Gaia Hills
Pawana, India
2023 - Ongoing

In the Sahyadri Range of Western Maharashtra, 60 acres of rolling hills, dense forest groves, a perennial river, seasonal water channels, flat lands, lakes and trails look out towards the surrounding farmland and the distant Pawana dam and reservoir. A private drive leading from the public road to the peak of the land and beyond provides access to and through the mixed use development of Gaia Hills.

Designed in collaboration with a diverse team of landscape architects, forestry and permaculture experts, and mechanical and civil engineers, the development embraces a holistic approach to inhabitation, eschewing traditional subdivision plot boundaries in favor of integrated landscape strategies that promote openness and sustainability. Every intervention across the site is informed by a commitment to resource-conscious design, enhancing and preserving the region’s ecological richness.

The masterplan responds sensitively to the site's natural topography, vegetation cycles, and microclimatic conditions, to help locate a central community township, medium density house units, private villas and experiential structures. Programmatic offerings such as a family farm, plant conservatory, yogashala, viewing platforms, boat house, and an observatory are carefully placed at intersecting nodes of circulation and arranged along the natural contours, connected by trails and pathways that encourage exploration and engagement while balancing the social and private experience.