Work Profile

DIKSHA SINGH

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WORKS

ACADEMIC PROJECTS graduate

THAMESMEAD MASTER PLAN

CITY OF VILLAGES

Location: Thamesmead, London

Mixed Use Sustainable Development

250 ACRES

ACADEMIC PROJECTS undergrad

CENTER FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

WEAVING AGRICULTURE INTO URBAN LAND-USE

Location: Raj Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Institution / Mixed Use Development

10 ACRES

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

THE URBAN LINK

Location: Sabz i Mandi Railway Station, New Delhi

Mixed Use Development | Transit Oriented Development

4 ACRES

PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS

MIXED-USE RIVERFRONT NEIGHBOURHOOD

RIVERHILLS

Location: Pune, Gujrat, India

Master Plan | Mixed Use riverfront Development

Gross built area: 17 million sqft / 85 acre land parcel

GODREJ GARDEN CITY

EXTENDING THE CITY - MIXED USE DYNAMICS

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India

Master Plan | Mixed Use Development

125 ACERS

MASTER PLAN

RESERVE PLOTTED NEIGHBOURHOOD

Location: Devanhalli, Bangalore

Plotted sustainable Master Plan

100 ACRES

CONTENTS

To create a rivervoriented communities . . .

CITY OF VILLAGES AN INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE

MASTER PLAN FOR THAMESMEAD

. . . connected by a robust network of blue & green infrastructure. . . . . . linking multiple welcoming neighborhoods . . . . . . integrated with its surroundings . . . . . . that Londoners today and tomorrow can call home.

In an effort to plan for a community that is situated within the greater London region, we startd with the the question “What is London?”.

While exploring the city streets, experiencing the sites and tastes, and speaking with Londoners, we came to understand why people call London a City of Villages .IRREGULAR ∙ INFORMAL ∙ .INTIMATE ∙ INVITING

The idea was to create cluster of villages, using a the intersecting grid that allows us able to which creates these informal irregularities that can embrace the informality .

For the master plan, firstly, the existing canal network was restored to mimic natural processes and reestablishing their connection to the floodplain of the river. Secondly a system of greenways throughout the entire district was established following existing drainage patterns and the once inactive and ditatched riverfront edge becomes a new public space.

Location: Thamesmead, London

Mixed Use Development

Guide: John Ellis

2nd Semester MUD | 2022 Academic | Group

animating the public realm:

Our clusters of villages are tied with a series of multi use pathway that then is captivated with retail and community amenities at these nodes in between

framing the plazas:

The massing of buildings is gradually stepping down in height towards the sensitive water frontage,and existing development, helping in integration with the existing development.

The built form tries to create these smaller pocket plazas and greens : Village-like quality of the interior of each block. The master plan recognises the need to break down the urban blocks and edges to promote permeability and allow visually accessible residential buildings.

weaving the neighbourhoods master plan

Transit hub is located at the east corner of the site which allows it to become part of the larger context. Bike connection to the Thames path and greater London. Further loops around the villages as well.

Each Village has its own market center that helps us divide the commerce density all over the development animating the ground floor realm everywhere.

1- TRANSIT HUB

2- LIFESTYLE CENTER

3- INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION

4- THAMESMERE PARK

5- WATER TREATMENT PLANT

6- HEALTHCARE CENTER

7-ELECTRIC SUBSTATION

8- DISTRICT COMMUNITY CENTER

9-COMMUNITY MARKET

10-EXPERIENTIAL RETAIL

11-PRIMARY SCHOOL

12-SECONDARY SCHOOL

13-FERRY TERMINUS

14-BROOKSIDE PLAZA

15-WOODLAND PLAZA

16-HISTORIC DERELICT STRUCTURES

17-THAMES CANAL BOULEVARD

18-LOOP BOULEVAR

Total area: 101 ha / 250 ac

Green area: 30 ha / 75 ac

Riverfront: 6 ha / 15 ac (6%)

Buildable area: 43 ha / 107 ac (48%)

Residential area: 1.9M sq. m. / 20.1M sq. ft.

Residential units: 13,950 DU

Density: 2 FAR

Commercial area: 138,000 sq. m. / 1.5M sq. ft.

Retail area: 57,000 sq. m. / 615,000 sq. ft.

The two bio swales running along the main streets, helps in capturing the run off water, clean it and lead to the retention ponds on both ends.

The Riparian zone of the river is divided into 2 levels, floodable embankment and non floodable retail promenade.

The riv er edge is treated in two types : Hard edge and a softer edge with a berm as a flood mitigation method. This helps in creating variety of space and preserving the natural ecology of the place

stormwater management hydrology

So building on the sustainability strategy for the site, we recognize that the success of a master planned community of the scale we’re envisioning must be anchored by a mission-aligned economic driver.

In the first phase of our development, we’re proposing an institute for innovation in sustainable building design. The Institute will drive job growth, public realm activation, and make a “there” there, serving as a proof of concept for future phases

residential street with partial on street parking building roofs consisting of solar panels and vegetation

street through the brookside village retail front street with minimal carriage way and maximised public walkway and dedicated bikelanes

street through the gateway village.

underground line running under the road, with underground parking for the lifestyle center and institute

LRT

steet heiarachy

local farmers

local food market

green space

water management

habitat creation

economic Ecological social

urban-rural communication nutrition education youth program

Agricultural sector plays a strategic role in the process of economic development of a country. The agricultural land has continued to shrink due to rapid urbanization. Urbanisation results in transformation of land-use, environment and culture of communities, specifically, in the interface, thereby, altering the city-region’s ecology.

The interface is the territory of urbanising villages with different intensities and different scales of urbanisation. The process leads to the formation of ‘urban villages’, which, more than often turns into back drop of the city/slums?

WEAVING AGRICULTURE INTO URBAN LAND-USE

CENTER FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Urbanisation is inevitable. And in the process of development the farmers are neglected and their source of income is lost. Both peri-urban and urban agriculture contribute to a regional dynamic that connects urban and rural residents in the pursuit of a sustainable food ethic.

Farmers markets connect people to local farmers, creating a sense of community between rural and urban. The proposed Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture envisions a place where researchers, farmers and the community work for the economic, social, and ecological benefits of a regional food system

Location: Raj Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Institution / Mixed Use Development

Guide: Manas Murthy

4th Year THESIS | 2016

Academic | Individual

Chakkarpur village is a high density village with an approximate population of 16500 and an area of 34 ha., completely surrounded by diverse residential colonies and has no connection with the external city.

At its interface:

Small, low cost residence has positive interface with the village and use the shops in it. High end residence on the other hand make boundary walls to cut of access to the village.

Jharsa village has an approximate population of 2500 and an area of 5.7 ha. and it acts as one of the link between planned residential neighborhoods around it and the main sector road. Most of the people, pass through the central street of village to go into surrounding residence

At its interface:

The central spine of the village is used by surrounding residence, it gives an opportunity to the village to cater to the needs of surrounding neighborhoods. A lot of grocery & other utility stores can be seen on the main street of the village

Sukhrali village has a population of 10,000 living in an area of 30 ha. Unlike any other village in Gurgaon, Sukhrali village has a major arterial road passing through it. The village is therefore well connected with the whole city and caters to the need of the whole city.

At its inter face:

There is destination market at the ground level with commercial floors over it. People from all over the city come to Sukhrali as it has variety of shops. Inside the village, there are lots of paying guest accommodations because of the good connectivity with the nearby IT hub.

Case A : Chakkarpur Village

Case B : Jharsa Village

Case C : Sukhrali Village

current scenarios of urbanism story of the villages near us

The urban villages of developed cities were studied to understand their transformation over the years and problems faced by the people. This led me to select my site in per-urban area that is still under the process of urbanisation.

The site is located on the exterior of the town Ghaziabad. The Fertile Agriculture land is being converted to different land uses at a fast pace.

Ghaziabad has a strong foundation for food and agriculture awareness and hence makes for a fitting place to research Sustainable Metropolitan Urban Agriculture

The nature of metropolitan region agriculture can be planned or opportunistic, scattered or cohesive. Planning large tracts of land designated for agricultural use, as in the peri-urban farms surrounding Ghaziabad’s urban growth boundary, creates opportunities for large scale production in close proximity to the city, supporting a local economy with a strong rural-urban relationship in food production and consumption.

The even closer relationship of agriculture within dense urban environments creates the opportunity for a different scale of relationship: neighbor to neighbor, garden to restaurant, student to learning garden.

Integrated Green Spaces:The building directs its users out into nature in order to get to other offices or parts of the structure. The gardens act as an informal meeting space for researchers and consists of test beds.

Massing:The building was designed not to dominate its rural setting, but to embrace the landscape, with all workplaces in direct contact with indoor and outdoor gardens.

Create a U-Shaped buildings that will frame indoor and outdoor farming areas, as well as retail spaces and distribution facilities.

• Market square where farmers can sell fresh produce;

• A farming demonstration area and accompanying classrooms;

• A kitchen incubator for startup catering and wholesale food businesses;

• A library

• Retail area for food trucks.

9. Parking space for food trucks and spill out zone for the market

1. Entrance Podium Reception, entrance to the library and a viewing deck for the common growing space

5. Auditorium An auditorium with a capacity of 300

7. Green Pockets small growing spaces directly connected to the working areas

2. Common Growing space An informal meeting areas for the researchers.

3. Institutional Block Entrance 1

4. Library Block Visible from the entrance

6. Covered Growing Space

A growing garden to test plants in a controlled environment

8. Parking Entry

By providing outdoor educational and social spaces for visitors and the public, the plan simultaneously improves the local ecology, creates a campus identity, strengthens connectivity, and extends the campus’s growing conservation work in the region.

Farmer’s markets connect people to local farmers, creating a sense of community between rural and urban.

The proposed Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture envisions a place where researchers, farmers and the community work for the economic, social, and ecological benefits of a regional food system.

1 . Reception

2 . Public Library

3 . Amphitheater

4 . Central Growing Space

5 . Institutional Wing

6 . Admin Block

7 . Green PocketsControlled growing areas

8 . Lecture Rooms

9 . Laboratory

10. Auditorium

ground floor plan

The site of approx 4 acres is located between Sabzi Mandi railway station and Pratap nagar metro station. The area nearby consists of different residential typologies and have adapted to the site differently.

The proposal focused in helping to connect the communities and also work for the betterment of the people and the commuters. A mixed use intervention works towards serving to different needs of different sections of the society and helps in bringing them together as a community.

THE URBAN LINK

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

Location: Sabzi Mandi Railway Station, New Delhi

Mixed Use Development | Transit Oriented Development

Guide: Manas Murthy | Saurabh Banerjia

3rd Year STUDIO | 2015

Academic | Individual

PRATAP NAGAr railway colony

bagichi pirji

site railway station

metro station

street vendors living in the slum area; they rely on the pedestrian traffic between the two stations

auto drivers live in nearly areas majorly bagichi pirji;

pedestrian commuters people going from the railway station to the metro station; these people create a daily cycle

railway colony

Through footfall analysis, volumetric and spatial surveying and studying different typologies of housings of the area, the requirements for the proposal were derived. The focus while planning the proposal was the pedestrian axis that connects the railway station to the metro station, and to smaller axis roads connecting different residential colonies of the area.

pratap nagar

private residential colony with small shared courtyards surrounded by 2 to 3 floor houses.

bagichi pirji

High density organic settlement with narrow streets 1m wide and 1 to 2 floors high.

Planned government colony with a common unit plan and large open spaces and common community halls.

Goal

• Provide better life style to the present dwellers in the slum.

• Commerce run by these dwellers, act as a source of income.(presently mostly work as street hawkers or are unemployed)

• School, community space for the residents as most of them are uneducated and do not go to school.

• Maintaining the axis will give maximum and easier pedestrian movement.

While exploring different massing and place making strategies

Pedestrian movement given priority.

• Central Plaza is an interface between all the different functions.

• Two major connections; between the railway station and metro station and the existing residential areas

• The front facade faces the main road at the periphery of the site to attract more footfall.

• The vehicular movement for the site shifted to the periphery of the site.

Through strategic integration of interstitial spaces and use of local streets to act as a multi-use spaces, informal activities such as, vegetable markets, weekly bazaars, etc. are given legitimacy and the residents in-turn offered a full spectrum of amenities. At a design level, ensuring flexibility of such spaces is central to their success. So, from a formal citywide retail spine to the informal retailing spaces, the design begins to address the notions of operating between ‘order and spontaneity’

The plan recognizes that mobility is about getting people to where they want to go, efficiently, conveniently, and safely. Mobility can be provided through high quality public realm, sensitivity to local context, high capacity public transport, and not necessarily by using wide street sections.

1 - Entrance Plaza

2 - Community Shopping Center

3 - Commercial Complex

4 - Residential Tower 1 MIG Housing

5 - Residential Tower 2 LIG Housing

6 - Pedestrian Walkway

7 - Community Garden

8 - School Complex

9 - Vehicular Access Road

proposed site plan

The proposed neighbourhood will be diverse in its use and population. The intent is to connect the different uses and make them universally accessible. The central spine is framed by architecture and open spaces, that celebrate the existing local neighbourhood structure and its people.

ground floor plan

railway

MIG

LIG

school shopping

station housing

housing complex

complex complex road

access

RIVERHILL PUNE creates a blueprint for a 80 acres high density community at the edge of Pune city. The plan departs from the typical privatized insular built typology and instead proposes a bold new Public open-space system for the cityThe RIVERWALK.

This highly public urban-device primarily sets out to meaningfully connect the site with the Riverfront and its envisions and the foothills onto the South side.

RIVERHILLS MIXED-USE RIVERFRONT NEIGHBOURHOOD

URBAN DESIGN - MASTER PLAN

The Mula riverfront is a collective experience of the articulated edge of the Upper waterfront promenade, the ecological floodplains at the lower levels, as well as the rivers water-sheet.

The Heritage metal footbridge, the iconic clubhouse, and public marketplace act as the anchoring element for this waterfront edge.

Location: Pune, Gujrat, India

Master Plan | Mixed Use Development

Design Team (DADA Partners): Mukul Arora, Diksha Singh

Consultants: Stupio POD (Landscape)

Client : Godrej Properties Ltd.

Gross built area: 1.2 million sqft / 67 acre land parcel

Professional | Group | 2019

THE SITE AND CONTEXT

This project site is book ended by the tekari towards the south and river towards the north. The land has a significant and perceivable drop of around 30 metres along its full length.

Two major arterial DP roads bring easy access to the site from the Pune Mumbai highway from across the river from Hinjewadi.

The site is mostly devoid of natural or built context along its southern edge however on the northern edge the river, its floodplain, and the densely canopied embankment set up a strong context for the proposed layout plan.

site and surroundings

FROM HILLS T THE RIVER

The pedestrian metal bridge along the Northwest of the site is a highly visible physical asset and takes on the role of an anchoring element for the master plan.

PEDESTRIAN METAL SUSPENSION BRIDGE : AN EXISTING ASSET

CREATING AN INTIMATE INWARD RIVERWALK EXPERIENCE ANCHORED BY A STRONG DESTINATION “TOWN CENTER “

"WHERE COMMUNITIES ARE FOCUSED AROUND NEIGHBOURHOODS"

A compact and socially diverse city where economic and social activities overlap and where communities are focused around neighbourhoods.

vision and principles

AN EXCLUSIVE HIGH-QUALITY COMMUNITY ‘HIGH ON GREEN’

The township weaves the qualities of adjacent neighbourhoods into a rich tapestry of unique places. The precinct offers a wide variety of housing typologies and a network of open spaces.

A PUBLIC FRAMEWORK CONNECTING HILLS TO THE RIVER

VIEW CORRIDORS AND NODES that act as keystones or multiple Public armatures; critical building surfaces or street walls that define the primary movement experiences; Tower locations acting as REGIONAL BEACONS for the project

RIVERWALK

The RIVERWALK along the Main Street boulevard connects the riverfront and the Central Park with the urban front door of the project. This primarily pedestrian retail experience will be defined by inviting built edge as well as landscape gestures. Multiple kiosks dotting the edges of the ecological bands and other landscape spaces such as amphitheater would allow for diverse set of activities.

River walk south defines the gateway along the DP road and a pedestrian mixed-use retail experience that is defined equally by the very urban spatial build quality as it is by the gently terracing open space design.

River walk north is the one sided retail transitions into the large community green on the other side. The riverine inspired central landscape is punctuated by outdoor cafes and informal markets along its length.

FASHIONSTREET

NORTH RIVERWALK SOUTHRIVERWALK

Assembling a 400m PUBLIC pedestrian spine

Programmed, safe, and animated MIXED-USE GROUND PLANE

Diversity of programming means multiple GO-TO SPACES

assembling the pedestrian riverwalk

TRIPARTITE delineation of the space with middle zone as the eclogocal reserve

The 24X7 SOCIAL HUB of mahalunge. A pivotal point in the township that rivets ones gaze to the city spine and the hills above and the looming metal bridge over river Mula towards the north.

The chowk is where all pedestrian routes converge and it’s significance emerges from a pinwheel movement diagram which is a pattern commonly seen in our historic city fabric.

The narrow and shaded, Fashion Street is another such spatial device that is popular in the context of our social and climatic conditions. Part of the pin-wheel movement system, Fashion streets provides an important connect with the DP road along the west edge and the expected footfall form the SEZ parcel.

street wall diagram built to open ratio- 1:1

the chawk

GATEWAY RETAIL

MULTI USE WAY

DOUBLE HEIGHT ANCHOR RETAIL FOOD STREET /PATIO ZONE

COLONNADE RETAIL

RESIDENTIAL TOWER

WEEKEND/ TEMPORARY RETAIL ICONIC SIGNAGE

PRECINCT NODE MARKET CHAWK HAWKERS ZONE

STREETSCAPE SECTION PLAN

MONTHLY - OUTDOOR MOVIE/SPORTS MATCH SCREENINGS

MONTHLY- FLEA MARKETS/FAIRS

ANNUALLY- MARATHONS

ANNUALLY- FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS a

Ecological Breakwater:

3

1 Urban edge: 1

2 2

TERRACED gabion EDGE: 4 3 MAX access MIN access

Promenade +ghats MEDIUM access

MIN access HIGH access

riverfront

Of all the districts this one has the most ecologically sensitive zone Elements such as the ghats, and ramps act as the important connecting devices for this undulating rivers edge. They also allow users to access the river water from the upper parts of the promontory.

The Rivers watersheet is also considered as a hydrological extension or appendage to the ecological land-based system described above. Activities such as religious rituals, leisure, boating, swimming, etc are all everyday activities that have been programmed in the master plan.

componenets of a river edge

New Waterfront establishes a model for integrating civic park and public space design into urban flood protection

A UNIQUE PROMONTORY SETTING TO ENJOY THE MULA RIVER ECOLOGY

BALANCING THE “PUBLIC & PRIVATE” ZONES

Godrej Garden City master plan creates a blueprint for a high density community at the periphery of Ahmedabad’s urban city core. The plan primary draws inspiration from the way of life in which residents still embrace mixed-use fabric; a way of life where public open spaces and bazaars are frequented by the community year round, a nod to the very essence of urban coexistence

At the most fundamental level the plan firmly sets the intent for a new town that is held together by a genuine and active public realm, while optimising the insatiable and prosaic demand for high density development parcels.

EXTENDING THE CITY MIXED-USE DYNAMICS MASTER PLAN

The design process entailed formulation of detailed urban design codes and guidelines as an essential companion to the masterplan.

UD guidelines here would become a critical tool that will ensure coordinated incremental action, by various stakeholders over a long term timelines.

Since design is not a science, this approach ensures that the seam between the private and public has clear definition

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India

Master Plan | Mixed Use Development

Design Team (DADA Partners): Mukul Arora, Diksha Singh

Consultants: BDP (Landscape)

Client : Godrej Properties Ltd.

Gross built area: 17 million sqft / 85 acre land parcel

Professional | Group | 2018

site and surroundings

SITE

The already built early phases at GGC, totaling around 70 acres has emerged from an earlier SOM master plan. This district comprises of six well established mid density housing communities totaling 4500 apartments, school, and marketplace. The residents also enjoy two well designed public parks along with a centralized clubhouse. The highlight of this development though is the curvilinear grand boulevard that runs North-south through the middle of the site

REGIONAL

GGC is a 160 acre township located in Jagatpura, which lies in North West of Ahmedabad within the Municipal Corporation city limits. The long linear land parcel is nestled between railroad spurs on either side, through the proposed railroad bridge connector along new SG road, the site shall be closely connected with the S.G Highway to the west. The site is 7km away from the Sabarmati railway station while the international Airport is 18 Km away.

Unlike the other greenfield sites across the country, the new growth area abutting the site, especially towards the south is remarkable in the way each new incremental city block is creating a well anchored mixed-use neighbourhood with a balanced street and block pattern.

2 KM LESS BOUNDARY WALLS

Highly accessible mixed-use edges to define the 85 acre township so as to revive the wisdom of the traditional settlement patterns, both, in east and the west.

1.25

Fully pedestrianized Cross Armature allows the residents to move efficiently, conveniently, and safely.

1 KM SHADED COLONNADE

The one km long curvilinear highly image able retail colonnade that acts as a ‘civic’ insert and a climate sensitive amenity for the residents and visitors

6 ACRES PLUS CITY LUNGS

The Intensely programmed six acre central park with animated retail along its edge becomes the playground and entertainment hub for the township

urban design process

A one kilometer long shaded retail colonnade lines the western edge of this urban space while the opposite edge is defined by well-articulated mixed-use built podium edge with housing towers above. This primary north-south citywide armature is crossed by a scaled-down neighbourhood connector.

A fine textured street-block pattern creates the appropriate physical setting for a community driven lifestyle in close adjacency to a very high energy urban corridor. These spaces are activated by allocating a diverse range of active programing for the public edges.

ACRES COMMUNAL HUB

primary and secondary city armatures

master plan

At one end of this cross-armature is the large city level clubhouse, and as one moves across the Central Park it transitions into an intensely used pedestrian environment surrounding high density housing blocks.

This neighbourhood Armature is strategically activated by the positioning of a convenience retail block, a small temple plaza, and a linear outdoor sports plaza for active recreation; all held together by a pedestrian precinct.

Multiple housing parcels are designed to have their pedestrian gates open directly onto the precinct, making it an ideal family centric place.

Segregated roof allows for exploring lighter design for the colonnade roof, offers privacy of a segregated balcony to housing unit above, and might allow for services on the retail roof.

The sections (above) capture the variations possible within the threshold zone.

The residential towers building type and its structural bay shall inform the structural rhythm of the retail podium and hence the colonnade. Given the colonnade needs to work with a singular-or near singular- structural rhythm; the typical housing floorplate has been organized in a grid of 3M.

COLONNADE : ELEMENTS AND SIGNAGE

COLONNADE ELEVATION : OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION

Lower retail shops to have signage on top of the storefront itself. However smaller ‘Blade signage’ might be permitted for lower shops along the colonnade outer columns

Upper shops shall have signage along the outer colonnade face. These shall strictly adhere to the signage zone as suggested in the elevation above.

To create a harmonious experience the Building plinth as well as promenade levels need to be consistent across the project. The following levels have suggested for parcels along the GGC boulevard with the intent of creating a seamless landscape and building threshold experience.

guidelines

ASSEMBLING THE COLONNADE

The master plan carefully calibrates the ‘built and open relationships’ or edge types for the township so as to bring imageability and cohesion to the urban fabric and also variety where necessary.

The edges that have been appropriated at GGC also play an important part in providing safe and comfortable outdoor movement spaces for the pedestrians all year round.

RESERVE PLOTTED NEIGHBOURHOOD MASTER PLAN

The structure for the master plan primarily emerges from a deep understanding of the unique landform of the site. The main armature of the plan is city-wide boulevard which meanders and ascends the site from lowest part, along the entry point, and culminates at the foot of the proposed Nandi Hill Park; the highest precinct of the site. The secondary street network emerges from this spine and is aligned so as to hug the contour levels/ lines of the site.

Subtle street and block manipulations also help generate surprising array of small neighbourhood parks and plazas throughout the township. Vistas, terminuses, enclosures,street edges, and intersections, have been designed carefully in terms of perception of residents moving along the street. In a way the street design is a balanced coupling of engineering, water management, and pictorial setting.

The streets at Godrej Reserve have been designed as per LID or Low Impact Development streets guidelines. LID or ECO-streets are designed favouring ‘soft engineering’ and vegetated treatment to manage rainfall conveyance

Location: Devanhalli, Bangalore

Plotted Master Plan

Principle Master Planner : Mukul Arora

Team : Diksha Singh | Saurabh Syal

Landscape Architect : Landart Architects

Professional | Group | 2018

Godrej Reserve is a 100 acre proposed master planned community situated along 80m wide NH 648 , just north of Bangalore Airport. The land parcel is a picturesque setting of a consistently rising terrain dotted with local granite outcrops. The site also offers spectacular view of the Nandi Hill towards the north as well as the Kaggali Hanuman Temple along the Southwest tip. Two HT lines run across the site along the E -W direction.

The project offers a net built-up area of around 1,77,500sqm in the form of 950 plots with an average density of 10 plots to an acre. These plots offer a sustainable mix of small-to-mid-to-large sizes varying from 110sqm to 300sqm.

A seasonal drain runs N-S along the western edge of the site, which also is the lowest part of the landform. Given the average gradient of around 1:50, the site drains into this natural system and to manage this, a stormwater collection system was introduced.

The Urban Stromwater infrastructure enhances the ecological functioning to serve as a civic asset without being a environmental liability.

Low Impact Development (LID) is an ecologically based stromwater management approach favouring soft engineering to manage rainfall on site through a vegetated treated network.

01 A PLAN THAT WORKS WITH CONTOURS

The structure or framework emerges from a deep understanding of the unique landform of the 100 acres

02 CONVEYANCE

Water conveyance shall be the generator of landscape design and low-impact infrastructure design

03 PLACEMAKING - 2 ANCHORS

The plan is an assemblage of an iconic spine- the boulevard- and two anchors- the club and Nandi hill park. HIGHEST WITH THE LOWEST POINT

04 SUB DISTRICTS

Creates multiple special addresses or subneighbourhoods in the township each with its own unique identity

Creating well defined and an intensely interconnected OPEN SPACE AND SAFE environment

A series of well landscaped promenades, progressive street-way systems, and a generous park system has been designed as the framework for the township. The high quality streets and fragile block pattern has been consciously designed to create a porous and interconnected community.

This allows for the many activities of daily living to happen within walking distance, allowing independence to those who do not drive; especially the elderly and the young; and enable neighbours to know each other and protect their communities

green connections

OPEN SPACE NECKLACE CONNECTING SUBDISTRICT NODES

SIDEYARD

SETBACK LINE

MID BLOCK ALLEY

BUILDABLE ZONE

SIDEWALK

BENCHES

CROSS WALK NEIGHBOURHOOD PARK

Given the concern for environment and especially water, rainwater conveyance has been the generator of streetscape and lowimpact infrastructure design.

Lid or eco-streets are designed favouring soft engineering and vegetated treatment to manage rainfall conveyance instead of conventional concretized piped system that uses curbs and gutters.

The intent is to capture the rain as and where it falls and reduces the runoff before it enters the trunk lines.The excess water from the lid street is conveyed Using surface flow to the bio-swales.

Rain Water Infilteration Trench

Cup Drain Channel Grass Pavers

The park is located centrally to the west-end green park district. It has the north swale linear park running along one side and peripheral access roads along the other sides. It acts as a green wooded edge, a relief place from the built environment. The park offers multi-activities and also passive recreation zones. It has pedestrian links across, connecting the farthest peripheral points.

LAKE

CLUB

SOUTH GREENWAY PARK PARK EDGE

CORRIDOR EDGE

BIO SWALE

SOUTH BIO-SWALE

The open space system is designed to manage rainfall conveyance instead of the conventional ‘concretized system’

This gently sloping multi-layered ecological device detains, cleans & filters, and infiltrates part of the run-off before releasing it into the proposed pond at the western end of the clubhouse as well as the rivulet at the edge of the site.

The bio-swales or greenways not only act as water channels but also become a haven for nature oriented uninterrupted outdoor walk trails, bikeways, and lead the residents to the forest at the western edge.

open space swale system

Rain Water Infiltration Trench

Rain Water Chamber Outflow

Cup Drain Channel Bio-Swale