Named after the core pillars that its efforts revolve around – art, architecture, and aesthetics – A3 Foundation is an organization promoting sustainable art, architecture, and literature in India and in the vicinity. With the combined association and efforts of fellow professionals, students, educational institutions, and other professional bodies, A3 Foundation surges ahead to form an organization devoted to the promotion of art and architecture.
Through the medium of seminars, conferences, group discussions, and other allied systems of education, the foundation is active in the multidimensional growth of the profession. The foundation works by putting up exhibitions of the architects, holding workshops at institutions and schools of architecture, including arranging talks of various eminent architects. Effectively, it will work by documenting, planning, and providing regional area consultancy, education, and distribution of knowledge in the subject.
The foundation is a venture of Chandigarh’s architectural Sharma Family which is spearheaded by Chairman Ar Sangeet Sharma. Since its inception sixteen years ago, the foundation has awarded almost five hundred awards to various eminent persons in the field. It has paved the way to identify the talents of students and to award their capabilities. Today, this is the most coveted award in the field of arts and architecture.
The award ceremony was held on 21st May at the UT Guest House, Chandigarh. The foundation gave away awards and honors to the most deserving and prestigious winners in the field of architectural writing, journalism, teachers of architecture, and student design awards besides the winners in the categories of fiction writing, poetry, non-fiction, and books on architecture.
On this occasion, the foundation also honoured eminent author, writer, and poet Dr. SS Bhatti, who was the ex-principal at the Chandigarh School of Architecture and author of more than thirty books on various subjects. Famous Ar Charanjit Shah of New Delhi, who has authored many books on the subject, was also similarly lauded. Mr. Bibhor Srivastava, Managing Director of the ITP Group with an impressive range of journals across multiple subjects and fields was also among the stalwarts awarded the Pinnacle Award for contribution to the Architecture and Interior Design Industry, as were Ar Suneet Paul, ex-editor of the journal A+D, and Sarbjit Bahga who is the author of numerous books. An insightful panel discussion on the subject “New Age Architectural Writing” was also conducted.
The Guest of Honor on this occasion was Ar Surinder Bahga, who has worked as the Chairman of IIA, Chandigarh-Punjab Chapter for two terms (2008-2012). He worked as the Chairman of the IIA Publication Board and Editor of the Journal of Indian Institute of Architects from January 2013 to May, 2015. He had been nominated as the Councillor in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation for the term 2012-16. He also worked as a member of high powered Finance and Contract Committee of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
The awards were given by eminent Ar SD Sharma, who was associated with Le Corbusier on Pierre Jeanneret in various capacities. He was accompanied by Ar Sangeet Sharma and Ar Purnima Sharma. The culminating notes on the awards were given by Dr. SS Bhatti.