landscape of streams
Where land, water, and time flow as one continuous landscape.
Mulshi, Pune
CONCEPT
Site planning and landscape architecture of a 10-acre property that bridges water bodies, a temple, an outdoor kitchen, a river front deck, mango tree pavilions and agricultural farming areas with the ‘House on Arches’ in Mulshi, Maharashtra.
Inspired by flowing water, this 10 acre property is designed with meandering driveways and walkways offering multiple pause spaces with varied plantation types for grounding, inspiration and awe.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The architecture of this vast landscape is based on the simple ethos to first observe, and next, intervene for change. For this, observing and experiencing seasonal change over summers, winters and monsoons has been integral to the landscape design.
Here, the aim was to maintain the natural look of the site by enhancing ‘edges’ along the water and the driveways or the interface between land and water. Natural material such as laterite were used as curbs for meandering driveways to emphasize these ‘edges’ in the landscape.
The landscape is dotted with small streams, naturally occurring water ponds, fruit orchards, organic farming, fields and native tree species, where the levels across this site were maintained with little or no change.
DESIGN LOGIC
Edge Enhancement: Enhancing the interface between land and water through the use of natural laterite curbs along meandering driveways to maintain a natural character and strengthen spatial definition.
Flood-Responsive Planting: Given the constant flooding along the river banks during monsoons, saving top soil and associated life was important. For this, natural stone pitching and plantation of plants such as wadelia, canna, pampas and typha grasses were chosen so that the roots of these grasses are able to hold on to the soil when the river swells, ensuring no loss of soil during heavy monsoons.
