University Centre of Ahmedabad University Wins Prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects International Award for Excellence 2024

Image Credits: Amit Pasricha
University Centre Video Link: https://youtu.be/CXJPAo4RaF

According to the RIBA jury, the University Centre of Ahmedabad University, one of the eminent group of winners across 14 countries, symbolises a bold gateway between the University and the heritage city of Ahmedabad in India's State of Gujarat. Housing an energising place for the exchange of ideas, informal meetings, and social events, the University Centre is one of three 'iconic' buildings, along with two of the University schools, the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, surrounding a central landscaped park. Within the Centre are housed incubation spaces, student services, a food court, multipurpose spaces for sport, performance and cinema, with a running track and futsal court located on the roof.

Articulating the spirit behind the building, Ahmedabad University Vice Chancellor Professor Pankaj Chandra says, "Academic buildings provide a perspective on how educational institutions define their engagement with the purpose and soul of the institution - the building of a student's mind, its values and their inter-relationship, as well as the space for imagination by its faculty…The amazing University Centre sends a message that vibrant and meaningful learning outside the classroom must complement that inside. This is what transformative education is about! This is the value of academic buildings and their architecture."

The RIBA awards are decided through a rigorous process by a jury chaired by Simon Henley of the award-winning London-based architecture practice, Henley Halebrown. Each selected project is visited in person by an expert designated as a RIBA Local Ambassador. All the RIBA winners go on to be considered for the RIBA International Prize for the worlds most transformative new building.

About Ahmedabad University

Ahmedabad University is a leading private, non-profit research university offering students a liberal education focused on interdisciplinary learning, practice orientation, and research thinking.

The University has been

• Recognised by the Government of Gujarat as a Centre of Excellence.

• Accredited with A grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

• Awarded a 5-star rating, the highest awarded in the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) for 2021-22 by the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), Department of Education, Government of Gujarat.

• Recognised by the UGC under section 12(B) of the UGC Act, becoming one of the very few private research universities to have been awarded this recognition for select research universities.

• Recognised as a Highly Commended University for Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2023.

• Awarded the AACSB's Innovations That Inspire Award 2023 for its Foundation Programme.

• Awarded Gold Rating by the Indian Green Building Council for achieving the Green Building Standards at our University Centre.

• Received International Award for Excellence 2024 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for Architectural Excellence for our University Centre.

The University, established in 2009, is rooted in the vision of one of India's finest educational foundations, the Ahmedabad Education Society, which was founded in 1935 by nationalist leaders. Programmes at the University range from bachelors to doctoral levels in humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and management through its 12 Schools and Centres:

Amrut Mody School of Management | School of Arts and Sciences | School of Engineering and Applied Science | School of Public Health | Ahmedabad Design Lab | Centre for Heritage Management | Centre for Inter-Asian Research | Centre for Learning Futures | Global Centre for Environment and Energy | International Centre for Space and Cosmology | Sahyog: Centre for Promoting Health | VentureStudio

An urban university, Ahmedabad promotes independent-mindedness and diversity across all dimensions of its activity and helps students mature into critical thinkers who are analytically equipped, practically oriented, and contextually aware global citizens. The University provides a contemporary educational framework that brings liberal arts, sciences, and the professions to engage together in creating new knowledge for addressing complex challenges of the society and in offering majors that merge the boundaries of disciplines to prepare students for the new economy.