Brigade Group's Smart Township Project Brigade Orchards is an Important Step in Making India Future Ready: M R Jaishankar

BANGALORE, October 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Indian government announced its mega master plan to develop 100 smart cities in the country. Many developers are now looking at making their projects smart so as to seamlessly make them future-ready. The past few months have seen many smart townships being developed by real estate majors across India.

Brigade Group too has launched its smart township, Brigade Orchards, in Devanahalli in Bangalore. Mr. M.R. Jaishankar, Chairman and Managing Director, Brigade Group, speaks on the smart township concept, the challenges of developing a smart township, and on the unique smart features that Brigade Orchards has to offer.

What does a smart township mean? 

A smart township is one which uses digital technologies in order to enhance performance and well-being, reduce costs and resource consumption, and also to engage more effectively and actively with its citizens. Some of the important smart sectors include transport, energy, health care, water and waste.

Smart townships are also designed to respond faster to internal and external challenges.

What could one expect from a smart township? 

A smart township is not just about blocks of buildings; they are also defined by how they interact with the surroundings, and also the various amenities available. Amenities include: social amenities such as healthcare and education; retail amenities - shopping centres; and cultural and sports centres. A township also becomes a smart one in the way it minimally consumes natural resources, and contributing to a larger cause like environment conservation.

Besides, smart townships go beyond the information and communication technology components; in fact, quality of life and sustainability are considered as major pillars of smart townships. They create an ecosystem where people live close to industrial hubs and have an efficient connectivity to these hubs.

What are some of the features that make a township smart? 

To begin with, a smart township is one which has been planned well to include lot of open space, clear zoning for homes, school, hospital, retail, offices, sports and entertainment areas. Besides offering technology-based intelligent security management systems, the township also offers efficient water, energy and waste management systems; has effective transportation systems that connect in-campus facilities and also important hubs outside the campus.

Brigade Group is developing a smart township project. Tell us more about this project and its amenities. 

Brigade Orchards is a well laid-out integrated township, close to the Kempegowda International Airport. The 130-acre one-of-its-kind township has been designed with sustainability and comfort in mind. The township comes with amenities such as a school, luxury guesthouse, a multiplex, a dedicated performing arts area, recreation facilities, and many more utilities, which means that choosing a home in Bangalore has just got simpler.

What makes Brigade Orchards a smart township? 

The integrated Brigade Orchards enclave is designed to global best practices and comes with unique smart features that will make it the benchmark of how cities will be designed in the future:

Smart Planning: Provision of a self-sustaining life with homes, a school, a hospital, retail, offices and entertainment, along with over 80 acres of open space.

Smart Living: Homes with automation options, intelligent security systems and apartments built with advanced European pre-cast technology.

Smart Transport: Bicycles and electric vehicles provided for intra-township commuting; eco-friendly transport to nearby commercial hubs. Cycling tracks and charging points for electric vehicles provided to reduce carbon footprint.

Smart Water Management: Rainwater harvesting, water recycling, wastage prevention and water-efficient landscaping to conserve the water table.

Smart Energy Management: Solar-powered LED street lights and intelligent systems to monitor energy consumption and reduce wastage.

Smart Waste Management: Centralized garbage management, wet waste composting, dry waste recycling and sewage treatment plants to ensure minimal waste discharge from the township.

Smart Community: Provision for an Orchards app and smart card for cashless transactions within the enclave, Fibre-to-Home technology and Wi-Fi zones across the township.

Smart Recreation: An 8,000-sq-metre Signature Club with indoor sports, restaurants and bars, a grocery store and 45 luxury rooms for guests.

Smart Fitness: World-class training and facilities at a sports academy, managed by Sporting Edge, a Steve Waugh company.

What are the challenges in developing a smart township?  

Today, India is urbanising at an unprecedented rate. Estimates suggest that by 2030, nearly 600 million Indians will be living in cities. Keeping in mind the population explosion, the scarcity of resources will be the biggest concern. Everything will have to be developed with sustainability at its core. Additional impetus needs to be given on planning for mobility, transportation requirements and future-proof infrastructure.

It takes a great vision to develop smart townships. Large land parcels are required, and approvals should be in place. Developers need to take up such projects, and for that, the government should also ensure the process of getting approvals is made easy.

The Indian government has envisaged a vision for smart cities. How can smart townships contribute to that vision?  

Multiple smart townships would be required to make a smart city. These smart townships are essential to create an ecosystem where people live close to the industrial hubs and have access to a public transportation system. Since smart cities are expected to be cities of the future, these need to be inclusive in all aspects of sustenance. Technology is important but infrastructure lies at the core of the city and needs to be particularly focused on to make the cities last long.

Is Brigade Group planning more such smart townships in the future? 

With Brigade Orchards in Bangalore, we are expecting to raise the bar by seamlessly integrating smart features into the project to create a positive impact in the lives of the residents. This project also reaffirms our commitment to India's smart city drive and in its own right, an important step in making India future-ready. Brigade Group is also developing over a million sq. ft. of commercial, residential, retail and hospitality space at GIFT City in Gujarat.

To know more visit, http://www.BrigadeGroup.com

About Brigade Group 

Brigade Group commenced operations in 1986, and over the last two decades has evolved into a brand that is synonymous with Innovation, Quality, Trust and Customer Satisfaction.

Headquartered in Bangalore, Brigade Group has a network of offices across South India, an office in Dubai, and is represented in the USA by an accredited agent, Legion Real Estate. Brigade Group's portfolio includes residential, office, retail, hospitality and education.

With over 20 million sq.ft. of developed real estate, across over 100 projects, Brigade has emerged as one of India's leading property developers, and is constantly setting new benchmarks in the real estate industry.

Media Contact:
Mathew Abraham,
[email protected],
+91(0)804-046-7600,
Brigade Group