Amaravathi, The Capitol Complex Competition

Amravathi, India

Year: 2015

Competition | Planning/Urban Design

In 2016 Vastu-Shilpa participated in a two month long international competition for the urban design and architecture of the capitol precinct for the the capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. The proposal we submitted was embedded in the local context, yet at the same time was aiming to address issues in Indian cities in general. The competition was a great opportunity to apply our ideas on city development and make a statement towards various trends of concern to us in Indian cities. The big mega cities in India are all trying to cope with increasing population and increasing pressure on infrastructure. We feel that the solutions presented for these issues do not always act in the long-term interest of the city. We see an increased dominance of the automobile in our streets, usually at the cost of pedestrians and cylists. There is a urgent need to reorient our cities towards the idea of walkability. Public spaces and public buildings are generally undervalued and left as a kind of residual space. These spaces need to reassert themselves as central spaces in our cities and in our lives. Many of the new townships and city center area’s are being filled up with high-rise buildings that fail to improve our quality of life, and in fact do not help to address issues of density either.