MANAS LAKE Thoughtfully Designed Township™ at Kothrud Next, Paud Road Manas Lake could be looked upon as acres of land where architecture, design and conscience have rallied together to build a township that blends in with its environment instead of bulldozing over it. A construction that has made it a point to not disturb the ecology of the region. Something that’s evidenced by the native variety of trees and wildlife one chances upon when going walking here. Or the fact that the sun and wind path have had a huge say in how a home is aligned. It all paints a picture that could quite easily be put in two rather honest words; thoughtful design. THOUGHTFUL DESIGNTM Index AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGY THE CLUB AND RECREATION What species of birds and trees inhabit Manas Lake? Does it have sports facilities and other forms of What’s been done to preserve them? recreation on o er? ARCHITECTURE WITH A CONSCIENCE QUALITY AND LEGAL How does thoughtful design show in SKYi Manas Lake’s Does the project have CRISIL rating and green architecture? home certi cation by IGBC? Does the project have all legal approvals and Permissions? NATURAL LIGHT AND AIR CIRCULATION A NOTE ON SKYi Have measures been taken to increase the amount of Who is SKYi? What projects has SKYi natural light and wind changes in a home as well as been a part of before SKYi Manas Lake? nding a way to lower overall heat gain? SYSTEMIC WATER CONSERVATION MANAS LAKE ON A MAP How does each home ensure and contribute to water Does this township nd itself at the heart of Western conservation? Are there provisions for water recycling? Pune? What sort of neighbourhood does it belong to? AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGY What species of birds and trees inhabit Manas Lake? What’s been done to preserve them? Manas Lake as a habitat. Location: 18°29’44.16”N and 73°44’09.45E There are two areas along the lake which on account of their undulations, fuctuating water levels and the presence of herbs and shrub 2,207 feet above sea level, the lake spans an approximate area of 85 vegetation serve as an ideal wetland habitat for birds and marine life. The acres and is close to 15m deep. The catchment of the lake shows the most dominant species of shrub is Besharam, (Ipomea carnea); a non-native presence of open areas along with both commercial and private shrub. There are also patches of Talimkhana (Hygrophillia auriculata), a constructions. It’s primarily used for recreational activities such as bird native wetland plant, as well shrubs like Lantana, Calotropis and Accacia watching and boating. found on the bund. Among the birds spotted during winter are the Indian Spot Billed Geology and Hydrology Duck, the most dominant species here along with the Common Coot. It’s The hillocks surrounding Manas Lake are the extended spurs of the also home to the Painted Stork, Glossy Ibis, River Terns, Wire Tailed Western Ghats and the lake fnds itself at the west end of Pune sandwiched Swallows, Cormorants and Martins. Manas Lake also allows fsh harvesting between the Western Ghats and the city. The area around it has basalt rock and the seedlings of Rohu, Catla, Mrigal and Grasscarp have been and murrum with fne quality soil in some areas. There are two streams that introduced into the micro-ecosystem. form its inlet while the outlet opens into Ramnadi and fows through the entire city until it joins the River Mula. Rainfall is the only water source. Paddy felds can be found along the inlet streams. Catchment Area There are paddy felds as well as other crops in the catchment area. These felds get water from the streams that run through here. There’s even a mix of commercial and private construction around the area. To preserve the ecology of a place, one has to frst understand it. Which is where the environmental audit steps in. A study that accounts for everything: the trees, the topsoil, the wildlife and the natural landscape, in a bid to understand the ecosystem and microclimate of the site and ensure that construction does everything it can to not upset it. Research insights We also did an interesting analysis of what trees invite what kind of birds, butterfies and other creatures. Here are examples of a few of them. Palas tree Indian Squirrel and Gram Blue Butterfy Bamboo Indian Quail Mango Alexandrian Parakeet Oriental White Eye Sawar tree Oriental Magpie Robin Black Rumped Flameback Woodpecker Neem Tree Asian glossy Starling Common Iora Mehndi Shrub ECOLOGICAL STUDY Tiger Butterfies Read the Manas Lake Eco-system report by “Oikos” Ask our team for a print brochure Disclaimer: Environmental data presented out of study conducted by environmental experts Oikos. Common names of Trees Birds Shrubs and Herbs found in and around Manas Lake Jungle Myna Common Myna Common Iora Trees Paddy feld Pipit Babhul Cattle Egret Shirish Woolly necked Stork Neem Small Green Bee eater Oriental Magpie Robin Yellow eyed Babbler Short toed Eagle Asana (female) Jungle Crow Sawar House Crow Bhokar Common Quail Pangara Tickel’s Blue Flycatcher Umbar Black Drongo Giripushpa Black Shouldered Kite Subabhul Red throated Flycatcher Vedi Babhul Red rumped Swallow Sag and Bor. Wire tailed Swallow Spotted Owlet Golden Oriole Plain Prinia Long tailed Shrike Shrubs White rumped Munia Rui Coppersmith Barbet Grewia Green Bee-eater Tantani Purple Sunbird Nerium Eurasian Golden Oriole Phyallanthus Tailorbird House Sparrow Herbs Small Minivet Pangli Greenish Warbler Ranmari Rose Finch Oriental Magpie Robin Common Kestrel (male) ARCHITECTURE WITH A CONSCIENCE How does thoughtful designTM show in SKYi Manas Lake’s architecture? 14 Architect’s Note Creating a sense of community through architecture has been my key concern while planning for the SKYi Manas Lake project. Many a times housings are planned in such a way that the people living there have to adjust to its lifestyle when in reality it needs to be the other way around. This can make the lives of the people living in such a housing isolated and restricted to their own homes and its immediate surroundings. I believe in designing housing complexes where the built areas form the backdrop to the lives of its inhabitants. The architecture of a housing project should never be overpowering to the extent that the social habits of the people living there would need to be altered, or take a backseat. On the contrary, they need to get further enriched & enhanced. Therefore I have laid great emphasis on creating large green areas, common lobbies and other recreational spaces, which will encourage the people at SKYi Manas Lake to interact with each other. They would come together while participating in common activities or discover common interests as they meet each other in the many courtyards, decks and other common shared areas planned for this purpose. SKYi Manas Lake would make living in a social community an uplifting experience where the homeowners can invent their own ways to use the planned areas. Great emphasis has been laid on the proximity, siting, location and planning of the parks, the sports facilities and infrastructure for artistic endeavours as well as the many cultural activity centers, along with the simple day-to-day needs of people. The architecture at SKYi Manas Lake is designed essentially as a backdrop-theatre to stage the play of life of its own people. I am certain that the residents will take these ideas many steps further by making it a truly enriched community living experience. SALIL RANADIVE Master Architect SKYi MANASLAKE Computer generated image. Artist’s impression, Image not to scale. Community Layout SKYi Manas Lake, in real estate terms, is a township but going A closer look at the layout of SKYi Manas Lake shows that it’s a The architecture here has delivered on all three counts. SKYi by the way it’s designed— with a central park running all along its very township clearly designed to a three-point brief. a) Never give a resident Manas Lake has been designed in a square grid pattern, much like a heart—it also quite clearly stands for giving its residents a strong sense a reason to complain of the lack of open spaces. b) Design a property that chessboard, which means that each tower is surrounded on all four sides of community. Jogging, cycling tracks & gym for those into working out. doesn’t have one home’s view obstructed by another’s. c) Have a Central by nothing but open space. Then there’s the central park that runs There’s even play areas for kids and beautiful fruit and fower gardens Park running through the middle of the township to act as both a break through the middle of the entire property which not only lends itself to for evening tea and picnicking. And this ‘building a community’ from brick and mortar as well as a place where a sense of community can being a free-format as well as planned recreational area for its residents approach fnds itself in the design of each building too— with sit-outs, really thrive. but also goes some way in allowing nearly three quarters of the property little play areas, gardens and shared lobbies in between towers. One to be open spaces. could argue that it’s a place where people will never be short of an excuse to bump into one another. The distance between two consecutive buildings is such that an entire building could ft between them. A deliberate design decision to allow for visual privacy along with an optimal amount of natural “light and air for all residents.