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Connect January
2023
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Connect is a quarterly snapshot of our practice which includes recently completed projects, ideas
emerging from the studio and critical issues on the built environment that concern us.
In this Housing & Liveability focussed issue, we are showcasing Lodha Park - a uniquely designed
high rise luxury condominium project in mid town Mumbai. Here, five out of the six high rise towers
are completed along with a parking podium which is truly one of its kind. Designed in collaboration
with WOHA architects , Lodha Park has a strong emphasis on the architectural form, facade
expression, access to green, public realm and is a great case study in how to reimagine typically
large car parking podiums as a visual asset. With an overall scale of 11 million sq ft, this project
demonstrates our ability to handle large projects right down to the detailed execution stage.
Also included in this issue are two work in progress residential projects - one in Thane and another
in Palava city. Both are of different scales and respond to unique briefs set out by the respective
clients. In the Insights section - there is also a concise reflective essay about improving
Liveability in dense housing projects and visuals explaining how it's adressed in some of our own
built projects.
We are also extremely happy to announce that we have started physical operations from the new
additional studio annexxe at our mumbai office. It's an important move in our growth plans, as we
have a healthy influx of new projects across typologies and we remain highly optimistic about the
future.
As we start this new year, we would sincerely like to thank our clients and a growing and extended
network of former employees, who have truly stood by us and continue to trust us with great
assignments and reccommend us for new challenging projects.
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Built Works
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Lodha
Park
Worli, Mumbai
Lodha Park is a high-rise housing project spread across 17 acres of land and includes premium
residential development across sizes and luxury categories, retail stores, Club House, and
exceptional amenities. The project includes 7 acres of green landscapes set on top of a 70 feet
tall 'hill' which is Inspired by the urban parks around the world. The goal is in bringing nature
back into the lives of city dwellers.
Read More
>>
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Works in Progress
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Courtyard
Thane
Nestled amidst the lush green locality of Vasant Vihar, Thane, the 'Courtyard' is planned to be an
extension of the greenery within the complex. Situated along the upcoming and high-end street,
Pokhran Road number 2, the scheme will offer plenty of opportunities to its' residents to build
connections: with people and with nature.
Read More
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Lakefront
Development
Palava
Enhanced permeability and porosity in the urban form along with the expansion of the public and
green domain for a higher livability quotient were the design challenges that we set for ourselves
while undertaking the master planning and architectural design of the Lakefront parcel at Palava.
Read More
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Insights : Essay
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Liveability in residential housing projects
Indian cities today are facing similar urban issues; of rapid urbanisation, soaring real estate
prices, population growth, high density packed living, restricted open spaces, eventually
resulting into lesser connect to the ground and community. High-rise, high-density housing has
become part of identities of cities across the country, often combined with a compromised
liveability and lack of innovation.
Read More
>>
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News
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New office Annexe at Mumbai Studio
November 2023 saw the inauguration of the new studio annexe at our Mumbai Office. This
additional studio space has provided space for the much-needed expansion of the Mumbai studio.
This new space is located across the corridor in the same building and houses workspaces for
28 seats, two conference rooms, breakout spaces, pantry, toilets and a creator lab for VR,
Model making & 3D printing.
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Annual Office Party
The pre-diwali annual party at KA is a much loved event. The spirit of the people at KA is
well captured and celebrated in this amazing evening. It's also a platform for the hidden and
outstanding talents of the staff. This year's event was full of - amazing performances, parody
awards, anecdotes, food & beverages and just outright fun. The following weekend the annual
Diwali traditional day was also celebrated, where the entire office lined up for a group photo
followed by fun games and snacks.
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Shapoorji Pallonji Vanaha-Yahavi , Pune - construction progress
Construction has reached level 20 at the Shapoorji Pallonji project located in Bavdhan, Pune.
The project has three towers located at a hillside site overlooking the green valley of a golf
course. The plot is spread across 6 acres of land, located in the heart of one of the largest
townships in India which boasts of over 90 acres of open spaces. The projects consist of 3
Residential towers and multi-level car parking organically designed within the Site. There are
684 units of 1,2 and 3 BHK homes across three sizes, which are either facing the lush green
hills or the mountain ranges on other side. The Project amenities include Retail, Clubhouse,
jogging tracks and play courts. The facade of the tower is inspired by the surrounding nature
and reflects natural forms, shapes and an earthen colour scheme. Laterite stone or terracotta
is used as an accent in the Facade colour scheme.
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KA Advisory Board
The meeting of the newly constituted KA advisory board was held at the Mumbai office in
November. This Non executive Advisory Board is a small group of seasoned professionals and
mentors who meet twice a year with the KA leadership team and help it gain new insights on
issues at hand and helps to explore new opportunities by stimulating robust, high-quality
conversations. The board provides current knowledge on best practices, critical thinking for
issues, forecasting for future-proofing the practice and helps provides a conceptual and
strategic direction to the firm.
The current board consists of three members who have continued from the previous board
(2016-2021) and a couple of new names as well. The Board members are - Anita Ramchandran
(Cerebrus Consultants- Founder & CEO); Suresh Singervelu (Prestige Group -Executive Director);
Varda Pendse (Independent HR Consultant); Sudhanshu Vats (Deputy Managing Director - Pidilite
Industries Limited) & Meenakshi Menon (Futurologist - A & M Investments).
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Residential Training Centre for HDFC Bank at Palava City
Construction on RCC works till terrace level is complete at the Residential Training Centre
for HDFC Bank at Palava City. Facade works and Interior fit-outs are likely to commence in
early 2023.
The program for this institutional project includes - training rooms, classrooms, faculty
areas, lobbies, dining facilities, guest rooms, auditorium, parking & landscaped terraces.
With an overall construction area of 1'90,000 sft, the likely date of completion is end of
2023.
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