What if underutilised areas beneath the MRTS line close to Wallajah Street had been revamped to have a pickleball court docket? What if devoted lanes for pedestrians with seating areas below tree canopies had been created at Wallajah Street? What if the Quaid-e-Millath Street-Wallajah Street junction had artwork parts impressed by Kolam patterns and Islamic structure?
5 structure academicians from MEASI Academy of Structure sifted by means of such “what-ifs” centred on Wallajah Street for a national-level competitors, they usually received the primary prize and a money prize of ₹ one lakh.
The competitors was carried out by GRIHA (Inexperienced Score for Built-in Habitat Evaluation) in affiliation with CoA (Council of Structure) as a part of the 18th Griha Summit 2026 held in India Habitat Centre on November 3 and 4, 2026. ‘Indian Streets Reimagined Design’, because the competitors was titled, required groups to pick out a stretch of a avenue that presents clear alternatives to rethink the distribution of house amongst individuals, automobiles, commerce, panorama, and public facilities whereas responding to the native local weather, city context, cultural id, and character of the chosen Indian avenue.
The 5 — Muzakkir G. M. Bijli, Silivinus Clisson Pragash, Anusree, Anjana Lakshmi and Sangamithra — checked out interventions to make Wallajah Street extra pedestrian-friendly, accessible and sustainable.
“Regardless of whether or not we received or not, we had been planning to take our design concepts both to Higher Chennai Company or CMDA. The victory provides us a leverage,” says Muzakkir G. M. Bijli, affiliate professor with the structure school.
Though Wallajah Street is a large thoroughfare, it’s often underutilised. The crew noticed that it involves life solely throughout IPL matches or some other occasion, in order that they instructed design concepts primarily based on three elements to activate the road: exercise, ecology and mobility.
A pickleball court docket or some sporting exercise in an unused house beneath MRTS was conceived as Wallajah Street is thought for its sports activities outlets. Bachelors within the mansions of Triplicane could be drawn to sports activities actions.
“With respect to ecology, we tried to usher in patch hall matrix by engaged on a bio-swale on either side of the highway and on the median. This form of planting is a small try at mitigating the city warmth island impact. The design additionally included a composite swale-cum-stormwater drain part contemplating the short-term high-intensity rains in Chennai,” says Bijli, a resident of Nerkundram.
The design concerned provision for devoted lanes for pedestrians with seating areas below tree canopies. It additionally included a devoted cycle monitor which runs on either side. House for distributors in designated zones was additionally proposed.
The proposal envisioned Wallajah Street as greater than a transit hall connecting vital components of Chennai. Our proposal aimed to exhibit how an current city thoroughfare may very well be reimagined as an inclusive, vibrant, climate-responsive and people-oriented public house, say the architects.
Printed – November 07, 2026 06:44 pm IST