Calcutta

Calcutta

Client: Ashiana Housing Ltd.   |   Site Area/Built Up Area: 20 acres / 14000 sqf   |   Project Type: Township / Group Housing Team: DADA and Partners (Master Planners and Urban Designers) and Mr. Biswajit Sengupta (Architect)

Kolkata Maitri New Community, is a spread across 20 acres and is part of a larger 700 acre integrated master planned community (MPC) planned by the Sri Ram group.The site is located in the quaint north-eastern suburb of Uttarpara and is part of the HindMotors factory complex and is well connected with the suburban-rail network from Howrah.

The New Community is conceived as a model of high density habitat coupled with the underpinning planning principle of Low Impact Development (LID) as the intent is to have minimal impact on the natural ecology of the place. A reconstructed lake spanning 2.7 acres becomes the central armature of this project.

The primary building typology is a mix of four level ‘slab apartment’ block and stilted twelve story tower blocks. The series of low-rise built fabric across the lakefront creates a unique ‘residential address’ that enjoys landscaped front yards layered in front with a profusely landscaped public pedestrian promenade esplanade that overlooks the lakefront.

The lakefront has been designed with multiple edge conditions while the water-sheet of the lake itself is being programmed innovatively with elements that range from aerators, floating lights (especially near community gathering zones), as well as boardwalks that bridge over the water surface offering a unique experience for the residents. Complimenting and working synergistically with the central lake is a series of well landscaped promenades, progressive street-way systems, and intimate park spaces that are designed to act as the heart of the sub-neighborhoods.