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Business Park at Bandra, Mumbai. a mixeduse waterfront development

Part 2 Project 1999
Shadab Karim
University of Mumbai | India
The term Business Park apparently appears contradictory. Business is associated with commerce, financial transactions, concentrated effort and urban life; a park, on the other hand, is devoted to leisure, pleasure, sport and the enjoyment of nature.

This new venture coordinates space with development of an entire region, in turn, becomes an infrastructure not only for an entire local community, but a support of national interest and growth of economy. The development of this Business Park is a step to relieve the choking Mumbai City in India from the burden of increasing trade and commerce.

The goal is to create an identifiable `downtown and business and recreation precinct’ that would help to revitalize the city of Mumbai (Bombay). It will be an alternative to the existing one, which lies scattered and only in the southern bottom of the Island City, overloading the infrastructure that it depends on. Such existing business enterprises are full of life during the day, but are ghosts during the night.

Thus the aim is to create a commercial precinct that will be lively after working hours too. Creating a mixed-use development is the best alternative. Mixed-use projects usually have three or more significant revenue-producing entities. Other than providing a variety of reasons for people to visit a development during the day, the mix of uses aims to draw people after 5:00 p.m. and during weekends. This is accomplished by offering a variety of restaurants, movie theatres, a waterfront esplanade, museums, and recreational facilities.
(check images for detail descriptions)

CONCLUSION

The design proposes a romantic, picturesque `urban waterfront’, containing retail, commercial and offices uses. The overall project reflects an active, playful, enjoyable environment. Plazas, water features, recreational areas and walkways are presented in such a way that as one passes from space to space, a new spatial experience is felt by the individual. Areas throughout will contrast from intimate and controlled spaces to open active spaces. The response will be to integrate uses and activities that were commonly associated with a downtown central business district-office, retail, restaurant and pleasure boating





Shadab Karim's work has developed consistently through the five years of the Degree Programme. His interest in Urban Designing has led him to work on this project, trying to solve issues related to the place where he resides;Mumbai. Shadab is fascinated with modern Architecture, as it is reflected in his design.

His decision to design a mixed use development for Bombay,India was taken to to give the City a relief from the congestion that its infrastructure is overloaded with.The site is in the BMRDA development, which comprises of the major part of the Bandra-Kurla complex. A complex being worked out to decongest South Mumbai.

The main idea was to demonstrate how a new spatial experience is felt by the individual as one passes from space to space. This, along with an insight to the neglected state of the Bombay waterfront an attempt has been made to revitalize the urban space.

At the other end of the scale, Shadab's project examined the hierachy of activities that were needed to create a lively place. Taken as a whole, the project is a rounded and complete submission, and answers well the challenges Shadab set for himself in his Final year.

1999
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