Dwell - Mumbai mixed housing

Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that an aspect of a living being starts a new life in a different physical body or form after each biological death. It is also called rebirth or transmigration and is a part of the Samsara doctrine of cyclic existence.

The urban fabric of the city of Mumbai with such a great historical and cultural background should experience the similar process of rebirth saving the spirit of the place with its unique context and traditions. We invent the new typologies borrowing forms and colors from national Indian dwellings, but taking into consideration modem rapid urbanization. We install the modules of different typologies into a continuous flexible structural network, which provides Koli and Worli with all the possible scenarios that the inhabitants are able to create.

Taking into account typologies of traditional Indian dwellings, the designers created a variety of flexible, easily erected and transformable modules, to make sure that every family within to live in World Koliwada would be able to choose the most suitable house. The invented typologies combine the spacial organization of traditional Indian houses with the ecological and structural advantages of contemporary building technologies.

The new development grows from the Worli Koliwada village, saving all the routes. The territory is divided into two parts, which are flexible, rising and transformable Worli housing with their own facilities for the neighborhood: the school, public library, a pool, a garden and the floating village of Koli with all the facilities for fishery and fish trade such as the marina, fish fanning. In the center of the territory, the new historical and cultural building appears uniting all the territory and serving as a museum and a touristic and public route, opening spectacular views and leading to the new Hindu temple. We create new open public spaces such as the new fish market, observatory, public squares, open cinema, public swimming pool and the scene to involve both tourists and citizens.

​The dwellings are risen above the level of flooding to protect the inhabitants during the monsoon period. The coastal lines of the site are reinforced and a system of breakwaters is erected to protect the land from the waves and floods.