As one drives down the new 16-lane elevated Dwarka Expressway that is 27.6 km-long and connects Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana, the sprawling urban cityscape filled with towering highrises rushes past. Jenga-like solid streamlined structures tell the story of the landlocked city driving the real estate business and the development of world-class infrastructure with its meteoric rise as a financial, industrial and IT hub in the last two decades. The flip side of such galloping growth, however, has been a largely inefficient drainage system that causes the satellite city to grapple with floods when it rains. It challenges the real estate developers to climate-proof properties they so lavishly develop, build and sell for hassle-free luxe living.
Flower Valley project by Central Park in Gurugram. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Prominent real estate giants such as DLF, Godrej, Central Park and M3M are adopting sustainable and energy-efficient building designs and green construction techniques to reduce carbon footprint. “The demand for eco-conscious living among discerning homebuyers is on a surge,” agrees Vikram Singh, president, Central Park. His team of professionals redefines luxury living with informed choices by integrating sustainable practices, fostering green spaces and building community awareness, he says.
Central Park Resorts in Sector 48 | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Zero vehicles policy
At the Central Park Resorts in Sector 48, a zero vehicles on ground surface policy is followed. Only electric vehicles are permitted for the staff to carry out various services. The residents of bespoke villa-style apartments drive through a stunning tunnel driveway from the main entrance till a drop-off point, featuring what looks like a cluster of hotel lobbies, to enter their respective residences.
DLF’s Ultima in Gurugram | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
While Central Park’s zero vehicles policy in 20 acres of rich greenery helps to maintain the Air Quality Index, projects from DLF in this financial and tech hub are designed to take the renewable energy route. They work towards minimising the dependency on the grid by opting for solar panels for common lighting areas. Improving water efficiency is another priority. Besides rainwater harvesting to replenish ground water, onsite recycling with Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) helps to reuse water for sanitation, irrigation and all other cleaning purposes. There is strict monitoring of water consumption patterns from every outlet at regular intervals and systems put in place to detect and stop water leakages, while sensor-based taps and waterless urinals help in judicious use of water.
Customers with checklists
It is mandatory for all societies in Gurugram now to do rainwater harvesting and install STPs, says Anita Yadav who has been in the property business for close to a decade. She says awareness has increased and many well-heeled customers come with their checklists for water and energy efficiency and greenery and go with developers who assure them of this. Keeping in mind Gurugram’s topography, Millgrove’s water management plan is said to be one of the best in the area. The Aravalli range that skirts Gurugram’s borders exacerbates the city’s drainage challenges. The rainwater flowing from the hill slopes inundates the city, which is shaped like a saucer.
Horticulture is done on over five acres in Millgrove. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“It is impossible to go against Nature; our planners have done the landscaping in a way that all the rainwater flows to the dipping northern side. When it rains, there is no run-off as every drop is captured over three acres which turns into a mini lake with five million litres storage capacity,” points out Seshadri. “Even if there is 125mm rainfall in a day, we are safe. There is no other property in Gurugram that can hold so much water and recharge the ground table sufficiently for the rest of the year,” he claims.
Rainwater is used to maintain a green haven. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Developed by the London-based Gujarati Thakrar family, which owned the Tilda rice empire for 40 years, Millgrove’s 24 acres of modern landscaping integrates sustainability with technology. While the rice mills were demolished methodically in 2019, it took a year to bring down the silos (bulk storage structures), generating 25,000 cu metres of concrete, which was given to stone crushers for making grit. “About 15,000 tonnes of steel recovered were straightened into two-feet bars and sold at Gobindgarh Loha Mandi in Punjab for recycling and for future reuse at the site,” says Seshadri. He says that each of the 51 plots on sale at Millgrove are provided with two 5,000 litre capacity water tanks and dual pipes plumbing systems with separate connections for potable and non-human contact water to ensure water is not wasted recklessly.
Like DLF, Millgrove has also found its solution with its own water treatment plant. But it has gone a step ahead. With permission from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, it has laid an exclusive pipeline of over two kms connected to a discharge pipe of the Berhampur Sewage Treatment Plant, eight kms away. Instead of the discharge flowing into small drains of Gurugram and choking them, it is expected to meet the requirement of one million litres of water in peak summer for five acres of horticulture in Millgrove. Sewage from nearby societies is also taken for treatment in anticipation that the on site sewage water may not suffice at a later date. As for the storm drains, they are fashioned from stainless steel frames. The sewage chambers are all pre-cast concrete, with two imported endoscopy cameras to relay images and videos of sewage pipes to identify blockages. As a result, quick solutions are possible with jetting and sucking machines.
Green hedges instead of concrete walls within the Millgrove campus to cool down temperatures. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Green hedges and wellness
Millgrove features green hedges instead of compound walls between the homes that are to come up. “They grow up to three metres in height, look beautiful, give privacy, fresh air and cool down temperatures; it saved us an immense amount of concrete and masonry work,” adds Seshadri. With 1,000 automated sprinklers and 14kms of drip irrigation, the 4,500 trees and 45,000 shrubs on the campus are not expected to go thirsty.
A similar focus on wellness can be seen in Sector 33, where Godrej’s Nature Plus property Serenity, is spread across 18 acres of lush vegetation. “Here, it is all about clean air, green roofs and home-grown organic fruits and vegetables for the residents,” says property dealer Varun Kataria. “Residential real estate is already being designed for sustainability. But people have to realise that for a happy and healthy future, they themselves have to be responsible towards the environment,” he adds.
