HMR finalises people & eco-friendly LANDSCAPING

It is not just state-of-the-art technology that the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) is all about. ‘Poetry in concrete’ has been the watchword of the MD, NVS Reddy. Keeping the eco-friendly aspect in mind, HMR called for an All-India design competition for landscaping below the viaduct last August.

• HMR to take up landscaping and plantation under the viaduct
• Six designs selected based on an All-India design competition
• Space under viaduct to be beggar and litter-free
• 200 skywalks to be developed
• Murals and artworks under strategic points

The results were declared on Tuesday and three designs bagged the first, second and third prize and another three were given consolation prizes. Rajiv Sharma, chief secretary, Telangana, Dr SK Joshi, principal secretary, MA & UD, gave away the prizes.
In all, 71 architects expressed interest and 50 architects participated in the competition.

Rohit Andrade of Earth Work (extreme right) bagged the first prize of Rs 8 lakh for ‘Poetry in concrete’ competition

The architects had to come up with designs keeping in mind the architecture, culture, climate and available building material in Hyderabad. The jury comprising N Chandramohan Reddy, member secretary, Agro Board, BN Rajeshwar, member convenor, HMR, Col NA Kumar, architect, Ahmed Alam Khan, Rose Society and Amogh Mahatre, senior architect met five times before selecting the finalists.

Rohit Andrade of Earth Work, who bagged the first prize of Rs 8 lakh says, “Sun-shadow analysis, sun path, corporate signage space, pedestrian linkages, research on the plants that can survive in Hyderabad, inclusion of precast structures in the design and planting in types of hierarchy and space for inclusion of art forms and sculptures had to be taken into consideration.”

NVS Reddy said that in future, workshops with sculptures and painters would be conducted and space would be kept aside for amateur as well as professional artists and sculptors. “Public art would be developed. The idea is to have murals and art works too at strategic locations. Rocks too that are integral to the region would find a place of prominence. People would be involved and the Metro Rail would not only be people-friendly but also eco-friendly.”

• Shops on both sides of the station
• Special stations at Miyapur and Uppal for children
• Bharat Nagar and Old Gandhi Hospital station to be developed as Rythu Bazaar stations
• Yousufguda station to be developed as a youth station
• An exclusive women’s station at Madhura Nagar would be managed only by women officers

Space under viaducts to be beggar and litter free
Unlike other metros in the country there would be no chance for beggars to occupy the space under the viaducts as landscaping would be an integral part of the structures. Creepers would be grown on the piers (to avoid people sticking posters) and the open space would be filled with flowering plants.

200 skywalks to come up
Apart from landscaping under the viaduct, 200 skywalks would come up in a phased manner and request for proposals would be called for soon. “The skywalks would be built by the HMR,” informed NVS Reddy.

A bus bay, auto bay and exclusive zones for children would be created at certain stations. HMR would be developing the landscaping and would be responsible for its upkeep, while L&T would take care of the running train, said NVS Reddy.

Provisions for LED lighting, solar panels, mural landscaping, rainwater harvesting and lampposts in Mughal architectural style and abstract mural computer chips and bisazza tiles on piers led to Oscar and Ponni architects to bag the second prize of Rs 6 lakh. The third prize was bagged by Harish Vangara of Iammies landscapes.