Udaan Park / Studio Saar

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Text description provided by the architects.International architecture practice Studio Saar has redeveloped Udaan Park, a community park inUdaipur, Rajasthan, for its not-for-profit client Dharohar. The newly transformed landscape sees an underused, run-down lakeside park evolve into an accessible and inclusive public space. Set on the banks of Swaroop Sagar, one of Udaipur's seven historic lakes that attract a large number of migratory birds. Udaan is one of the very few public open spaces in the center of the city and on the banks of a lake. The redevelopment is the first park to be completed in Dharohar’s city-wide, community-led initiative, ‘10 Lakh Vriksh’ to revive a series of parks and gardens and to provide more breathable, green spaces for the city and its people.Udaan Park now features locally sourced native planting, a fully accessible maze shaped by flowering plants, medicinal herbs, and small trees, and a children’s playground featuring locally recycled and reused materials. At the heart of the site is an inviting shading canopy that draws inspiration from the striking starling murmurations that frequent the area. Supported by a tree-truss structure, an awning of 34,000 life-sized birds made of recyclable plastic offers an engaging focal point while providing shade for the seating and games area situated beneath.In its original state, the park lacked step-free access and visibility from the street level. Over the years, it had been neglected and became a haven for alcohol and drug abuse. Studio Saar reimagined the lost community park as a series of characterful and interactive landscapes connecting the public realm to the lakeside, offering a place of adventure, exploration, and wonder for the community.“WithUdaipurundergoing rapid urbanization, the city is at a severe risk of depleting its green cover, having only 2m2of publicly available green space per capita, well below the 9 m2standard prescribed by WHO”, Ananya Singhal of Studio Saar commented. “With our ongoing work with Dharohar, we believe we can ignite a movement to reshape the city with open green spaces developed and maintained by the community.”Redeveloped over two years due to the Covid crisis, Udaan was completely reimagined as a beacon for visitors. Studio Saar has reconfigured the haphazard layout of the original park by creating a coherent journey from the street down to the lake while using the site’s natural topography and bedrock formations unique to the Rajasthan region in the park’s landscape design.The new public space is a haven for young and old. Birthday parties are commonplace here; it has been adopted by the very youth who would damage the area. They are now voluntarily engaged in taking care of it. Existing materials available on site were reused for the project, setting a precedent for the inventive reuse and repurposing of materials across the city. Reclaimed tires were used as planters, swings, play tunnels, and for the entrance maze, while recycled saree fabrics were used for swing ropes in the children’s play area. All non-structural metalwork, from gates and fences to balustrades and parts of the park’s canopy, is made from repurposed steel reinforcement bars.