Lutyens’s plan for Imperial Delhi located a dairy farm behind the Viceroys House on the forested Delhi Ridge, a spur of the ancient Aravali mountain range, which formed the western edge of the new city.
After the independence of India in 1947 the city expanded rapidly and the area around the dairy farm was developed as the diplomatic enclave which became one of the most prestigious residential neighbourhoods of the capital. The dairy farm was taken over by a real estate company which obtained permission from the local government for a residential development.
The site covers an area of 25 acres and contains the abandoned milk processing plant, its ancillary buildings including workers quarters, two bungalows for managerial staff, and a large number of trees growing wild in the factory compound. Three sides of the site adjoin low-rise private house on plots, while along the fourth side runs a storm water canal which separates it from the government-owned bungalows of Lutyens’s Imperial Delhi.
The master plan proposal for the new residential development on this site provides a mix of 70 individual plots for 3 storey houses and 84 apartments in a 5 storey block. The plotted housing is located on the periphery to maintain continuity with the surrounding development. The apartment block is located in the center of the site with public open spaces around it. The configuration of roads, houses, apartment block and open spaces is specially arranged to preserve most of the mature trees existing on the site.
The plan seeks to find a balance between the market pressures on this extremely expensive piece of real estate and the developers stated objective to enhance the urban quality of one of New Delhi’s most attractive residential neighbourhoods.
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- Between the Earth and the Sky - an Architectural Journey In Portfolio of Works, MN Ashish Ganju. London, 1998.