Richard Hassell, co-founder of the Singapore-based elite architectural firm, WOHA, shares their ideology behind the grand designs of Lodha Group’s opulent, Lodha Park project.

Be it residential towers, hotels or public properties, WOHA’s designs have been a winning combination of structure, surrounding and community. With an aim to enhance the quality of life of their residents, WOHA has been focusing on designing buildings as integrated mini-cities, which regenerate the greater urban context by providing environments that are both sustainable and sociable.

An example of this is Lodha Park housing project by Lodha Group in Mumbai.

Some excerpts from our conversation with WOHA’s co-founder Richard Hassel about the project.

What is your design philosophy? How does that translate into Lodha Park?

We feel that buildings should have similar ‘personality’ traits as people. We do a research on whether the building is generous, friendly and open; if it helps foster community; or it engages with people. Also, how much it contributes towards preserving the environment by low energy consumption, recycling water, etc., is important. Lodha Park embodies what WOHA is known for i.e., emphasis on environmentally sustainable design and building community. It integrates all sorts of functions into one development: living, working, recreation and retail. Various green building features have been incorporated in the structure, which is built around a big park, bringing nature back into the lives of city dwellers.

Tell us about your partnership with the Lodha Group and your involvement in Lodha Park project?

Lodha Park is our second project with the Lodha Group after New Cuffe Parade and we have been involved from the very early stages of the project. This was a very positive thing for us because it meant that we were able to influence the arrangement of the site plan and introduce the concept of a park that sits on a great podium.

What was your vision for Lodha Park project and how close have you come to realising it?

As the project is being built, we can truly see our vision come to life: the diversity of a neighbourhood that is built around a communal, recreational space, which is Lodha Park. Worli is one of the highly desirable parts of Mumbai and we are happy to be able to have more families moving into this area of the city due to the ample green spaces we are providing. We are also providing a street life by integrating a commercial establishment along the street edge and enabling the project to engage with the city rather than isolate itself.

What inspired the vibrant facade of the towers?

The project was conceived as a neighbourhood, rather than a single development. The six towers were designed as two pairs in which each pair has a unique design, and two towers that complement each other. All the structures embody similar principles in terms of environmental and community features, but they are expressed in different ways. The design of the towers takes different ideas from traditional Indian architecture and expresses them in a contemporary way. Towers 1 and 2 take the idea of Chhatris, which are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. Towers 3 and 4 use contemporary versions of Jaalis, which are latticed screens, usually with an ornamental pattern and faceted forms. Towers 5 and 6 play with scale and repetition. It is done in traditional Indian architecture and incorporates the bright colours of Indian saris into the facade.

Please talk about the design of Lodha Park

The shape of the site enabled us to have a unique arrangement of the towers at different angles. This allowed us to ensure that the apartments of different towers do not directly face each other and thus provide more privacy. Another unique thing is that it is an ‘active’ urban park that provides fruits and vegetables, offers a tea house, sports field, playground, outdoor games areas, a temple and swimming pools. It is a space that people can spend their leisure time in, pursuing different activities.

What kind of sustainable design has been used in the project?

All apartments have sun shading and can be cross ventilated naturally, thereby lowering the need for artificial cooling. The lift lobbies are naturally lit and ventilated, as is the car park. The whole podium is planted, which reduces the urban heat island effect, since vegetation absorbs the sunrays and uses that energy to synthesise nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. With this project, we are creating around 6 ha of green space for the city.

How have you customised ventilators for Mumbai?

We observed that the overwhelming majority of Mumbai population prefers natural ventilation and fresh air in their homes to air-conditioning. The passive ventilators that are built into the façade act as a filter for fresh air, keeping out the dust, and enabling everyone to have cross ventilation in their apartments, without the use of air-conditioning or electric fans.

In what way have you ensured that your design is safe from natural calamities?

The shape of the expanded towers makes them highly resistant to wind and earthquakes. In the event of power outages, the cross-ventilated apartments are a lot more habitable than spaces that rely on air-conditioning.

Lodha Park is quite close to the sea. Are there any advantages and disadvantages?

Proximity to the sea brings nice breeze and beautiful views. We have integrated sun shading into our design because the west-facing sea views also face the setting sun, which would normally heat the apartments up and increase the use of air-conditioning. To combat the ill effects of wear and tear caused due to the salt in the air, we have taken utmost care to use the best quality steel elements for good corrosion protection.

The project has been inspired by urban parks around the world. Could you elaborate?

All big urban parks like Central Park in New York, Hyde Park in London or Millennium Park in Chicago have pretty neighbourhoods growing along their vicinity. The addresses near Lodha Parks have consequently become some of the most desirable ones in the city. The difference with Lodha Park is that the developer here is not taking a pre-existing park and building a nice neighbourhood around it, but is creating both, the living and the green space, at the same time.