Amanora Hill by MVRDV in Pune, India

The Amanora project, which will eventually comprise 3,500 homes and a total floor area of 400,000 m², has just begun its first phase, with 1,068 dwellings. The Dutch practice MVRDV, which is leading the scheme, has designed a dense development that is effectively a mini-city in its own right, with completion expected in summer 2014.

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India is currently undergoing rapid development, and its buildings, much like those France built a few decades ago, are often monotonous. MVRDV has taken up the challenge of designing this tower in a way that breaks with that monotony. The brief includes public facilities and a park. The dwellings are distributed at random, as the section below shows. Apartment sizes range from 42 to 530 m². Most of the homes have balconies, and often a bathroom for each bedroom.

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The scheme is divided into three towers, corresponding to the different construction phases. The façade is opened up by two-storey cavities. Set on steeply sloping ground, the building folds in order to maximise views and to orient as many homes as possible towards the park. It forms a building of nine wings served vertically by four cores. The first building is raised on a podium housing a school, a swimming pool, shops, restaurants and bars, and a cinema.

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The diversity of the housing should foster social mix. Almost 50,000 m² of parking will be located in the basement. The 162-hectare district lies 10 km from the centre of Pune. A herb garden, a flower garden, a sculpture garden, a play area and an events space will be laid out on the site. The gardens are planned for the third phase.

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The building will be constructed in concrete, and the openings will be fitted with ornamental metal shutters that will provide protection from the sun. A natural ventilation system will run vertically through the structure. Circulation areas and public spaces will be clad in natural stone, while the balconies will be clad in timber.