The HRRL township, an Oasis in the Thar. Situated on a 260 acre site, on the outskirts of Barmer, a town located in the western edge of the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India, the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) township is a residential project that will provide housing and facilities for around 6500 staff of the 1400 acre HPCL refinery . The form and layout of the township is derived from the ‘Johad’, a word used in the Thar to describe a water body created using traditional concepts of water conservation being followed for centuries in the rural areas of Thar. A circular water pond placed at the lowermost centre of the site around which the main residences are radially arranged on stepped terraces becomes therefore, the town’s main structuring anchor. The oasis uses the surplus water generated by the refinery process and this water is eventually channeled into a winding stream, that forms the spine of the project cooling all the areas around it; the residences, open areas, parks and walking trials. Spaces between residences have been designed as linear gardens with shaded seatings and small play areas provide good comfortable environments. A shopping centre and other community facilities such as play courts, recreational club etc., interconnected with pleasantly landscaped pedestrian linkages are arranged around a hub. Shaded trails for cyclists have been provided throughout to encourage non-motorised traffic. To reduce water losses, all surface run-off is collected to be re-used for irrigation and xeriscaping with species endemic to the Thar, having a low-water regime, as also extensive use of loose grit in lieu of high water guzzling groundcovers, will make the landscape sustainable in years to come. The rich hues of the desert will come alive in the various shades of pink and brown in the local sandstones used generously in the architecture, the decorative pavilions and jaalis, carved columns and the shaded pergolas. While the design has been strongly influenced by the rich architectural heritage of Rajasthan, it is also an attempt to create a sustainable, water sensitive, contemporary architecture and landscape; providing for it’s inhabitants, a beautiful oasis in this harsh desert.
2019
2019
Project Type: Refinery Township
Project Location: Barmer, Rajasthan, India
Site Area: 260 Acres
Architecture, Structure and Services: CP Kukreja and Associates, New Delhi, India
Landscape Consultant: JWLA (Jasleen Waraich Landscape Architecture), Noida, India
PMC: EIL (Engineers India Limited), Gurgaon
