“Drainage.” “Water bearing human waste.” “Cooum is a foul-smelling area.” This was how Chennai’s infamous river was described by the public in Eromitha Ramesh’s design presentation, ‘The Cooum Conundrum’, earlier this year. Hers was one of the two architectural projects from India that made it to the finals at this year’s AYDA Awards (formerly known as Asia Young Designer Awards) by Nippon Paint. This year’s finals took place in Chennai for the first time, with finalists from 17 countries.
Eromitha Ramesh | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“I grew up in Chennai, and thought that ‘Cooum’ was sewage [...] this was until I came to know about the river, how we’ve lived along its banks, and how the city has come to be because of this river,” Ramesh explained to the judges. She went on to describe how the city of Madras, which we now call Chennai, grew along the banks of the Cooum. “The river was the locus of the city and its people. As we started to receive water from pipes, we started to care less about our river,” said the alumnus of RV College of Architecture, Bengaluru.
Nearly 6,000 km away in Kedah, Malaysia, another architecture student observed the same issue plaguing her city’s river — the Sungai Petani. “‘We used to live by the river, just a step away from the water. The river was clean. We would fish, catch crabs and sometimes we would even jump in to swim.’ This is the story my late grandfather used to tell me during my childhood,” said Lim Jeng Ying, one of the two winners of the AYDA Designer of the Year award.
Lim Jeng Ying | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“I was wondering how I could contribute to the place I call home. Located in the north of Malaysia, Sungai Petani was a historical riverine settlement. Yet, today, the river has lost its significance,” said Ying.
Lessons from the past
Ramesh’s project reminded the panel of a time when the Cooum was managed by the local communities surrounding it and was looked at as shared spaces or “the commons” of the people, colloquially called “poramboke”. Under British rule, Madras thrived along its banks, with many important buildings and structures strategically located around it, showcasing a deep reliance on the river.
Cultural centre by the Cooum as envisioned by Eromitha Ramesh. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The project aimed at reacquainting the people of Chennai with the river using architectural interventions such as a cultural centre, pedestrian bridges, and event streets to create a new culturescape along the riverbank, thereby giving the lost common areas back to the city.
Picture of a pedestrian bridge on the Cooum. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Egmore, the erstwhile riverside hamlet of Ezhumbur in British Madras, was chosen as the site of the proposal as it is home to important cultural, historical, and administrative buildings. Existing landmarks such as the Lalit Kala Akademi, Spencer Plaza, the Government Museum, and Ethiraj College were incorporated into the final design, negotiating their boundaries into potential public spaces.
River reverie
Similarly, Ying’s proposal aimed at reclaiming the cultural oasis of Sungai Petani by transforming the river with public spaces that act as a bridge between the city and the waterfront. “The design development for these two towns, Pekan Lama and Pekan Baru unfolds as a captivating narrative of architectural evolution, weaving a tale of life before and after colonisation,” said Ying.
Sungai Petani envisioned by Lim Jeng Ying. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A floating restaurant along Sungai Petani sketched by Lim Jeng Ying. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
At the international finals, Ramesh was pleasantly surprised that hers wasn’t the only project that addressed rivers, along with two other projects from Malaysia and Bangladesh. “It was interesting to see how people from three different countries had looked at rivers in architecture. The project from Bangladesh, for example, was interpreted as the river being the identity of the country itself, while the one from Malaysia was rooted in their social and cultural aspects, with a focus on reviving it,” she said. “Since my project was set in Egmore, a more urban context, the idea was to understand the relationship between buildings and smaller neighbourhoods to the river.”
This trend was noted by the judges as a reflection of an evolving mindset where architecture is not seen as separate from nature, but rather as a complement to it.
“The common theme of rivers in the finalists’ projects from Malaysia, India, and Bangladesh speaks volumes about the future relationship between architecture and nature. It underscores a growing recognition among young designers of the critical need to harmonise built environments with natural landscapes,” said Santi Alaysius, Co-Founder, Domisilium Studio and DMDIO.
“Their designs often incorporate innovative solutions to protect and enhance these ecosystems, addressing issues like pollution, habitat restoration, and sustainable water management,” added the AYDA judge. “Rivers have historically been centres of civilisation, and by revitalising these natural elements, designers are also preserving cultural heritage and enhancing the quality of life for local communities.”
What stands between these ideas and implementation? “Even during the research part of my thesis, I realised that these river projects are very extensive. There are so many different departments that are associated with just one river, be it the cleaning aspect, the riverfront development or leisure, the clearance needed, etc.,” said Ramesh. “As for implementation, a lot of things have to come together, which is not easy, but it’s something that we’re all hoping for.” The journey through the competition and interacting with mentors and peers on the global stage has cemented Eromitha’s interest in urban design. “I’m still interested in looking into various parts of the Cooum because there are so many more segments it runs through,” she said.
Suraj Ighe | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Ramesh and Suraj Ighe emerged as the national finalists in the Architecture and Interior Designer categories, respectively.
Worthy prize
Winners of this edition of the AYDA Awards, established 17 years ago, were Ying from Malaysia and Alifiah Azzahrah from Indonesia. In addition to the title, they earned a fully funded opportunity at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
