Dasve Village, currently under construction, represents
Phase 1 of a master plan for a new Hill Station community on 8000
acres in the Mose Valley of Maharashtra, India. East of Bombay
and near the city of Pune, it is one of five primary villages
proposed along the banks of Warasgaon Lake. The site’s
wonderful natural features, such as plentiful water, lush
vegetation and dramatic vistas, provide a setting quite unique
to the region. It is envisioned that the village will become
a new place to live, work, and play amidst the natural splendor.
To this end, the Project is founded upon, and continues to
be guided by the following sustainable principles:
Identify the Locations of the Most Important Environmental
Features and Preserve Them
• Establish and protect view sheds to preserve the existing
natural beauty of the site
• Protect and celebrate watersheds, waterfalls, streams
and lakes
• Continue to enhance and embellish the forest greenway
• Establish / implement re-forestation programs for
underdeveloped areas
• Protect existing Dhamanhole village
• Preserve existing and establish new planting and habitat
for local flora & fauna
Enhance the Relationship to Water
• Explore options to retain water levels over time in
selected locations
• Celebrate water as one of the sacred elements, including
earth, wind & fire
• Accentuate the lake as the path to the sea
• Exhibit the playfulness of it, yet revere the importance
of it
Promote Low-Impact Development as a Model
• Promote sustainability in all aspects of design
• Encourage compact development to preserve open space
• Build quality public spaces
• Implement and enforce design guidelines as a code
for ensuring the quality and predictability of the development
Provide an Appropriate Mix of Uses
• Leverage attributes of land forms to provide indigenous
settings
• Understand compatibility of land uses: High traffic
vs. passive
• Provide live, work, learn and leisure opportunities
• Provide a variety of experiences for visitors: Active,
passive, spiritual, educational, entertainment & recreational
Provide a Flexible Master Plan that Can Adapt to
Changing Market Needs
• Provide an expandable road network
• Provide a phased infrastructure system
• Build flexible buildings that can adapt to changing
needs
• Ensure economically flexible and establish achievable
phases
• Leverage land value by creating amenities throughout
the landscape
• Provide a clear hierarchy of effective circulation
options
Dasve Village is the first of five primary villages to
be
constructed as part of India’s first new “Hill
Station” community in more than a century. Drawing upon
historic patterns of Indian town building as well as vernacular
building forms, the master plan emulates traditional culturally
based urban design principles that have remained beautiful
and proven sustainable for centuries.
The master plan represents principles of the Transect by
proposing transitions from rural areas, designated as natural
and agricultural open space, to the village center. By prescribing
patterns of development that follow the Transect, inhabitants
will benefit from not losing touch with traditional ways of
life in both rural and urban areas. Residents will remain
stewards of the land and appreciators of urbanism much in
the same way that their ancestors were. It is anticipated
that the village will grow organically, remain flexible and
culturally appropriate as it evolves.
While originally conceived as a resort site of “second
homes” for India’s prosperous, the project team
attempted to create a new and sustainable micro-economy within
the larger region that accommodates the primary residents,
but also a host of employees and service providers that accompany
any development of this type. The program was expanded to
accommodate a variety of residential units at price points
to provide for individuals and families seeking “first
homes” as well as those wanting to invest in second
homes. Teachers, shop owners, restaurant workers and the like
are provided places to live within the same urban environs.
Dasve Village responds to the unique context of the land
on which it is located. The town center was located at the
confluence of two “nalas” or streams that converge
in the valley floor and empty into the lake. This concept
attempts to show reverence and celebration for water and its
importance to sustaining life. A check dam, also under construction,
will retain storm water year round for local drinking water
needs as well as civic maintenance uses. The village will
grow around this recreational amenity, creating an icon thus
increasing the real estate values. Secondly, by promoting
compact development, infrastructure will not need to be distributed
over large areas of the landscape and will help preserve open
space. It is intended this open space will be reforested in
an attempt to replenish what was once forested land.
In keeping with principles prescribed in the Transect, the
highest density is located in the town center, gradually decreasing
towards its edge. The urban form derives its structure from
topography and drainage patterns and is organic in nature.
The village edges are defined and thus formed by steep and
un-developable slopes of adjacent hillsides as well as the
lake edge.
Geography defines the edges of development of all the villages
within the master plan. Where urbanity transitions from more
to less dense, the Transect defines the patterns by which
the built environment evolves. As valley floors avail themselves,
urbanity gives way to open space in the form of preserves
or agricultural uses. Where possible, open space is captured
as frontage for residential development whereas commercial
(mixed use) uses typically front village right-of-ways such
as streets or plazas.
Public right-of-ways are designed to accommodate several
modes of transportation commonly used by local residents.
Particular attention has been given to pedestrians so that
they can navigate safely in corridors occupied by four and
two wheel vehicles, animal drawn carts, and free roaming animals.
All of the villages within the community are to be linked
by public transportation that will link terminals in each
village center. Vehicular routes coupled with bicycle easements
connect all villages to accommodate four and two wheel vessels.
Secondarily, a trail network for adventure seekers on treks
connects to locations that vehicles cannot get to such as
Hill Station Lodges, remote camp sites, and preserves. To
assist people who cannot or do not want to hike to these remote
destinations, vertical transportation systems such as funiculars
and vertical rail cars have been designated in key locations
to provide access to the sites. Other alternative modes of
transportation are currently being explored to determine their
construction and financial feasibility.
Dasve Village is also considered sustainable in its flexibility.
By design, many of the land uses can be interchanged as the
market changes. For example, in the town center, the mix of
uses may change between ground floor retail, residential and
potentially even office. In the residential areas, the mix
of lot types and unit types can also be modified over time
to meet market demand but still respect and enforce urban
guidelines. The recreational and tourist attractions uses
can also be modified as corporate and institutional partners
become interested in contributing to the development of the
Hill Station. Urban and architectural codes offer the development
a blueprint to ensure the vision is maintained and equip local
practitioners with the tools to ensure long-term sustainability.
Dasve Village upholds the historic and cultural aspects of
the traditional Indian Hill Station as a place of healing
and rest. The master plan seeks to ensure its goal of becoming
a premier destination and place to live through sustainable
practices of density, preservation of open space and natural
places, and indigenous architectural technologies as well
as being economically viable and exciting.
For the project team, it was important to realize that urbanism
in all parts of the world derives its form by cultural, climatic,
and economic influences. To deliver a product that actually
took into account all natural and socio-economic influences
that have proven successful through time, the project team
found it necessary to spend a great deal of time researching
and testing models of development. Long understood western
models would not suffice in being the basis for design for
a culture found in the Mose Valley of western India.
Since the project is in its construction infancy, many of
the lessons learned are not understood yet. Construction document
preparation in offices on the other side of the planet does
not guarantee that the project will be built as dimensioned
and detailed. On-site visits are needed to ensure the success
of the urban space and one needs a client who is willing to
pay for such services. Time will provide the lessons learned
beyond the drawing and design phases.
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