When we conceptualized the idea of doing a theme-based development, many faux ‘theme-based’ developments were in vogue. We wanted to be different by bringing in as many aspects of a theme into the development. Towards this, the architects and our team did a lot of research and we visited Bali, and especially Nusa Dua at the Southern tip of Bali. We saw a lot of the features that represented Balinese living and decided to use certain key elements of Balinese design.
The main external feature is the gate. This is because gates are very important and are related to the way the Balinese greet people with both hands in a namaskar. It is the acknowledgement of good and evil in our lives. We also had a central atrium which we planned to keep open to allow rainwater and the external elements to mesh with the inside. However, our clients wanted the atrium to be closed on the top.
A lot of clay tiles and Balinese architectural elements were added to the façade. We also used a lot of wood for the windows and flooring. The gardens and the water bodies on the central slab are all based on Balinese arts and flora and fauna. In the nine years that we have had the building, there has not been a single instance of a leak on this 225-meter long slab. Nusa Dua was definitely the first real theme-based residential development in the South of India.
Row houses was a concept that did extremely well as space was saved and yet the feeling of an individual house was there. Private gardens and lap pools for most apartments along with water bodies made for an excellent script. Today, I am not sure people want to spend the same kind of time and energy to develop row houses and theme-based residential projects
Koshy Varghese, Managing Director Value Designbuild
Each home in the row houses called Dua Nusa built by Value Designbuild comes with its own water body and private lap pool. The avenues are lined with tropical plants, and the mossy, rock-hewn statues bring alive the Balinese look and feel. The architecture of the row houses lies between a villa and an apartment, and offer additional benefits of privacy and more space.
