STUDIO BRIEF

UD4001: Master Plan Studio – Unit 3

Studio Mentor: Brijesh Bhatha

Studio Tutor: Purvi Chhadva

Teaching Associate: Parth Patel

The studio focuses on the design of large Greenfield or cleared brown-field developments with an emphasis on creating an urban form for livable neighborhoods.

Mega-events impact the development of host cities due to their scale and catalytic effects. The Olympic Games offer one such opportunity for the host cities to create new landmarks, improve and invest in its infrastructure and provide a backdrop for urban renewal.

India is set to bid for the Olympic games in the coming decade, and Ahmedabad has been chosen as the host city. The studio unit brief in this context is to create a Game plan and Legacy plan for the same on one of the sites proposed for the event along the Sabarmati Riverfront. The focus is to create a framework plan that can maximize the use of facilities built during the events and create a flexible, sustainable, and inclusive urban form.

01 02

Preface: Studio Brief

Site Contextualisation

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

03 04

5.2

5.3

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.3.1

6.3.2

6.3.3

Key Learnings

References

Site Contextualization

The proposed Olympic site is in the new grown area of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. In this chapter the proposed Olympic site in Ahmedabad is studied in a group of 12 to understand the potentials and challenges in and around the site to host Olympics and analyzing it under various parameters contribution to it. Learning further the surrounding context in city level, precinct level and site level in framing groundwork for design development and strategies.

City Level Context:

City level connectivity: The site is located in between the Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad city centers, along the periphery and also is in close proximity to the Narendra Modi stadium, Sabarmati riverfront phase 2, and job centers like GIFT city, Gandhinagar, Kalol. It is well connected to BRTS, MRTS and AMTS Road Networks and also close proximity of 6km to Sabarmati Railway station, upcoming Bullet train terminal, and 6km from the Ahmedabad airport. Overall Site is very well connected providing choices and options for accessibility.

Precinct Level Context

Connectivity and Walkability: Site is primarily connected by major roads like SP ring road, 2 state highways and the developed riverfront road on the southern part of the site. The location also provides multiple access points to important transit routes such as airport road, Motera road.

Sabarmati

Precinct Level Context:

Predominant built use :

On observing the built use around the site, it can be concluded that the precinct is a popular choice for residential developments due to the connectivity the area offers showing a great amount of varying residential built use around the site. The area along the Ahmedabad Gandhinagar highway, along the eastern part of the site also has industrial and institutional developments. Further consultation with the current developers in the area led to an understanding that the area has a high demand for 3BHK units with mixed use buildings being the predominant typology in the area.

TP scheme :

There are no TP schemes announced or implemented for the site extent, this being a special case . AUDA has also officially announced that 7 villages around the Motera sports enclave namely Chandkheda, Motera, Zundal,Bhat,

Precinct Level Context:

Open Spaces and Sports Facilities:

Predominant parcels of open spaces within the vicinity of the site extent are either under developed or not developed in general. Observing the various sports facilities within extent of the precinct, we can observe an adequate amount of varying sports facilities. But these being mainly private , make them unusable for people of all social classes hence not inclusive.

Watersheds:

Site Level Context

The majority of the site falls under a single watershed implying that it collects all the storm water falling in that area. The streams (major and minor) direct water to the nearest catchment area, with the water ultimately flowing into the river. The new riverfront development will signficantly alter these natural water flows, but there is an opportunity to avoid flooding by retaining the major streams and maintaining an outlet into the river.

Site Level Context:

Topography and Surrounding Features:

The topography of site is gradually sloping towards the river with a non perennial stream running across the site. Natural water bodies can act as an asset to the site for further redevelopment and rejuvenation. Currently river is not easily accessible from the surrounding which can cause it from being neglected. The riverfront phase II development could enhance the river edge and the visual connection to th Olympic site. Ash pond is used to dumb ash from nearby Amul factory which could be rejuvenated and enhanced as a landscape feature in new development.

Vegetation:

Some of the natural vegetation can be retained and some needs to be uprooted like Prosopis Juliflora which are commonly seen at the river edge and hugging the stream and ash pond areas. Lush green vegetation is clearly seen only covering the water body in the site. The northern portion of site along SP ring road are mostly agricultural land.

Site Level Context:

Strength:

Well connected to major transit routes, proximity to NM stadium

High residential demand around the site

The upcoming Riverfront project will create a vital public asset for the Olympic Games and Legacy Plan.

Weakness:

Prosopis Juliflora within the site would require long process for ecological regeneration.

Overhead Metro Bridge Local Commercial Shops

Opportunity: Extension of transit connectivity and upcoming TOD Zone along the riverfront .

View points to and from the site

Increasing demand for community living and hence potential for development of other townships and amenities

Threat: Ash Pond within the site is restricting the land development which acts as a waste dumping site.

Mix-Use Development High Rise Apartments

02

Game Plan

This section is focused on the preparation of game plan or Olympic master plan to create a base for its legacy. In a group of 12 within two week duration a game plan was prepared by referring our individual case study learnings. Starting with a common vision set that align with IOC guidelines for green Olympics. That is followed by spatial design and planning strategy to achieve the set vision and to finalize the retaining Olympic structure a transition master plan was created.

Vision and Strategies:

Vision:

“To develop an Olympic park that is ecologically sensitive with an accessible public realm that interconnects the city to its communities.”

Objective and Strategies:

Connect:

Design multiple articulated entry points for better accessibility and connectivity to the site and also provide inviting entries through landscape design for the Olympic park.

Create: Create a central integrated spine that connects various elements on the site including various stadiums forming a ceremonial path which acts as an asset to the Olympic park.

Respond:

Responding to the existing natural system by developing a streamline to act as the foreground for the public realm and the activities along it, and also rejuvenate the wetland to develop an Olympic plaza for the park.

Proposed Game Plan:

Design Development:

The design of the event plan evolved as a way to connect to the existing surrounding and create articulated entryways into the olympic park that will be celebrated.

A single continuous spine is designed to connect the two extreme ends of the site connecting to the various larger stadiums and will also accommodate the public transit route that goes through the site and connects to the existing route forming a loop.

The various natural elements are rejuvenated to act as a foreground for the planned public realm. A singular ceremonial path is designed as a way to connect the stadiums around the redesigned stream.