Trichy architects float contest to elicit ideas to redevelop Rockfort

Trichy: After clearing encroachments around the Rockfort Teppakulam near Main Guard Gate and declaring the same as a no-vending zone area, Trichy corporation has floated a national-level competition to get design ideas to develop a sustainable public space.

Organised along with Archtrust and the Indian Institute of Architects, the competition will focus on receiving a comprehensive land-use design for redeveloping around 30 acres of highly commercialised area around the Teppakulam. Besides, about 85 acres surrounding the 30 acres will be covered to draft sustainable solutions such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures, pedestrian zones, civic plazas, canopies, and urban forests.Meanwhile, architecture students have started collecting data and mapping the focus areas for the contest. Soon, workshops will be conducted in which the local body, stakeholders, and the public will discuss and arrive at themes and directions for the contest. The competition will be executed at an outlay of Rs 18 lakh for a period of three months between Feb and April. The corporation has assured to provide proper statistics and administrative support to survey and generate design models.

The competition was inspired from the reimagining of Chennai's Buckingham Canal design contest."The purpose of the competition is to restore the Teppakulam tank as a cultural symbol of the city. We will conduct heritage walks to suggest holistic water management solutions and measures to avoid digging the roads and pavements," S Vijayakumar, architect and chairman of Archtrust, Trichy, told TOI. Catchment areas of the tank will be covered in the study to harvest rainwater and store it in the tank.

Areas to be redeveloped cover NSB Road, Teppakulam tank bunds, Vaanapattarai Street, Main Guard Gate, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, and Rockfort.A jury comprising experts from across the country will select five models. A lite version of detailed project reports (DPRs) for all the selected models will be submitted to the corporation for securing funds and commencing restoration work based on the most viable and practical design.