PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND THE GARDEN The redevelopment of the Birla Mill precinct near Roshanara garden in Delhi

5th Year Design Studio August-December 2011, SSAA Unit Proposal: RR-SPB

Background Old and dilapidated inner areas of several existing cities in India are currently under pressure of rapid transformation. This opens up challenges of exploring contemporary building programme and architectural design for sufficiently large chunks of land inside densely built and historically layered urban fabric of multiple interests.

The studio proposes to explore Architectural Design opportunities at an urban scale in a characteristic inner city brownfield situation on a vacant piece of land available due to the obsolescence of the original industrial function. Such a situation, symptomatic to many other cities in India, on the one hand, requires innovative programmatic and design solutions to meet the investors requirements of the viability of the project emerging out of the high commercial potential of such properties; on the other hand, it demands sincere engagement with the complexity of social, cultural and environmental issues of the time and place of public domains.

The Project Idea The project is selected directly from a recent live proposal from a leading Indian business house to re-develop one of their properties in the heart of the city of Delhi.
Birla Mills Plans Real Estate Development at its Delhi Land K K Birla Group firm Texmaco Ltd looks set for a windfall from its real estate in Delhi. Texmaco chairman Saroj Poddar told reporters, after the annual general meeting of the company, that it is hoping to develop over one million square feet in one of Delhis prime locations that belongs to Birla Mills. We are likely to get a few thousand crore from this real estate development, he said. According to Poddar, it is likely to start the real estate development within a year. The Birla Mills land was caught in a legal wrangle, which was disposed of by the Supreme Court recently. We will develop a shopping mall, residential complex and commercial complex on the area, he added. Texmaco chairman said that as per the court verdict, it would surrender 65% of the land to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and would develop the remaining 35%. It has around 31 acres on Birla Mills premises. We will develop around 11 acres. But we will get 50% additional floor area ratio (FAR). DDA will pay 50% of the amount if it goes for commercial development of the space, he added. --- TNN Aug 13, 2010) ISTE-Journal Indian Reality News . Available [online]t http://www.indianrealtynews.com/real-estate-india/birla-mills-plans-real-estate-development-at-its-delhiland.html [Accessed August 17, 2011]

PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND THE GARDEN The redevelopment of the Birla Mill precinct near Roshanara garden in Delhi

Site: Birla Mills Land in Delhi Total 31 Acres (about 430 meters * 200 meters) of Birla mills site abutting the old Grand Trunk road is located in the present north Delhi, in an area which, once upon a time, was the garden suburb of Shahajahanabad. This was one of the areas, the British spread out their military and civil occupation since the years of colonial occupation of Delhi before the establishment of the new capital city of Lutyens Delhi. The Mills in this area were products of industrialization in the early twentieth century. Presently, it is surrounded by old residential areas, like Kamala Nagar, Shakti Nagar, historic precincts like Roshnara Garden, has a direct link to the urban node of Ghanta Ghar area as well as the Delhi University in its vicinity.

Fig. 1: Location of the site and the surrounding urban fabric Source: (www. googlearth.com. Accessed August 17, 2011]

5th Year Design Studio/ August-December 2011/ SSAA Unit Proposal: RR-SPB /2

PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND THE GARDEN The redevelopment of the Birla Mill precinct near Roshanara garden in Delhi

Overall notion of the programme: As per DDA proposal, 11 Acres of Land is to have private commercial development with extra F.A.R. This may include commercial housing as well and the remaining land is to have public recreation oriented functions and accessible public open space. Broad opportunities of the studio-work Urban morphology analysis: Site and Surrounding Documentation,Study and Analysis of the site and the surrounding; Analysis and Formulation of the Program. [Work will be done in small groups (and if required, in individual capacity)]. Overall Structure Plan of the precinct Site plan of the private and public zones Complete Architectural Design for the proposed built areas (at the resolution of 1: 200 or more detailed as necessary).

RR-SPB Aug 2011

5th Year Design Studio/ August-December 2011/ SSAA Unit Proposal: RR-SPB /3