Jal – Vayu Vihar for AFNHB, Navi Mumbai

When Kalayojan was short listed for this housing project for airforce and navy personnel by Air Force Naval Housing Board (AFNHB), the first major recession had set in due to liberalisation policies. There were no takers and the economy looked bleak. It was imperative to give a design which was optimal in usage of space and convenience while being profitable to the builders at the same time.

The AFNHB had by then constructed 12-14 storey buildings in Phase I. Kalayojan was to present the scheme layout and building designs for housing scheme in Phase II with a requirement of similar tenements. A study was carried out to find a way of increasing carpet area while keeping built – up area low. Split level planning was used with every landing having two flats, restricting the building height to 24m and maximising the use of common walls. A remarkable built–up to carpet area ratio of only 15% was achieved. This made it a win–win situation for both the flat occupiers (more carpet area) and the developer (less cost due to lesser built–up area) and thus this housing scheme had an edge in the property market.