Metadesign cultivating urban oasis through green architecture

Mumbai faces a multifaceted environmental crisis characterised by high air and water pollution levels, inadequate waste management, urban flooding, coastal vulnerability, loss of biodiversity, and the urban heat island effect. Rapid urbanisation, population growth, and industrialisation exacerbate these challenges, impacting public health, natural ecosystems, and the city’s resilience to climate change.

One such company is Metadesign India Pvt Ltd., established in 2005 by the Founder & Principal Architect, Ar. Nilesh Gandhi, who provides Architectural Solutions and Landscape Designing and Green Building Certification. Bringing nature closure to urban settings, it seeks to find that balance. It has been part of many turnkey projects creating terraces, podiums, or recreational garden areas that hint at ecological equilibrium. 

One of their recent projects is designing and constructing a landscape on the podium of Project Florence in Thane by Satguru Lifespaces, which is owned by Mitesh Ganatra and Mayur Ganatra, who have wholeheartedly supported the Design and Execution Team. The beauty of this space is that, in addition to creating a garden place for the residents, it has considered the importance of every element that has been added to this project to cover many aspects that a city dweller cannot easily find. Be it the idea of green grass to walk barefoot or a dedicated space for flag hoisting; each element has its own importance. 

With changing times, we are facing many lifestyle issues and ailments. This seeded the birth of the central concept of this project, to provide a natural environment and other health benefits through nature. Keeping this in mind, they have created an acupuncture circle. This circle is one of the USPs of this project. Pebbles are arranged so that they give you a perfect reflexology foot massage while you walk on them. The same has been included in intervals on the 100-meter-long pathway, too. 

To provide semi-shade seating, a circular pergola has been included to make it a community space with vines of Combretum Indicum (madhumalti) planted around to climb on it. Along with this, some more sitting spaces are considered for the several families to use the space who might be present at one given time. There are individual sitting spaces, and there is also step sitting to integrate space for young minds, giving it a tiny amphitheatre look. 

To move closer to nature, Project Manager Ravindra Metta and Horticulturist Uttam Pawar created and executed a butterfly garden, including plants like Bird of Paradise, pentas mix, and parijat. It would not be long before you see butterflies swarming around that area. To add the essence of urban farming, the project has dedicated one space for medicinal plants and herbs, planting tulsi, aloe vera, mint, and lemongrass. 

To retain maximum space under the greenery, almost 70 percent of the terrain is covered with lawns. So much so that civil structures avoid any bifurcation at all places, and plants form the buffer zone boundaries by project architect Revati Shilevant. This also helps keep the areas open and develop a spacious yet cosy look. They enhanced a corner by adding a flag pole to assemble the last piece of the puzzle. This project in itself is a representation of fusing nature into a city space. It is a symbol of how efficiently we can bring nature close to us and a small attempt to bring about environmental change. It would be a pleasure to see more projects in our city that would complement the urban spaces by fusing the greens. 

9