HOK-Planned Green Mega-Development Launches in India

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Nagpur, India—Luxora Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (LIPL) has launched Ensaara Metropark, a 280-acre mixed-use mega-development in Nagpur, the state of Maharashtra, under the Government of Maharashtra’s Special Township Policy. The master-planned district, designed by HOK, is one of the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) backed real estate developments in Central India, and is jointly promoted by Aanya Real Estate, a real estate development manager based in India, and Luxora Group, a brand under the umbrella of Mirah Group, an India-based diversified company with interests in real estate development, travel and hospitality, international trading, wind energy, corporate gifts, textiles and IT education. Dubai-based landscape architect firm Cracknell is also involved in the project, as is Mumbai-based Kadri Consultants and local architects V.K. Associates.

Ensaara Metropark will be developed on Wardha Road, Nagpur’s main growth corridor, providing swift access to Nagpur’s commercial centers. Furthermore, Ensaara itself will be a fully integrated neighborhood featuring over 925,000 square feet of commercial space located in a business park, multiplex shopping mall complete with office space and retail galleria. Additional non-residential buildings include a hotel, multi-screen cinema, hospital, school, college, sports complex, supermarkets, neighborhood convenience stores, restaurants, prayer and worship facilities, art plaza complete with function space and stage, fire station and police station, access to public transportation and ample parking.

Residences will come in a variety of forms, including three- and four-bedroom apartments, single family homes and bungalows, which include family rooms in addition to living rooms as well as rooms for domestic help, outdoor areas, personal and sky gardens and parking for one car and over, in case of houses. While these residences target larger families, more compact units are also available, such as the two- and two-and-a-half-bedroom apartments complete with green terraces, balconies and roof terraces, marketed to nuclear families and young professionals with small children, while single- and two-bedroom apartments featuring study rooms and roof terraces with pantries are targeting young professionals. Senior housing will also be available at Ensaara thanks to single-, two and two-and-a-half-bedroom units in buildings designed with senior comfort in mind, such as access ramps, panic alarms, private terraces and balconies, while the local hospital will have its own accident and emergency department, as well as geriatric surgery, cardiology and rheumatology services.

The property is also welcoming non-resident Indians looking to invest in Ensaara residences featuring roof terraces with pantry, private swimming pools, gardens and outdoor areas and rooms for domestic help.

Resident amenities will include clubhouses, on-site management and facility specialists, manned patrols, gated entrances and CCTV. Residences boast green intelligent design features ensuring warmer homes in the winter and cooler ones in the summer such as orientation, landscaping, shading, double-glazed windows, thermal barrier paint, underground water tanks, rainwater harvesting and recycling, green heat insulation via roof gardens, balcony and terrace gardens, roof-mounted solar panels, and sustainable materials. State-of-the-art infrastructure will ensure constant electrical power, fiber optic cabling and water treatment and supply. Wide roads will accommodate all users, including drivers, public transportation, cyclists and pedestrians. However the community will encourage a walk-to-work, pedestrian-friendly lifestyle, while also boasting a network of bike paths. Set to receive LEED Gold certification from the Indian Green Building Council, almost 150 acres of the its total surface will be reserved for water bodies, and a multitude of green areas such as a 30-acre Central Park, a biodiversity park, pocket parks, gardens, adventure playgrounds, orchards and vegetable plots serving a local farmer’s market. Walkways and promenades will be created around a large lake and diverse water features, with cafes and plazas also enjoying waterfront positioning.

Ensaara will be developed in three phases, according to Nagpur Today, with phase one carrying a price tag of approximately $117 million (740 crore). During phase one, 1,100 residences will be constructed, which will also include the development of various commercial spaces and the planting of 5,000 saplings.