“The spirit of the city, unfolding through the landscape.”
BENGALURU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Client: Bangalore INTL Airport PVT. LTD
Key Consultants:
Status: Built
Year: 2011
Location: Bangalore
Project Area: 150 Acres
Project Typology: Public Infrastructure
Scope:
By virtue of its varied geography and long history, Karnataka hosts numerous spots of interest like Hampi known for the ancient temple carvings and sculpture, state of the art cities, scenic hill ranges, and unexplored forests. Bangalore being the fastest growing major metropolis in India, it is a major economic and cultural hub.
The master plan uses these elements physically or metaphorically in a contemporary way through the site in order to give a flavor of the state to the visitor. The traveler's narrative unfolds itself along the main drive of the vehicular spine as a series of boulevards and avenues heralding the entry to the vibrant colors of Bangalore's garden city landscape with nature personified at its best along the road-scape.
The intent is to create a formal ambience reflecting the formal nature of the airport precinct, while showcasing the ever-changing colors of the city's landscape at the international airport.
The site is a 6 acre historic fort located on a spur of the Aravallis, adjacent to a lake in the old town of Barwara. It is in the arid region of Rajasthan in north India. The surrounding hills once boasted subtropical dry deciduous forests and wildlife. Today, with over exploitation, these have all but disappeared and the lake is affected due to its degraded catchment.
The property was to be designed as a 48 suite high end luxury hotel with the landscape scope extending from public spaces (arrival sequence, spa, pool, courtyards, gardens, event spaces) to private suite courtyards. It entailed adaptive reuse of 4 historic structures, and new construction of guest suite blocks and ancillary buildings.
The idea of luxury in India is defined by its rapid modernization and is marked by landscapes that represent a static green condition. The resulting landscapes are often manicured, water intensive and dominated by exotic vegetation with a specific idea of aesthetics.
This project was an opportunity for us to redefine this paradigm of luxury. It aspires to shift the idea of luxurious landscapes from manicured to responsive, exotic to ecologically appropriate, and static to dynamic.
Materials, Crafts and Traditions:
The primary material used in the landscape is sandstone from the site which was repurposed during construction. This includes the driveways, landscape walls and boulders for retaining slopes. The paving is composed of local sandstone that brings in the muted browns and beiges of the desert. The sculptural elements were designed and crafted in Rajasthan and were inspired from local traditions.
The Water Story:
Water is one of the key drivers of the design. Calculations were done to assess the existing runoff from the site as it fed the lake and is hence critical. We harvested only excess runoff caused by new development, leaving the lake’s original source untouched.
The journey of rain water is expressed through surface channels that are derived from an age-old Indian system where long spiral channels were filled with charcoal to cleanse the water before harvesting. This celebrates the rain, engages local crafts and traditions, while making the observer acutely aware of this precious resource.
The water needed for irrigation is a fraction of a base case scenario (typically 6.5 ltr /sqm/day). Through meticulous selection of plant material, using over 90% native plants, the water requirement is reduced to <0.75 ltr/sqm/day, eliminating the need for elaborate irrigation systems, as once established, the native plants don't need frequent watering.
In the monsoons, the site captures water for 100 days of the hotel's needs. During the balance 265 days the landscape needs to be watered at most every 10 days, mostly met by recycled water on site.
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Native Planting and Seasonality:
The use of lawn is restricted. As the arid landscape doesn't host many shade loving plants non-native, but naturalized plants are used in shaded spaces such as courtyards, room gardens etc. Native plants were carefully selected after ensuring that they were not poisonous, and thorn bearing ones were used in areas that aren't easily accessible. The resulting aesthetic brings the ruggedness of the Aravallis with all its seasons of greens, russets and browns, within the fort.
As designers, we used the native plants and their dynamic characteristics as our tools to create compelling compositions, differing from perhaps a naturalist’s approach of recreating nature.
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GALLERY
