PUNE: MKSSS’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA) recently signed an MoU with ARCHIP University, Prague, Czech Republic. A workshop was recently organized in the Czech Republic on the topic of ‘Urban Planning and Design’ in which 3 Professors and 33 undergraduate students from BNCA were in attendance.
This MoU was signed under the guidance of Dr. Anurag Kashyap, Principal, BNCA. Dr. Kashyap said that this agreement will enable joint studios and joint research between the two educational institutions. A student exchange program will also be undertaken under this initiative. A visit to the Czech Republic was organised under the leadership of Dr. Shruti Joshi, head of this project, along with Prof. Surbhi Gadkari and Prof. Pooja Ghorpade. Four professors and twelve postgraduate students from the College of Architecture at ARCHIP University participated in this workshop.
Dr. Shruti Joshi informed that the workshop studied the metro station area in Veleslavin, a suburb of Prague in the Czech Republic. A proposal was submitted by BNCA students regarding the potential of opening new facilities in the open spaces around the metro station, also using the urban design interventions and landscape to attract the new generation, and making the most efficient use of the space. For this, we and our students discussed and adopted an urban design approach while considering the need for more residential areas, along with other buildings, and the appropriate use of the open spaces in between. Addressing various challenges, like increasing the demographic diversity and creating more interactive spaces, formed the basis of the local area plan for Veleslavin.
She further said that the workshop was organized to suggest practical solutions from an architectural perspective on various urban planning issues. The workshop started in January 2025 this year when professors and students from ARCHIP University in the Czech Republic came to BNCA in Pune. The first workshop was organized on the same topic of metro stations in Pune at that time. The workshop in Prague was the second stage of this collaboration.