Urban Greens - An Essential Synergy
In today’s rapidly transforming world, designing open spaces is imperative. A study conducted by researchers from various Indian Universities, as published in Hindustan Times, shows a depletion of urban greens in Mumbai by 42.5% between 1988-2018. Impact of such a decline is felt slowly on the physical & mental health of citizens, which unfortunately never makes the headlines.
As per one study, London offers its residents 31 times the space that Greater Mumbai offers. Meanwhile, New York City gives each of its residents nearly 26 times the open space each Mumbaikar gets. They calculated that Mumbai has just 1.1 square meters of open space- gardens, parks, recreational grounds & playgrounds- per person.
Compensating for these lost open spaces in individual projects in no longer an option now, but a necessity. Developers usually present the smallest of a negative space as a premium luxury, but the state of the city warrants for meaningful spaces which impact lives in a profound manner.
The pandemic strongly reinforced the need for clean, accessible, safe, green, open areas in all types of urban sectors throughout the world. Along with the ecological benefits like prevention of soil erosion, increasing water table levels, purifying the air, well designed open spaces provide for vital and holistic wellness. By facilitating relaxation, physical activity and social interaction, open spaces are also proven to be potent milieus in a mentally demanding world, thus boosting liveability in dense, urban areas.
At KA, the primary design strategy is to achieve a harmonious balance between the built and unbuilt, consequently making the experience of living, working or relaxing, rich and meaningful. This is attempted by insertion of architectural elements like voids, courtyards, balconies, while designing the built form. The insertion of courtyards and voids, not only allows for cross ventilation and accessibility but also gives a visual pause to the robustness of the building. It promotes the experiential curiosity within the habitat. The presence of balconies and decks gives people a respite from a constant sense of compact enclosures. To give an outside experience, inside is a persistent perusal.
The second concern is to create self-sufficient, environmentally and socially interactive neighbourhoods. The elements of landscape and urban design like universally accessible and connecting pathways and bridges, well- lit edges, safe and clean water bodies, scenic promenades, lush softscapes and vertical gardens, tactile hardscapes, ergonomically sensitive furniture etc are all are designed and curated along with the built, irrespective of the building typology.
A good landscape design helps in multiple ways.
The seamless, green, open areas, have the potential for dramatic arrivals, play and recreation along with a thriving biodiversity. The greenery also sets up a pleasing backdrop for the buildings. It helps in highlighting the concept of the building design. The proximity of safe and approachable open spaces, further compensates for the depleting open pockets in an urban fabric. With technological advancements in construction and building activity, nurturing greens on and around podiums offers a layer of physical and aesthetic experiences. These also provide for fitness and recreational opportunities for the urban dwellers.
The urban environment is in a constant state of give and take of a variety of scales, living and non-living entities, energies, patterns, chaos, movements, etc. The presence of green and open spaces brings in a sense of a stability, a sense of pause to this chaotic urbanity- thus synergising the two environments.
Image Credit : GIGL, London
