Socially acceptable design

FXFOWLE ARCHITECTS has unveiled its design for a new socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable housing project planned for a growing region in Greater Noida, India. Located 48 km (30 miles) from Delhi in Northern India and near a major regional rail system, Greater Noida will provide 1,700 units of housing (studios to five bedrooms) and 3,700 units of parking for a growing Indian middle-class. Situated on a 19-hectare (47-acre) site, the Greater Noida Housing Project is developed by Ansal Properties & Infrastructure, a commercial and residential real estate company with offices throughout India. Situated on a 19-hectare (47-acre) site, the Greater Noida Housing Project is developed by Ansal Properties & Infrastructure, a commercial and residential real estate company with offices throughout India. The project is currently in design development with an anticipated completion in 2011. The project's twenty-two residential buildings are clustered throughout the site with varying heights. The taller structures (from 25 to 45 stories) are located on the northern edge of the site, and the smaller buildings (from 5 to 15 stories) are layered to the south. The varying building heights and lengths create a vibrant, urban rhythm to the site development. The buildings are an interplay of solid and voids, rectilinear volumes stacked, shifted, and stacked again, with residential units interspersed with cultural and amenity space floating above the rolling site. The architecture is created using a modular system of residential unit types supported by concrete sheer walls and flat slabs. This structural system allows for residential units with column-free living spaces and dual exposures. The shear walls are clad in terra cotta, responding to the color and texture of the environment. Balconies, terraces, outdoor seating, and gardens extend the residential units into the natural environment to encourage social interaction and at the same time reinforce the privacy of the residential units.