How to make large apartment projects relate to the tiny human proportion? Armed with this question in mind, we set out to design Karle Zenith, a showpiece residential project from the reputed Karle group. As we started to unravel the solution, many ideas emerged – a floating lily pond on which the whole structure gently rests, breaking down elevations to smaller pieces and several sky gardens.
STATISTICS
Client : Karle Infra
Location : Bangalore
Site area : 15 Acres
Total built up area : 1.05 Million Sq.ft.
Scope of Services : Masterplanning, Building Design, C/S Engineering, M&E Engineering, Landscape
A large residential apartment helps communities bond
Designing buildings is about making spaces for people. As such, we think that it is necessary to see the buildings from a human scale. A human experiences space through his eyes, ears, hands, tongue and his heart. It is with this mindset that we design this project, the Karle Residence, where the 4 physical senses are addressed, with its tranquility and warmth evoking the fifth.
This project consists of high rise apartment blocks. The facade is carefully broken down to relate it to the human scale. We have also conscientiously created a seemingly random pattern for the façade. This reduces the repetitive nature of high rise blocks. The entrance is designed like a lily pad floating on a pool of water. A little passage way, the “stem”, leads from the central garden to the lobby, prolonging and heightening the awareness of spatial transition. All this is done to enhance the sense of arrival and departure.
Design Direction
Bringing it down to scale
The whole design is conceived from a human angle. It is designed inside out, starting with the home, then their immediate surroundings and then beyond to the whole project.
Designed around a garden
The central garden offers many aspects to the residents of the development. It is a communal space when families can let their children play freely and safely. A peripheral road keeps vehicles away from the central garden. Activities areas are zoned according to the nature of its use. The sporting facilities are kept at the fringes while the central area is for leisurely activities like strolling.
Designed to let people understand
The design intent ensures that the spaces are easily understood, mostly facilitated by the use of natural light. For example, a “ring of light” around the lift lobby contrasts it with the dimmer car parking areas. This enables instant recognition of the space to head for. Openings on the floor slabs or wall on each level allow views beyond the floor, adding “borrowed volume” to each area. The relationship of void and solid extend views from one space to the next, aiding in visual orientation within the development.
Sky gardens
High-rise living reduce human contact with the ground. To retain the essence of the ‘earth’ metres above ground, Sky Gardens at Karle Zenith, bring openness and greenery in the blocks. These “sky-gardens” not only draw the greenery upwards vertically, but also allow cross-ventilation of the inner spaces of the high-rise blocks. Apartments next to the “sky-garden” have windows opening onto them, or balconies overlooking them.
Making spaces useful
We have designed each apartment with unique care. Not only do the luxuriously sized apartments provide a kingly lifestyle to their occupants, the useful space is maximised by designing for the interiors at the time of planning.