A 28-year-old Indian architect has been named "young leader of tomorrow" by Time Magazine for his pioneering work in designing affordable flood-proof houses for slum dwellers. Alok Shetty is among "leaders of tomorrow" who are "working hard to change their worlds today," Time said as it named six inspirational young persons in its first class of "next generation leaders".
Time said Shetty is "building hope in India" as an architect who is "finding simple solutions to complex problems." Shetty, working with the Bangalore-based non-profit Parinaam Foundation, is designing homes for hundreds of slum dwellers whose makeshift houses flood during the heavy rains and become breeding grounds for diseases like malaria.
He has been working in Bangalore's LRDE slum, which is home to some 2,000 people. Shetty, who studied Master's in architecture at Columbia University, "came at the problem with an approach he brings to all of his projects "marrying smart design with a commitment to sustainability." He designed flood-proof houses, costing $300, out of discarded scaffolding, bamboo and wood. The houses are affordable and easy to set up as it takes only four hours to erect and dismantle them.
"Shetty epitomizes a growing breed of young leaders and entrepreneurs in India who are committed to finding solutions for a country undergoing rapid social and economic changes, some of which can leave India's poorest straggling behind," Time said.