Neral Landscape

Design Jatra was initially asked to design a house on the site located in Vanjarpada village of Thane district in Maharashtra. However, the site which was once a thriving forest, now was fully barren and had no underground water whatsoever. Hence the team, along with the clients decided to work on the landscape of the site before any building happens. The aim of the landscape was to prevent soil erosion, harvest all rainwater, recharge the underground water aquifers (both deep and sub-surface aquifers), and restore the forest that was once on the site making it a biodiversity heaven.

With these aims and with the help of rainwater harvesting consultant Mr. Ajit Gokhale, a landscape intervention was designed. The intervention was designed with water as a central element. Taking advantage of the undulating terrain of the site, various rainwater harvesting systems like borewell recharges, bioswales, check dams, underground dams, and reed beds were designed and built. To enable the efficient use of the site, anthropocentric features like an amphitheater, an ornamental tree grove, a compound wall, and vehicular and pedestrian pathways were also designed.
The site is now a thriving forest full of native trees. It is home to various species of animals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.