Public & Urban Space Design
We view public parks not just as green patches, but as the living rooms of our city. Our design philosophy turns overlooked plots into inclusive community commons where nature takes the lead.
This is the story of reclaiming our neighborhood parks. This project in Bengaluru is one of a thousand such spaces that form our city's green cover, redesigned with features like this interactive fountain to become a true community hub.
This diagram, featured in the LA Journal of Landscape Architecture, illustrates the core principles behind my Indiranagar public park project. It details ten key strategies for transforming a standard park into a vibrant, accessible, and multi-generational public space.
This conceptual sketch shows a central community court shaded by a sculptural parasol. The design creates an inviting public commons where residents can gather, sheltered by both the structure and the surrounding foliage.
This early sketch visualizes a community deck extending over a natural water catchment pond. The design creates a serene public space at the edge of the site, offering a place for quiet reflection overlooking the water.
The first step in creation is sculpting the earth itself. This aerial view shows the initial ground shaping for an upcoming community park in Bangalore, where the contours of the land are being formed to create a dynamic and engaging landscape.
The process of bringing a design to life is a craft. Here, a winding stone curb is carefully laid out on site, forming the backbone of a future planting bed in a new community park.
Translating curved lines from a drawing to the physical site is always an exciting moment. Workers carefully construct the foundation for a serpentine path, a key element in this ongoing community park project.
Craftsmanship on site is essential. Here, workers meticulously lay stone blocks to form the curved edges of a pathway, demonstrating the hands-on process of building a durable and beautiful landscape.
The sounds of construction are the sounds of a new space coming to life. This video captures the skilled process of laying a stone paver path, a small but important detail in creating a peaceful reading nook within a community park.
The intricate pattern of the stone path begins to take shape. This work-in-progress shot shows the flowing lines of the walkway and integrated seating, which will soon be nestled within dense, naturalistic planting.
About Public & Urban Spaces
When planning a public or institutional landscape, avoid the trap of over-engineering the hardscape. The most successful spaces we have built start with a thorough site immersion—mapping the sun paths, drainage patterns, and how the local community actually traverses the site. By prioritising native plant palettes and porous ground surfaces over manicured, water-intensive lawns, you not only reduce long-term maintenance costs but also create an environment that feels like it truly belongs to the neighbourhood.
Our approach to public and urban spaces starts with the land itself. In our Indiranagar public park project, we moved away from the standard, rigid layouts often found in city planning. Instead, we introduced a pixelated framework that encourages diverse usage across age groups, transforming the park from a simple thoroughfare into a vibrant community destination.
We believe that urban design should prioritize sensory experiences. This means incorporating textures like crunchy earth paths, using fragrant native shrubs, and creating water catchment zones that serve both ecological and aesthetic purposes. When we design for institutions or commercial hubs, we look at the softscape—the living, breathing elements—as the primary framework, using architecture only to support that natural flow.
The success of these projects often hinges on community integration. We work closely with stakeholders to understand the site's history and potential, ensuring the final output is not just a manicured patch, but a functional, inviting space that residents feel a sense of ownership over. Whether it is a small pocket park or a larger community commons, our goal is to build spaces that invite quiet reflection, community gatherings, and a genuine connection with the local ecology.
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