish Shah, and Karan Sancheti
Jury Members:
Enrique Peñalosa, Former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia and BMW Guggenheim Lab Advisor
PRK Murthy, Chief of Transport, MMRDA
Vivek Phansalkat, Joint Police Commissioner, Traffic
Tasneem Mehta, Managing Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum
Shirish Patel, IIHS board member and Chairman Emeritus of Shirish Patel & Associates
Geetam Tiwari, MoUD Chair Professor for Transport Planning at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and BMW Guggenheim Lab Advisor
Ashok Datar, Chairman, Mumbai Environmental Social Network
David van der Leer, Curator, BMW Guggenheim Lab
Neville Mars, Principal Architect, MARS Architects
Trupti Amritwar Vaitla, Architect and Transport Planner, Mumbai Environmental Social Network
For full details on this competition, download the competition guidelines and FAQs sheet, and view the visual materials provided here: