Terraces

Master Plan

A drive down the main street of Malhar, Southwards, and after the Footprints community, is Terraces to the East. On the West is Mosaic, a part of this community. Terraces is set back from the road and has to its front a lush green park, planted with numerous trees. A path through the park leads into Terraces.

The Homes

How do we design home units that respond to their location (on each floor), orientation, the view around, and the movement of air and light? can they afford the privacy and individualised layouts of independent homes?

The emphasis on terrace gardens and their staggering out has led to an amazing variety of apartment layouts, each unique by itself. This is also partly a result of our interactions with people and the kind  of spaces  they  were  looking  for.  There  are  a  total  of  20  plans  for  the  63  apartments,  which makes each home feel very individual in its look and feel. The layouts have organically evolved and not more than four homes in all the blocks put together look the same. The rooms are spacious with minimum walls and adequate light and ventilation. Bay windows in the bedrooms and French windows in the living and dining spaces look out into the verdant greenery that surround the blocks and provide cross ventilation. Most of the living and dining areas in the homes are oriented to the terrace gardens. Some homes have balconies instead of terrace gardens. A few others have no balcony or terrace garden but the views enjoyed from the elegant bay windows are of the beautiful grounds or a terrace garden below. The apartments come in a range of one, two, and three bedroom homes. Some of the two-bedroom homes have a study and some three-bedroom homes have an extended family space to use for TV viewing or social interaction.

Features

How do we maintain the continuum of the Malhar vision with Terraces? That of an eco-community where caring for nature and people reflect in the way spaces are designed and used? Where sustainability provides the blueprint for how a neighbourhood is conceived and realised?

The individual terrace garden—a piece of sky for everyone:These open terraces bring the outdoors inside invoking the feeling of living close to the ground. Residents can enjoy views of the water bodies, the greenery and the sight of the sky changing colours above. Besides recreating a bit of the outdoors even at the higher floors, they break the severity of the built-up scale, making it more human and organic.
The landscaped gardens act as a buffer from the dust, heat and the lashing rain. They are staggered on alternate floors to form a terraced pattern, which enhances the air movement between floors. The spacing between the gardens gives each one a private uninterrupted view of the sky and the surrounding landscape.

Transition spaces: The homes in Terraces have transition spaces connecting the indoors to the outdoors—the balconies and the verandahs. The terrace gardens have a semi-covered pergola, or the verandah connecting the inside of the house to the open terrace. Full of character, this space is more than just a transition space and takes a life of its own. Camaraderie, companionship or solitude describes it and from here one can watch the rainfall, enjoy its mild spray and be soothed by cool breezes.

Community spaces: Terraces, in continuation of the theme of the other communities, are dotted with community interaction spaces outside and inside its blocks. Besides parks and playgrounds there are the pathways that lead into the central courtyard. Beautifully landscaped, this along with the open atrium play host to neighbourly interactions and leisure. Even the corridors on each floor have places for growing plants and to sit and relax.

Design for natural light and ventilation: Natural light and air flow into the homes through the corridors, bay windows, French windows and verandahs. The windows have comfortable seats where you can just relax with a cup of tea or book. At Terraces they also open the homes to the beauty of the Malhar landscape around.All the homes are placed in a straight row, one after the other, and not around a central lobby; they thus enjoy adequate natural light and cross ventilation. The strategic placing of the terraces and balconies in all the blocks and the use of thermally conducive materials are all features that reduce the necessity for artificial temperature control.

Eco - Features

• We make a conscious effort to retain much of the existing topography, trees and other features by reducing built footprints and road areas.
• Our designs respond to the climate in their planning and detailing, and the spaces thus created are abundantly lit and ventilated while still being comfortable in extremes of conditions.
• Our homes are efficient, flexible and appear spacious even when compact.
• We use a combination of the modern and the traditional in materials, techniques and details, creating a unique aesthetic that has a global flavour while being  decidedly Indian.
• We integrate traditional crafts into our designs for their inherent value and to promote skilled craftspersons, and always emphasis human resource before material.
• Our choice of material is based on a balance of local availability, efficiency of manufacturing process and durability over time. Natural materials make your homes more comfortable and age beautifully. Wherever possible we use recycled materials and always use resources optimally.
  

........................more info on eco features