Nirman 2011

Lighting of the lamp: Hon’ble Minister Smt. Anandiben Patel and Shri Asit Vora, Hon’ble Mayor of Ahmedabad together with other dignitaries

The recently held 26th edition of Nirman 2011 at Ahmedabad between September 23-25, 2011 heralded a huge success by creating a very effective and vocal platform for manufacturers of building materials, home décor products and construction equipment. With a vintage of 25 years, Nirman has emerged as the biggest platform in Gujarat to reach-out to builders, architects, interior designers, urban planners, project managers and of course, end-users.

Nirman 2011 was hosted at the state-of-the-art Gujarat University Exhibition Centre at Ahmedabad, jointly organized by the Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers and Architects (GICEA) and Akar InfoMedia Pvt. Ltd. (AIM). Smt. Anandiben Patel, Hon’ble Minister for Revenue, Roads & Buildings, Disaster Management, Capital Projects, Women & Child Welfare - Governement of Gujarat graced the inaugural ceremony held on September 23, 2011 and delivered an inaugural address, while Shri Asit Vora, Hon’ble Mayor of Ahmedabad was the Guest of Honour.

The exhibition witnessed its continued commitment to deliver a quality and top-notch business platform, with close to 100 exhibitors displaying their finest products and latest technologies, for business and networking within the booming construction industry in the state. The exhibition provided a forum over 5 lac sq. ft. to showcase an extensive range of finest products in building materials, home décor products, construction equipment, facilities & services, construction ancillaries, etc. The three-day event attracted close to 42,000 visitors. By linking buyers directly with exhibitors, the exhibition became an efficient and effective B2B platform.  

Nirman 2011 also saw three eye-catching pavilions over and above a sprawling product exhibition. NID Pavilion exhibited some of its best furniture designs including a special section on bamboo furniture, designed by its students and design masters associated with the Institute over the years. Heritage Pavilion created with an old world charm of pillars, jharokas, chowks and facades was a visual treat and displayed city’s numerous heritage conservation projects undertaken by the Heritage Cell of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. ArtQuest Pavilion displayed artworks by city’s two prominent galleries - Marvel Art Gallery and Anayas Art Gallery, which showcased a collection of Indian paintings, sculptures and art installations, and also provided unique opportunity to interact with the artists.

The two-day deliberation at Nirman Symposium was also organized as concurrent events to provide ‘food for thought’, by eminent speakers like Ar. Karan Grover, Karan Grover & Associates, Baroda; Prof. Mitchell Abdul Karim Crites, Director, Saray Limited, New Delhi; Mr. Aman Nath, Chairman, Neemrana Hotels, New Delhi; Ar. Ambrish Arora, LOTUS, New Delhi; Mr. Debashish Nayak, Advisor, Heritage Programme, Ahmedabad; Ar. Aftab Jalia, Project Architect, Sunder Nursery, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, New Delhi; Mr. Subrata Bhowmick, Subrata Bhowmick Design, Ahmedabad; Mr. Sumit Patel, Director, Leaf Design, Mumbai; Ms. Nidhi Mehta, Head, Freedom Tree Design, Mumbai; Mr. Anthony Lopez, Lopez Sivan Design, New Delhi; Ms. Falguni Shah, Designer, Landor Associates, Mumbai; Mr. Chandrashekhar Bheda, Textile Designer, Spider Design, New Delhi; and Mr. Sudhir Sharma, Creative Director, INDI Brand, Pune, who delivered discreetly on two vital subjects - Sustainable Heritage and Design in Architectural & Interior Projects. These very significant subjects of today’s time indulged audience into very interesting and stimulating sessions.

A valedictory ceremony was held on September 25, 2011, which was well attended by dignitaries, speakers, industry players, trade visitors, and others. Shri Surendrabhai Patel, former MP (Rajya Sabha) & former Chairman - AUDA addressed the gathering. Awards were also distributed for the best stall designs in two different categories. Under small-size stall category, awards were given to R R Kabel (First), Vinayak Electrical Industries (Second), and Express Lifts Pvt. Ltd. (Third), while under large-size stall category, winners were Torfenster Systems India Pvt. Ltd. (First), Astral Poly Technik Ltd. (Second) and Everest Industries (Third). Overall Best Stall Design Award was given to Simpolo Vitrified Pvt. Ltd. for its distinctive stall design, size and ambience. NID Pavilion and Anjana Handicrafts were given Certificate of Recognition. 

The participation from architects, civil engineers, town planners, valuers, landscape designers, interior designers, real estate developers & promoters, academicians and end-users in the exhibition and symposium facilitated promising contacts with the key industry players in the industry. Undoubtedly, with a range of modern technologies and solutions, and a huge participation from the key industry players, Nirman 2011 was highly propitious in providing a very well-organized platform for ‘everybody’ who is ‘somebody’ as far as creation of built environment is concerned.