Located in Allahabad the master plan takes into account the single most important feature of the city “Sangam”. It is the meeting point of the three holy rivers of India; Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati. It’s not just a spiritual marker but also a significant geological phenomenon and defines unity and amalgamation.
The concept of “Sangam” has been integrated in the master plan as a diagram of connectivity and unity. The universal symbol of unity creates a continuous loop defining three zones. These zones depicting the trinity has been inscribed as a formal as well as a programmatic element of the master plan. It is grafted in the heart of the master plan and acts as a melting point for the city as a commercial and recreational hub.
SITE The site is interrupted due to the existing settlements and ponds that cannot be moved. The design creates a sweeping gesture combining the site into one entity and still accommodating the villages on the site. This results in creating a comprehensive connected scheme.
AMALGAMATION The brief requires for a mixed use master plan consisting of Industries, Residential, Housing, Institutional, Commercial and Mixed use. The various typologies have been morphed from one to another and corresponds to the zoning, this results in amalgamated master plan design whereby the perception during movement is a gradual change in the form resulting in a sense of unity of the diverse typologies.
UNITY The built and the green have been designed as one system. Green network and the built environment are integrated into one, which seamlessly flows on the site. This unified system of built and green was important to create a city level and neighborhood green, which creates a sense of living within the nature in the master plan along with a layer of pedestrian network. The star form of the green transforms from unbuilt to the built feature of the buildings in the central Sangam area, along with the neighborhood green morphing into urban green plazas.
SKYLINE The functional diversity has been unified by a seamless skyline. This undulating skyline merges the various functional requirements of the master plan into a visually coherent system.
SUSTAINABILITY The master plan is designed as a Sustainable master plan and a zero discharge city. At the planning stage the green percentage, porosity of the materials, transportation network and walking distances have been accounted for. In the second stage of the design implementation elements of Energy, Water and Waste management systems have been embedded in the planning bylaws.
Location: Allahabad, India Architect: Studio Symbiosis Partners: Dr. Vandana Sehgal (Hon.), Britta Knobel Gupta, Amit Gupta Project Leader: Joy Mondal Project Team: Viraat Kumar, Md. Shaique Uddin, Rakesh Mathur, Pancham Pathania, Pranav Semwal, Saswata Haldar Site Area: 1500 Acres Year: 2014 Client: Upsidc