The Public Works Department has appointed seven architectural firms to provide technical expertise for designing large-scale building projects undertaken by various state departments.
Earlier, a committee of seven members, including representatives from government and educational institutions, as well as architects, was established to empanel eminent architects and architectural consortiums for iconic public sector projects with cost estimates exceeding INR 100 crore.
To date, the committee has received applications from 15 architectural firms across the country. The selected firms are CRN Architects, Murali Architects, and OCI Architects from Chennai; Space Ace Architects from Haryana; Mumbai-based Collage Design Private Limited; and Noida-based Enarch Consultants.
K.P.Sathyamurthy, Engineer-in-Chief, PWD and the committeeโs chairman said various government agencies may use the knowledge of these architects approved by the committee in their project proposals. These firms have been nominated for government projects on a competitive basis and their services are valid for three years.
One of the major criteria for selecting the firms was that they must have worked on at least two projects worth INR50 crore each in a year or completed any signature building of State or national architectural importance. โWe are looking to add more architectural firms to the panel and are inviting applications from across the country,โ he added.
Officials noted that while some of the architects specialize in stadiums, others have designed notable city landmarks, including the Anna Centenary Library and the renovated Kalaivanar Arangam.
The expertise of the selected firms will be utilized in creating detailed plans and architectural designs for various projects. The empanelment of these architects is expected to facilitate the incorporation of modern and sustainable techniques in the new structures, they added. (Source: The Hindu)
