For many, the Indian metropolis of Mumbai conjures up the image of a concrete jungle – with tall, gray buildings covered in a brown layer of air pollution. The image is not far-fetched: the shapeless, sprawling and overcrowded city is one of the most toxic in the world. In this context, few green spaces serve as “green lungs”, such as the nearly 15-hectare Maharashtra Nature Park, located in the middle of the city on the banks of the river Mitha. The area of the park served as a huge garbage dump for years, but was redeveloped by the city a few years ago and converted into a public park. The project has not yet been completed: A few months ago, a competition was announced for the realization of a new bridge over the river Mitha. The official results will be announced in July.
Red Bridge over Mumbai
The French-Italian office MenoMenoPiu proposed one of the most interesting approaches for the competition. The aim of the project is to transform the park into a multifunctional and lively part of the city with new sports fields, paths and a cultural center. The new red bridge will play an important role in this: It will be the reference point of the park and connect the newly developed district of Bandra Kurla with the river and the rest of the city. The bridge will be accessible only to pedestrians and bicycles and will be divided into two levels: The lower one runs alongside the water, while the 17-meter-high level offers a view of the megacity of Mumbai.
Particular attention will be paid to ecological and social issues. In order to make the park sustainable, the architects decided to supply the electricity for the street lighting with solar cells and to build the new cultural center underground under a water table. This keeps the building cool without air conditioning and supplies the park with fresh water. In addition, a second body of water in the northern part of the park provides drinking water for the residents of the surrounding slums of Dharavi.
Visualizations: MenoMenoPiu Architects, +imgs