CEPT Alumni Shreeni Benjamin’s paper on coastal management, “Repairing the Gap: Landscape Conservation of Aliabet Island,” is one of three winners of the Young Talent Architecture Award 2020 in Asia (YTAA 2020).
A 30-year-old graduate student of Landscape Architecture at CEPT University has been practicing independently in Ahmedabad since graduating in 2019. Part of the European Union-sponsored YTAA 2020 exhibition, introducing European and Asian winners and finalists, was held on Friday at the Rila Vatilalbai Library at CEPT University.
YTAA is part of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe. It is organized by Fundació Miesvander Rohe with the support of the European Union’s Creative Europe Program.
The exhibition was previously exhibited in Venice, Prague and Shanghai, but is now hosted by CEPT University. This study is an attempt to understand the driving forces and services of Ariabet’s ecosystems, thereby regaining their place in the larger ecosystem chain, in order to revive and enhance resources.
“Ariabet Island is part of the mouth of the Narumada River and once ecologically connected to the mainland due to sediments suffering from man-made activities such as the construction of the Saldar Sarova Dam. It was a rich and diverse land, but it was inhabited by wet animals and more than 350 species of wet birds from Siberia, where Ariabet is one of their pauses, “Shreeni said. Say.
“Because of the dam, there is no river water on the island because there is not enough river speed to flow through the island. And because the area is a mixture of seawater and river water to produce brackish water. , Brackish water seems to be the most important thing for the island to survive, so it really shapes the growth of the grass, “she added.
Her dissertation assumes that the current situation and turmoil have replaced existing physical conditions and habitats that have affected biodiversity in many ways.
Due to the artificial conditions imposed on Ariabet, Ariabet has become a desert and saltwater wasteland. We are also considering proposals for the island’s revival, such as saving rainwater, capturing rainwater, and strategically planning embankments in specific areas to stop highlands. Tide.
“Also, the island can be transformed into different habitats, different wetland habitats with different water bodies such as salt, brackish water, fresh, etc., so it can grow not only in brackish soil but also in fresh soil. You can prepare a seed bag, and by replenishing mangroves, you can revive the island and build it as a front line of defense, “she added.
“Wetland habitats begin to develop, grow into grasslands at some point, such as 10 years later, and eventually lead to dense forests,” she added. YTAA aims to support the talents of recently graduated architects, urban planners and landscape architects. These architects are responsible for transforming our environment in the future.