Athwajan Stone Quarry Park

Jammu and Kashmir

Akshay kaul and associates

Akshay Kaul specializes in the field of ecological planning, landscape and sustainable architecture and possesses more
than 25 years of experience in India and USA. 
 Site details
• Site area - 27-acre quarry site
• It is located between the River Jhelum West and the Zabarwan Mountains on the East and North.
• Revision of rules for river bed mining , banned and abandoned the site.
• Govt.of J&K took over the site to bring in parks and playfields.

ISSUES
• Quarry site gets flooded annually as quarrying has
lowered the ground level.
• The loose or fractured exposed quarried rocky surface
forms the natural ground.

The existing quarry site was closed and made way for a park with playfields.
 Design approach

“The site’s social and ecological context was the basis for the design”

The core vision was to create a Solving with sustainable methods.

landscape that would be able to Issue
deal with annual flooding.

Social survey of the communities Formulation of design programmes.

formed the basis of the program Comm. participation
for the landscape.
Design approach
 Site plan & features
SITE FILL

Soil from the dredging of the

lakes and River Jhelum is re-used
to establish the meadow and
grass landscape. 

BIO SWALES

•Linear ponds .
•Concentrates and conveys runoff
•Recharges ground water.

DETENTION PONDS

•Basins that receives & holds runoff

•Reduces peak runoffs like steams.
•Releases run off at predetermined
rate
RETENTION PONDS

Additional storage capacity to

additional surface runoff during
heavy and unexpected rains and
floods.
BIO ENGINEERED MOUNTAINS

To restrore the quarried mountain

Section of the feature
 Scope of the design
New and diverse sports activities were designed to engage all
sections of the society .
Social survey of the communities formed the basis of the program
for the landscape.

•The park again on the heavy
economic generating quarry
site is aimed to create jobs to
local people.
•Communities spaces for
gathering, events, marriages
have been provided and a
wayside restaurant for
generating revenue for
operation and maintenance
for the park. 
sustainability
•Designed with multiple use
pockets and diverse sport
areas to welcome people and
be a profitable public area.
Social
sustainability •The circulation in the park is
guided by the poplar trees –
to keep away cold winds.
• All year round water supply
from the saved water ponds.
•Retention and detention
ponds and bio-swales are
lined with willow trees for
Economical Environmental soil holding capacity.
sustainability •Fragrant perennial shrubs
are proposed to attract bees,
butterflies, and birds.
•All these were done aiming
to restore the quarry site.

The project was aimed to serve for 100 years – designed with studying flood records of 50years past.
 •The design has helped in 3R’s of sustainability
working with the existing
topography in a brilliant way by
using the surface drenches/pits

•Reduction of excess water

usage by having most of the
plants near to the water basins.

Reduce

Soil from the dredging of

the lakes and River Jhelum
3R’s Water collected in the
is re-used to establish the ponds undergo continuous
meadow and grass
Reuse Recycle recycling process giving an
landscape.  year round supply of
water for the landscape.
PADMASREE .M | M.ARCH (LA)