The Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airport Authority of India have trimmed down the height restrictions for constructions around our airports. This allows for buildings to sprout higher into the skies above our cities, almost double to what was permitted until yesterday.
I expect Kerala to significantly make use of this waive in the existing law. Kerala has been the only state outside the megapolis Mumbai, and to a lesser extent Gurgaon, to embrace the highrise culture. The trend which was kicked off in Cochin in the early 90s slowly spread to even the smaller Municipal towns of the state. Its become a fashion statement with even towns like Thiruvalla and Kottayam with just over 1 lakh population hosting 20+ structures.
Even though it may take some time for our local self Govts to adapt themselves to the law, it is certain that the Architects and builders would be licking their lips to make full use of it. Kerala is only second to West Bengal in population density; with 35 million inhabitants @ 825/sq km and severe scarcity of de-notified habitable land, it is common sense to understand that this model of urban development suits us best.
I'm a sucker for tallies, yo! I admire the style of urban development followed in North America and Australia which plots a highrise CBD, with suburbs harbouring midrises and housing estates. Each suburb is planned to be self-sufficient on its own for their shopping and entertainment needs, with residents travelling to city-center only for business and work. The CBD builds and rebuilds itself with major improvements necessary only in the transportation network.
A typical US city; Chicago seen here
European cities have taken a different route in urban planning with the CBDs not distinguishing itself from the suburbia in terms of height. Apart from a handful of cities like Frankfurt and Paris the concept of a tall central district was considered alien. But lately Moscow and even London appears to be moving towards the American way with new skyscrapers planned in their erstwhile low-rise heartlands.
Standard European cityscape; Berlin, Germany
In India there doesn't seem to be any definite pattern; haphazard has been the general rule, and Kerala has followed suit. This waiving of height restrictions means that now buildings would be allowed to rise twice as high as previously allowed. The new regulations make it possible for utilization of the land in a better, economical manner. Even though AAI primarily had Mumbai in mind while trimming the numbers, Kerala will benefit more than the megalopolis as along with the high population density we also have the highest concentration of present and planned International Airports in the country, 3 at present, 1 under serious planning and a dozen or so proposed, cough..cough..**
Kerala already has quite a few impressive records for highrise construction. Apart from the tallest u/c residential tower in South India, the Choice Paradise, there are elaborate plans for even taller apartments, hotel complexes, IT parks and so on, and this new regulations will be a shot in the arm as well.
I believe this would lead to a better utilization of land for supporting the exploding urban population. Utilization of land is a critical component of city-planning and the in-city airports, like the one in Trivandrum, did hinder its vertical rise in a big way. The major arteries of Trivandrum, especially the MG Road were shut down to highrise structures because the runway at TIA was too close. The newly developing pockets of the city along the NH Bypass also had height handicaps because it fell directly on the take-off funnel. With a cap of 60m for highrises even on NH Bypass, Akkulam, this seemed another handcuff for the builders and planners. As I understand it, structures could rise upto 50 stories on Akkulam shores where anything beyond 21 floors were not possible before.
Well, if you ask me if anyone is going to build such tall sky-kissers, Kerala cities have already breached the 30 floor mark and planning permission has been sought for 48 floored skyscrapers outside the Trivandrum city limits. A liquor baron in the city had plans for a true mixed-use skyscraper but this proposal got stuck on AAI tables. So if you ask me, I'm optimistic to see Kerala produce skyscrapers of a different breed!Apartment developers could score some brownie points by going for true highrises because it gives an opportunity to provide more green, open spaces for the residents. I'm no fan of urban sprawl, where the city extends miles and miles into the outbacks. Expanding horizontally is inevitable for a growing city but only after it has exhausted the options for vertical growth. Sprawl will only lead to more complications in the future, like transportation, increased cost of maintaining infrastructure over a wider geographical area & encroachment into farmlands and forest-lands. If we don't want to end up as a bonsai form of Los Angeles, then we'd better check the horizontal growth of our cities. Experts are calling for more mixed-use developments to counter the sprawl, and growing taller is definitely the striking option.
And know what, taller could well be the greener option too! We've already had a beginning here in Trivandrum, SFS Grande, remember? Go green, go tall and save our poor Earth from this CO2 witch...please.
With the new AAI regulations in place, it is now upto the Govt of Kerala to get their priorities right regarding the width of the roads, policies such as FAR, utility developments and urban layouts with taller structures in mind. At least in the new developing corridors, provisions had to be made for the smooth graduation of our cities from midrise havens to highrise districts!
So let the race begin, eh? ;)
Thanks for JK and Desipundit for featuring this article.
The article also featrued in Urban Architecture
I love how well researched your articles are...i dont understand why you are not into city planning and stuff..seriously...
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of high rise buildings without the aesthetics...somehow I am still in favour of the european architecture...
well a 100 floor flat in tvm...and power cut samaythu tirichu vanaal..hehe..
apart from the jokes..I seriously wished this rule change had come a few years ago..when the new buildings were coming up...lets hope the bypass stretch reaps benefit out of it!!
Gosh, Mathew! Its not that easy, is it?
ReplyDeleteLast year the Engineers and planners in the Kerala Builders Forum set out to chart a master-plan for Kakkanad. In a weeks time they realized the hard truth of how difficult the practical could be from the theory. They went on record that we need true professional town planners for the job.
So it is, I'm just typing out my hopes and dreams here, and REAL town-planning is a seriously difficult job. ;)
Ah, I tend to disagree about European Architecture. Aesthetics can be very well blend into a skyscraper buddy. Isn't Empire State charming? Is Burj Dubai ugly? I could identify LA, NY, Singapore, Brisbane or Toronto anywhere because of their distinctive skyline. But even London looks kinda alien in many angles.
European cities are rich at street level, but NY, Chicago and Sydney are as pretty as London or Rome is. But these low/midrise cities lose the charm from the air. It looks too bland when you put in the Skyline angle to it. That's why I particularly like tall skylines; it adds a unique character.
And yes, our Bypass Road is still in its infancy stage. I see a pretty future ahead. :)
Hehe…I think its just a difference in matter of taste…and probably coz am a fan of traditional architec-ture….Empire state building is a exception coz it was art deco design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_deco) which has a charm of its own…What I like about european ar-chitecture especially in cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome or even Hamburg is that they have tried not to build skyscrapers in the midst of the city which doesn’t blend well with the vintage and historical build-ings…just imagine having two glass skyscrapers on both sides of Kanakkunnu palace… ;-P
ReplyDeleteTalking of Dubai skyline…there is no doubt its impressive…but at the same time the impact of their constructions on the natural habitat is not heartening…bottom-line is the glass skyscrapers are not natural material for Dubai climate and needs massive amount of energy for its maintenance…Among the cities you mentioned I love NY and Singapore coz they have lot of green parks amidst the build-ings which functions as a lung…what worries me about the construction boom in India is that we are overlooking creation of any green lung in the cities….But for the Kowdiar-Museum region, we are not investing in creating parks or other such facilities….Infact Trivandrum is much better…But thinking of Bangalore it worries me….Had it not been for Lalbagh, I wonder at the pollution levels that might have been in the city!!
Our Bypass has immense potential to develop into a CBD….But the authorities have made a basic flaw…A four lane road is what people made in 1950’s….I don’t understand why they made it so nar-row…
Btw do you know that if you want to construct a house in Germany…its not entirely upto you to decide on the architecture of the house or the color you want in the exterior…There are rules and you need the confirmation of the local authorities that the proposed design suits with the surroundings land-scape and color schema of buildings….precisely the reason why neighborhoods in Europe look so similar and yet unique in some way…During last visit to home, I was appalled at the colors people put...uh…pink…crimson blue…olive green…..extremes…!!! alpum englium sense of aesthetics thonni-yaal mathi aayirunnu!!! ;-D
Sorry for the long comment..and goin a bit off topic…
Anish, good article there. I should say you stole a march on me with this. I was finishing the article on "Ocean City" when this news hit. Anyways, I guess you have put up the facts as well as they can be.
ReplyDeleteYou may remember that I had spelt out the concepts of city development models in an earlier article and I must say that while I welcome the increases in height limits as a skyscraper enthusiast, I think the development approach needs to be carefully understood.
I agree that going high-rise, high-density solves such issues as urban sprawl. It allows for better use of scarce land as well as leaves more space for open, green areas. However, we should go tall only after the supporting infrastructure is in the works, if not available. High-density development puts pressure on utility and transport networks. Hence, high-volume transport systems and a robust utility grid must be envisaged alongside planning for high-rise districts.
While the AAI is more concerned about distances from the Airports, the State Planning Department could do well to be pro-active and create designated high-rise zones where planning permissions will be automatically granted for buildings over, say 100 m. These zones can be where utilities and transportation are already available.
The stretch of the proposed Trivandrum IT Corridor from Aakulam to Thonnakkal is a perfect example. The NH-47 provides best-in-class access while new electricity and water lines are already being laid. A linear distribution of high-rises with some clustering in areas like Technocity would be ideal, sort of like in Dubai along Sheikh Zayed Road.
And the race for the skies in Kerala will primarily be in the residential segment. IT Parks, retail and other commercial facilities are typically low to mid-rise. The tragic example of the only tall IT building in Kerala still stands forlornly as a warning. Globally, residential and office buildings have developed into skyscrapers. Unless we develop a major financial services hub in Kerala, very tall office buildings are less likely than super apartments. I won't be surprised to see the 50 floor mark being breached in Trivandrum within the next 12 - 18 months.
And then, the sky is the limit!
Highrise construction has many drawbacks in our country's setting. The Health & Safety of people are at risk with increasing height. Our fire dept is ill-equipped to deal with emergencies above 50 meters(thats how tall the ladder can get to). It will be a severe stress on the water and drainage pipes in situ, which were planned for less population density.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of all this I appreciate the points in your article. Sprawl needs to be checked and it is greener and allows greenery. I'm sure the builders will notice this change in laws and go for the tall ones.
A superbly researched article.
ReplyDeleteWas very informative for me :)
I always had this doubt. Doesn't the chances of collapsing increase (due to earthquakes, tremors, explosions, malfunctioning/hijacked airplanes) with height?
Kerala falls in the upper strata of places prone to Earth Quakes. So the taller we build the bigger the problems will be.
ReplyDeleteHey, superb article, tell u one thing scorpio, you always stick on to the realities, and u wont get carried away with mega hypes!!!!
ReplyDeletethats evident from each and every postings in ur blog,and one request, u could have included calicuts name also when u come across highrise culture in kerala, coz calicut was the second city after cochin for apartment culture with 10 & 11 storied pankaj apartments on corporation office road which came in the year 1991, and as u know of SI Glendale point in the year 1993. Same with thrissur too.
@ Mathew, I concur with what you said about Dubai in the sense you meant; also about the German laws in housebuilding. Its the same here too.
ReplyDeleteI feel this law has come out at the right time for us because Tvm Bypass is still at the very nascent stages of development. I'd love to see a skyline develop akin to the other East-asian cities.
@ Ajay, Eagerly awiting your article buddy, Im sure you've got mich more to add. The likes of Heera and co will be rearing to go all out on their properties in Akkulam. And its going to be a real feast! I love skyscrapers!!
@ Aravind, valid points there but those are issues which could well be sorted out. :)
@ Layman, Aircrafts wouldn't be threatened by these, there were doubts if the skyscrapers would interfere with those radar and ATC signals but the norms are even more lighter in USA.
@ Panangadan, true. But the advantages still outclass the dangers.
@ Sanju, Its not that Im neglecting any place friend, just elaborating on the city I know best and love most. :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteNice post scorpio...
Let your idea ''Go green, go tall and save our poor Earth from this CO2 witch ''be the motto of every town planners..
mirage:))
Tall buildings are needed indeed in TVM since the land availability is an issue. But there sould be effective regulatory control like adopting earthquake resistant technology as required for seismic zone IV ( since Keral comes under III), wide roads also keeping in mind disaster management angle,play area for children,open green spaces and other infrastructural facilities including waste disposal etc.There should be a vision .
ReplyDelete