We worked closely with the citizen’s initiative group ‘iamgurgaon’ to create a green entry passage to Gurugram. Earlier, the entry to Gurugram, on MG Road, did not give the feel of entering the ‘Millennium City’. Through the installation, arrival into the city is now an aesthetically pleasing experience. The space is defined by the rising metal panels with silhouettes of birds in flight culminating in the exquisitely crafted installation by artist Gopal Namjoshi, inspired by the Eagle Owl (Bubo bengalensis). A native of the Aravalli region, the bird perched for flight represents the rising aspirations of the millennium city and acknowledges its rootedness in its past and the significance of nature in redefining its future.

Crafted from over ten tons of metal waste, the bird and panels highlight the potential for a creative reinvention of waste. The angular walls and patterns depict the unfolding of the many divergent facets of Gurugram - rural/urban, natural/man-made, traditional/contemporary, hills/valleys. This is as much a story of the nature that exists as of the nature we want to bring back into our lives. Over many design iterations, on paper and on-site, the final design took shape alluding to Gurugram’s skyline and the rhythm of the Aravallis. Reimagining waste, each panel infill is composed of a combination of scrap metal like angles, pipes, flats, cable trays, rods, sheets and more.

Through the reuse of metal and concrete debris in the design of the birds, panels and tiered walls; landform modulation to capture, absorb and recharge groundwater; and, a distinct native planting palette, the space showcases the city of Gurugram’s commitment to come together and address the emerging environmental challenges of our times using an ecological approach, supported by its administrators, citizens and corporates.