O2 Life Homes, Panhala

O2 life homes is a settlement in a midst of nature spread in an area of 25 acres located 12 kms from the city prominently situated on a brow of hills In Panhala , Kolhapur.
The insight of the project is to promote healthy lifestyles wherein a human being should have a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle in an undisturbed micro bio-sphere by conserving waterfalls, lakes, slope gardens, parks by merging existing flora and fauna with the built form which would result in creating balance and harmony with the natural biodiversity of the region.

The ethos of O2 life homes is to create an environment that rejuvenates the inhabitants. It is done through active recreation by providing cycling and jogging tracks, activity centres, yoga center and meditation areas, parks and other interactive spaces that builds up confidence and enthusiasm in a person’s mind, body and soul. The design and architecture creates a dialogue and master plan seeks to ensure its goal of becoming a premier destination and place to live by a small attempt to create a self-sustainable unit by providing organic farming, herbal gardens, walking trails, etc. connecting a person to the high levels of energy.
The building form is strongly influenced by its hilly site; the natural contours are maintained that encourages a dialogue between people and nature. The concept of ‘being one with nature’ is exploited here in various ways, to establish a metaphysical link between man and nature. Never synthetic, here both architecture as well as development always follow the organic principles of design and space. The most distinctive feature of it is that it has almost modern techniques and yet traditional and healthy lifestyle.

It promotes Public realm by creating environment where people would want to live in by defining a pedestrian friendly zone, secular places, connectivity with surroundings and nature, preservation of nature and resources, publicly owned streets, pathways, parks, publicly accessible open spaces and a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. Inhabitants will benefit from not losing touch with traditional ways of life.

The structure of buildings set the scale, form and rhythm of the architectural environment. Scale is given as much by the design of the details as the building as a whole. Lightness of structure, transparency and layering are dominant design factors. By partially sinking the building into the hillside, the resultant thermal mass considerably reduces energy consumption whilst glazed façades are protected from solar gain by external shading.

The master plans constitutes of various typology of Villas, Resort, Recreational Centre and Restaurant, Coffee Shop, Spa and Swimming Pool, Information Centre and other interactive spaces like Amphitheatre , children play area , etc.
The distinctive geometry of the roof has been developed in response to the way in which the building addresses the park. The roof acts as a thermal barrier that protects from wind, rain and the summer sun while allowing lower winter sun to reach deep within the scheme and to illuminate the façades during early daylight hours. Also the gardens flow into the house which will help in maintaining the air quality and temperature inside.
The design also includes proper segregation of social and residential spaces. These spaces are segregated in such a way that it cannot affect privacy of residential zone. Placing of social spaces in the middle area of site is avoided so that it cannot disturb view and privacy of the villas.
Community area is placed on the edge of the site so that people can enjoy the view of cliff and adjacent lake. Geography defines the edges of development of all the residential zones within the master plan.
The project aims to bring a new dimension to the way people interact with the built environment by incorporating sustainable design solutions like use of solar energy, green roofs that emerge gradually from the ground, rain water harvesting systems and water reservoirs, wind mills, use of locally available materials. Design that aims to minimize pollution and carbon emissions. This implies not only using renewable energy sources (including wind, sun and water) but also designing energy efficient buildings and master plans that encourage vegetation and biodiversity.

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