Vishnupriya, a studen of Architecture, Manipal University wins Intl Essay competition

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 21, 2016: A sixth semester student of Architecture, Manipal University, Vishnupriya Viswanathan has brought laurels to the University.

Vishnupriya did so by bagging the first prize in 18th Annual Berkeley prize essay competition under the "International Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence" endorsed by department of architecture, University of California, Berkeley, USA.

A few days back, it was reported on this web site that Vinod Thomas had won the second prize for designing odorless and waterless toilet for Railway coaches,  in a competition conducted by Research Designs and Standards Organization, Lucknow for Indian Railways. "It means a lot to me," said Vishnu, who is keen to pursue post-graduation in Architecture Criticism in the US or the UK after completing B.Arch here. "I was always interested in writing and this is going to be a big boost for me," she added.

"I want to be an architecture journalist and I took part in the essay to see how best I can do it. I am surprised by the result," she quipped. The essay was on architects confronting homelessness and guidelines for writing had two parts - who is doing what in your community to confront the issue of men, women, young people and children without shelter, and, as both an individual and as a professional, how do you see yourself assisting in providing shelter to those in need?

Vishnu’s 2500 words essay titled, "Paving Better Paths for Little Feet" won the first prize and a prize of $6000. "Being the biggest competition of the kind for architecture students, it is a great achievement," said Nishant Manapure, director, FOA. "We are proud of her. Vishnu is one of the bright students and we are extremely thrilled at her achievement. She has brought laurels not only for the department and Manipal University, but also to India," Nishant said.