VIJAYAWADA: The Amaravati Government Complex, where all the administrative buildings of the State government are proposed to come up, will have a 7.7 sq km off-site solar array to power the core capital region. Almost all the buildings in the AGC will be powered by solar panels, which will also take care of the energy requirements of not just the operational needs of the buildings, but also of electric vehicles.
After visiting Amaravati on Monday, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, Norman Foster, said the capital of Andhra Pradesh is being developed with ‘sustainability’ as its principle. According to a press release from the British architecture and engineering firm, Norman Foster said, “The design [of the AGC] brings together our decades-long research into sustainable cities, incorporating the latest technologies that are currently being developed in India.”
It maybe noted that Foster + Partners is designing the master plan of 217 sq km capital Amaravati, besides giving the detailed design of ‘iconic’ Legislative Assembly and High Court complex, and the five-tower Secretariat building. Around the AGC will be 13 plazas, which will be a mixed-use development area, representing and signifying each of the 13 districts of the State.
The press release from the Foster + Partner further said the AGC occupies the heart of the city with a ‘green spine’ -- with greenery and water bodies -- running along its length. “Recycling and reusing the water for irrigation would be adopted. The green spine would be irrigated with recycled water,” the representatives of the firm said.
Later in the day, the CRDA officials held a meeting to finalise the landscaping of the housing projects being built in the capital. They deliberated on creation of walkways, sitting areas, playing arenas for children, shaded galleries, and other facilities. The CRDA commissioner asked the representatives of L&T, Shapoorji and Pallonji and NCC Ltd, which are constructing 61 towers for officials and legislators, to improve the designs of entry points.