Landscape India, We all have heard about the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, which is famous for its beauty. Everyone gets amazed when they see a structure made up of white marble. But what if all the beautiful landscape surrounding the structure is removed. Will the beauty of the Taj Mahal remain the same as it was earlier???
This is the importance of landscape architecture. We always need a beautiful surrounding around our structure that complements it as well as enhances the beauty of the structure. But in the early 90s, there were no designers or architects who soulfully followed landscape architecture. Professor Prabhakar B. Bhagwat or Bade Sir was the first qualified landscape architect in India and one of the founders of the profession in the country. He was the founder of this firm Landscape India. This firm focuses on Landscape Design, Environmental Planning, and Master Planning with Architecture and Interior Design. It is a 50-person studio, with offices in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
Projects are done by Landscape India
1. Guru Ka Bagh | Landscape India
Guru Ka Bagh which is also known as the gardens of Harmandir sahib is a Religious Garden located in Amritsar. With a site area of 6500 m2, this garden is located between the Langar Sahib and the main place of worship. Iterations of the design incorporate Sikhism’s understanding of Natural Elements, Seva, Formlessness, and Ek On Kar within them. The final design of the garden created a common ground between the devotee and the space as the concept keeps religion as its center not the conceptual pursuits of the designer.
2. The Tank
The Tank in Mumbai is a Retail Interiors project done by this firm which is inspired by the history of the city. It is presented almost as a deconstructed ship or a dockyard warehouse. The porosity of the material has been used with the placement of the various elements which allows for ample personal space. It has darker lighting and a softer ambiance. The neutral and rustic tone creates shipyards and the water that borders the city feeling throughout the space. To enhance the experience boat setting has also been provided with barrels in the display. Walls and storage spaces created with dockyard containers. The whole interior design space is unconventional.
3. Gala Haven
It was a residential landscape project developed around a well-built housing scheme that accommodated 500 middle-income homes located in Ahmedabad. The design approach was to create a space as a sculptural object that lay supine in the linear space. The main idea was to integrate a sense of emotion. With all the installation, it was designed as a composition of fractals. The design has a giant metal dinosaur measuring 32 meters as a prominent feature. This structure-function as a play area for children incorporating a bridge, a slide, ladders, and a swing. At the lower end, it has an entrance amongst trees with a water edge, leading to a plaza with large trellis structures, and then a green court. The entrance fountain is designed as a composition of petals using hand-beaten copper, brass, and steel. It is a space that facilitates the idea of community; of engagement.
4. The Calcutta Riverside
This is a township project done by the firm in Bhatnagar with a site area of 257 acres. The land is used for mixed development which incorporates the rehabilitation of residential and commercial buildings, creating recreational, non-polluting employment opportunities. Their design included a transport hub, all major roads, a golf course, and different housing typologies. The idea of continuity was focused. Street vendors were given permanent structures for their shops. Existing residents were rehabilitated and spaces for social and cultural recreation were provided. The landscape was designed to be self-sustaining with maximized use of native plants, and efficient towards resource use. Altogether the design represents the ideas of collaboration, and dialogue between a multitude of philosophies and ideas.
5. The World One | Landscape India
The world one tower is a residential project done by the firm in Mumbai which has also been honored as the world’s tallest residential tower. The total project was done in the site area of 55,490 sq m. Within the compound, there is an avenue created with an internal road creating a bypass with a dancing fountain. The landscape shows the idea the city of Mumbai is synonymous with the sea. The space has active sports facilities like a sports pool, tennis courts, and a netted football court. A completely different space has been created for children to play with customized equipment. Outdoor spaces were designed with modern outdoor equipment and an amphitheater with a capacity of 160 individuals.
6. A small garden
This project was of a small home garden in Ahmedabad in a site area of 600 m2 only. The design was created with multiple forms of order; the landform was then envisioned as sloping down from the house. The material used in the garden brought the ideas of wilderness, formality, and productivity. Shrubs have been used within the palette to create enclosures, with sculptural plants. To show the idea of innocence reviving childhood memories, swings and water bodies were added. In whole the relationship that the family shares with the garden.
7. Ghuma house
In Ahmedabad, a weekend house was designed by the studio in a site area of 3.7 acres. It was an architectural landscape design. The house was built on the cusp of water, forests, and fields with a court incorporating niches for divas, a space to grow herbs, and a breakfast court with water fountains and walkways. The house was built with recycled material and ceiling was done 15cm thick Rajasthani stone. This house perfectly renegotiates the relationship that landscape and architecture.
8. Palace on the hill
With a site area of 5.16 acres, a house was built in western ghat by this design studio. The space was designed keeping in mind the principles of Vastu shastra. The house is reminiscent of a classical palace with a garden in front and back of the house. The inspiration for the garden was taken from the Parterre style of gardens, Italy. The garden incorporates a grand water feature and lawns that are home to seasonal plants. The whole space was designed to provide an experience of luxury, grandeur, and order.
9. Children’s Play Area | Landscape India
In Ahmedabad, there is a small village known as Visnagar where the studio created a children’s play area in a site area of 3638 sq. m. The area was created with the materials like cable reels, tires, tanks, drums, pipes, inner tubes, and other ready-to-use materials which were further converted into creative equipment. Scaffolding timber and other construction waste were also used here. The whole area was designed for expression, creativity, and development.
10. Parikh house
It was a residential project in Ahmedabad built on the simple idea of domesticity. During the design, the studio was more conscious of the simplicity of the house, and all the financial connotations. Keeping in mind the idea of simplicity the planning as well as a landscape both are done one the same manner with water bodies and other design elements.
11. Samanvay | Landscape India
It was a workspace landscape project in Ahmedabad. The design layout does not follow any single or linear path. The landscape is divided into courts of varying characters. The garden has become the personification of a ‘caretaker’. There we can find herbs and vegetables with a water body and court of lost trees. The garden space has now become a space for conversation and recreation.
12. Drum house
Another Weekend House project from Ahmedabad was built in the composition of concrete, metal, and bricks. The design was done in such a manner that the concrete wall seems to shield the massive brick drum. The drum is wrapped with a metal staircase and built with customized exposed bricks. Glass walls have been used to enclose the indoor spaces. The landscape interplay between the tamed. In the design evolved strategy for water management has also been used.
13. Mud house
A residence project in Ahmedabad made of rough wood, and metal wires. Wood detailing has been used for the windows, and columns, etc. The construction was done using reused material like brickwork in mud mortar, or just mud for the walls. In surrounding trees were planted in a barren land.
14. Udaan
It is a residential project in Vadodara. The design was creating distinct yet connected spaces. The building material used is stone, concrete, and steel. In the design, we can see the interaction between landscapes and the house.
15. Devigarh | Landscape India
A heritage garden project in Udaipur was done by the studio which connects the history and landscape. In the design conservation and storage of water, an area was created. A different court was built there. First was Kamal Court which has water channels that run for 150 feet and mimic the patterns of a lotus in bloom. Then, the Royal Court, which is marked by a white marble throne and surrounded by black flooring. This throne is shaded by a Tree of Life. Then last is Zenana court which holds its stamp made of stone in the center. Terraces mimic the mountains that are surrounded.
Reference list
- Landscape India. (2020). Prabhakar Bhagwat. [online]. (Last updated 2021). Available at: https://www.landscapeindia.net/[Accessed 24 October 2021]
