The industry is riding a growth curve-there's no doubt about it. Numerous news reports on various projects underway in Indian cities across the country are testimony to the sustained growth path we have embarked upon. Many more projects that explore new paradigms in design and pay increasing heed to environmental concerns are on the anvil. Indeed, the future looks exciting. However, as we look ahead with optimism, we cannot forget the masterminds that have shaped the India we are living in: the builders who have built our structural icons, and the architects who have designed them.
This thought was the inspiration behind the CW ARCHITECT & BUILDER AWARDS that were instituted five years ago. And the journey has been a memorable one.
For the past five years, CW has conducted perception-based surveys to determine the industry's choice of top architects and top builders.
Our intention: To reward and recognise excellence, by including a wide cross-section of industry players in the selection process.
The process: With a presence of over 13 years in the construction community, CW has gathered a large database of architects, builders and their profiles. To augment this, architects, industry associations, and consultants from various parts of the country were contacted to suggest names to be put in the final voting list. All inputs were considered and a final list of 75 builders that represented various regions was put to vote.
The survey for India's top builders was conducted among industry professionals: architects, realtors, consultants, contractors and building material suppliers. The respondents were asked to make a selection, taking into account parameters like best business practices, brand and image, size, quality of construction, innovative product offerings, social obligations, goodwill, green initiatives, use of technology and their vision for the future. We polled over 365 responses.
These results were then put before the jury who included Pranay Vakil, Chairman, Knight Frank; Architect Tushar Desai; Ashish N Chandak, Executive Director - Infrastructure Banking, Corporate Finance, Yes Bank; Narinder Nayar, Managing Director, Concast (India) Ltd; Balaji Rao, Managing Director, Starwood Capital India Advisors; Architect Kamal Malik; and Raj Lakhani, Managing Director, Peri.
Twenty of the top winners, as polled by the survey, were presented to them. The shortlisted winners were similarly asked to send in their updated profiles and body of work, which were then presented to the panel.
The panel then deliberated to choose the Top 10 Builders from these.
Good corporate governance and transparency in dealings were the major factors taken into consideration by the jury this year. Indeed, India's real-estate market appears to be rapidly shedding the elements that were part of a less mature system. A report by Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj says that the increasing transparency levels are a reliable indicator that the country is adapting fast to the ways in which real-estate business is done in more developed countries. So, the jury had all the more reasons to consider transparency in dealings. Probably, owing to this, some very major players didn't make the cut this time.
Read on to know our winners and what they're about….
Past Winners…
2008:
Brigade Group
DLF Group
Godrej Properties
Hiranandani Developers
Kalpataru Properties
K Raheja Corp
K Raheja Universal
Shapoorji Pallonji & Co Ltd
Sobha Developers
Unitech Group
2009:
Brigade Group
DLF Group
Godrej Properties
Hiranandani Developers
Kalpataru Properties
K Raheja Corp
K Raheja Universal
Kumar Builders
Lodha Group
Unitech Group
