Project: Bharat Vandana Park, Dwarka, New Delhi

Client: DDA- Delhi Development Authority

Contract: NBCC

Architect: ARCOP Associates Private Limited

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Landscape and Environmental Planning Department has set an ambitious completion deadline of March 31, 2025, for Bharat Vandana Park, an iconic development in Dwarka's Sector 20. Spanning over 220 acres, this upcoming urban oasis is envisioned as a microcosm of India's cultural, geographical, and ecological diversity. The park's masterplan, inspired by the national flower—lotus—organizes its ten distinct zones into petal-like formations, with 25% of the area devoted to water bodies.

Progress and Highlights

Significant progress has been made in the development of Bharat Vandana Park. Key infrastructure, including entry plazas, restaurants, kiosks, and other facilities, has been completed. The pylons and skywalk structures are nearing 85% completion. These nine towering 44-meter-high pylons, interconnected by 1.2-kilometer elevated skywalk at 18 meters, will offer panoramic aerial views of the park.

Landscaping and horticulture work are expected to be finalized soon, with pathways and roads also in their final construction stages. The park's extensive green cover includes approximately 9,400 trees, ensuring a verdant and serene environment for visitors.

Zones and Features

Bharat Vandana Park is meticulously planned to offer diverse experiences, with each zone reflecting India's cultural and natural richness:

1. Cultural Zone: A space for cultural performances and activities.

2. Congregational Zone: Open green areas designed for public gatherings and events.

3. Adventure Zone: Equipped with thrilling activities like zip-lining and tree surfing.

4. Lake View Restaurant Zone: Dine with a picturesque view of the lakes.

5. Mini India Zone: Features scaled replicas of 36 iconic Indian monuments, offering a cultural and architectural journey through the country.

6. Meditation Zone: A tranquil area for relaxation and rejuvenation amidst lush greenery.

7. Vandana Sarovar Zone: The central water body, flanked by a viewing deck.

8. Fun Park Zone: Designed for children's entertainment, including gaming zones.

9. Eco-Sensitive Zone: Dedicated to conservation with medicinal plants and ecological trails.

10. Kriti Sarovar Zone: Additional water bodies enhancing the park's natural aesthetics.

Sustainability and Connectivity

The park emphasizes sustainable water management, utilizing a sewage treatment plant to provide 90,000 cubic meters of water initially and 1,000 cubic meters daily for maintenance. Rainwater harvesting systems and six 5,000-cubic-meter storage tanks further support water conservation. Energy needs will be partially met with a 500 KW solar panel installation.

Accessibility has been carefully integrated into the design, with a direct walkway connecting the park to Sector 9 Metro Station, ensuring convenience for visitors. Located just 15 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport and 1.5 km from the upcoming India International Convention and Expo Centre, the park is positioned as a major urban and tourist hub.

Parking and Amenities

The park offers ample parking for approximately 1,634 four-wheelers, 250 two-wheelers, and 20 buses, ensuring a seamless visitor experience. Other amenities include amphitheaters, cafes, food courts, craft bazaars, paved plazas, and herbal gardens.

A Landmark in Urban Design

Once completed, Bharat Vandana Park will stand as a testament to thoughtful urban design, blending ecological sensitivity with cultural celebration. This project promises to become a landmark destination in Delhi, offering residents and tourists a vibrant space to connect with India's heritage and natural beauty.

Connectivity of Bharat Vandana Park

This park will be built in Secor 20 of Dwarka which is 15 Km from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. There will be a walkway from sector 9 metro station which is the nearest metro station 300 m from the park. 1.5 Km from the upcoming India International Convention and Expo centre, Dwarka.

Design Approach by ARCOP Associates Private Limited

The Bharat Vandana Park layout has been conceived around a Rangoli Pattern overlapped and fused with a flower form creating a natural landscape form of petals which are brought together and joined by interlinking features of Water Channels. The whole composition culminates into a large Water Body as a central feature. The design also creates iconic high notes in the uniquely designed Nature Inspired Pylons with suspended skywalk bridges. The Layout is designed around

1) Nine Petals designed around uniquely different themes with a central Sarovar

2) Integrating Elements of Water Channels and Walls of India

3) Iconic Signature Element in Nature Inspired Pylons and Skywalk.

The Entire Master plan is designed around Nine Petals which all come together and culminate into a Central Sarovar. The Nine Petals are

a) Petal 1: Congregational Zone or the Maidan

b) Petal 2: Cultural Zone

c) Petal 3: Pushpkriti Sarovar

d) Petal 4: Eco Zone

e) Petal 5: Meditation Zone

f) Petal 6: Fun Park

g) Petal 7: Adventure Park

h) Petal 8: Lake View Restaurant

i) Petal 9: Mini India

j) 10: Vandana Sarovar

Footbridge and Pylons structural design approach by Brian Eckersley and James O’Callaghan

A one-of-a-kind footbridge connected to nine diagrid pylons that open into lotus flower petals, requiring advanced geometric analysis and optimisation tools for this magnificent design.

Eckersley O’Callaghan has been tasked by the local project engineers Anup Structural Consultants, with the structural design of two signature elements in this project – the spectacular 1.2km footbridge and nine diagrids forming 45m tall pylons.

The cable-stayed footbridge will be suspended in the air anchored to the top of the pylon concrete cores. The challenging design of the footbridge sees a series of cables eccentrically supporting the 150 m span deck, with the cables switching side after midspan requiring a supporting strategy for the deck which needs to be torsionally stiff.

Our structural engineers presented a creative solution to cope with the double task of allowing the thermal movement in such a long footbridge and at the same time reaching an adequate level of lateral stiffness to preserve the cable tension – a system of two Shock Transmission Units (STU) coupled with two elastomeric sliding bearings is introduced at the deck midspan to allow the flexibility of expansion under slow loads and stiff locking under fast loads. Thus, allowing the whole bridge to work as a unique structure, considerably reducing the expected movements and stresses in the deck, and minimising the axial load variation in the cables.

Wrapped around each of the nine bridge concrete pylons are steel diagrids which rise to form a lotus flower at the crown of each pylon. We developed a variation of three diagrid designs, all allow the bridge cable-stays to reach the top crown of core by passing through dedicated steel tubes which act like “sleeves”. Our structural engineers improved the buildability of the tender stage design for the diagrids by using advanced geometry analysis tools to achieve consistency in angles at tube intersections while retaining the architectural intent and vision.

Innovative Use

Tata Structura was primarily used to replicate the Gardens by the Bay Park structure similar to the one in Singapore. The project required hollow sections as the main component. Since, Tata Structura steel tubes traditionally has higher % elongation, they were ideal choice for this application with intense bending requirements. The structural elements included:

– CHS 250 mm x 10 mm

– RHS 300 x 150 x 10 mm

– CHS 125 x 4.8 mm

– RHS 240 x 120 x 6 mm

– SHS 132 x 132 x 4.8 mm

– SHS 60 x 60 x 4.8 mm

– SHS 250 x 250 x 8 mm

– SHS 180 x 180 x 6 mm

The overall construction of Bharat Vandana Park was managed by NKG Infrastructure Limited. One of the major challenges faced was to bend the pipes in such a way that it will not have any surface damages. Bending of steel pipes usually leads to fracture across cross section or weld to split open. This was negated by using Tata Structura steel tubes that had high ductility and made it possible to bend in such complex geometry. (SSMB)

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