SITE:

Apostrophe A+uD was awarded the first prize and declared the architect for the Golfclub facilities at Kharghar following an International Design Competition. The site spread over 200 acres in the emerging Kharghar suburb of Mumbai originates in the lower reaches of the Sahyadri Hills on the West of the site and has a series of natural streams that move towards the east. The iconic Pandavkada waterfalls are located adjacent to the site in the NW corner and create a beautiful backdrop for the golf course.

CONCEPT:

Apostrophe A+uD followed the principals for the project-

• Deference To The Majesty Of Natural Views – By working towards de-Monumentalization and Site Integration we strove to create 'soft' buildings that are integrated into the landscape at various terraces along the slope rather than a imposing architectural form that will dominate the landscape. The emergent architectural forms therefore naturally took on aspects of traditional hillside architectural massing that is found across Indian hill stations. An architecture that is in harmony with the surrounding topography and emerges from the contours with a vigorous interaction of the landscape from a human perspective in the form of terraces, gardens, lookouts, decks, courtyards and pathways.

• Life Cycle Sustainability – Creating shaded and ventilated leisure / public areas to reduce air-conditioned zones, incorporating diffused day-lighting, construction details with thermal mass and high insulation, high efficiency water systems including rain water harvesting and grey water recycling, etc. were some of the techniques to create life cycle sustainability.

• Logistical and Technical Efficiency – From planning the site traffic to create better flow and reduce disturbance for golfers to redesign of maintenance sheds for optimal future development of adjacent hospitality sites and from planning service / delivery / processing areas within the facility to the logistical flow of the project facilities from a service and hospitality viewpoint, Apostrophe ensured that the project would be highly efficient to run and maintain.

• Relaxation and Comfort – Of paramount concern was the experience of the guests. Every space, starting with the transition from the car drop-off to the hospitality and sports facilities were designed with a priority for enhancing the guest experience of relaxation and comfort. This was evident in the sensitivity of the interior design and the material selection of the project along with the spaces for repose.