Pune with 3.5 million inhabitants (5.5 million in the metropolitan area) is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra (after Mumbai) and the eighth in the country. As in other Indian cities, there is an acute problem of housing. As a rule, it is solved by building endless homogeneous residential towers that form dull new districts: efficiency, not beauty, is considered the main thing in such a situation.
But the architects of MVRDV considered this approach to be fundamentally wrong. By order of the leading developers of Pune, they developed a residential area project for 3,500 apartments (total area - 400 thousand m2). It consists of three "hilly" complexes, which will be built in three stages. The first construction has begun now, and it is planned to finish it in 2014: there are planned 1,068 apartments of different sizes, as well as various infrastructure facilities. The main feature of the project is that the house will mix apartments ranging from 42 m2 to 530 m2: such a solution will create a more lively social atmosphere, while the very range of sizes will satisfy all the variety of demand in the Indian housing market.
The plan of the building is based on a grid with hexagonal cells, which will allow access to the apartments for fresh air and views of the surrounding area, in addition, most of the apartments will have a wooden balcony. Double corridors will connect the nine wings of the 4-core residential complex with lifts and staircases. Between the wings there will be a sculpture garden, a spice garden, a flower pot garden, a playground, and a plaza for social events. Landscaping is also planned for the spaces between the three blocks of the array.
The facades will be made of concrete, large windows will protect from the hot sun with metal blinds that will not interfere with the natural ventilation of the premises; this will be facilitated by the numerous ventilation shafts. The building will be erected on a plinth, which will house a garage, school, swimming pool, shops, bars, cafes and a cinema. A sky lounge will be arranged on the top floor of the building. Infrastructure objects, stairs, lobbies, etc. will be cladding from natural stone.
