KOCHI: People travelling to the southern end of MG Road will now be greeted with aesthetically designed spaces along the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) compound wall. The 150-m pilot project commissioned by the PSU will be opened for public use by its head & CMD Madhu K Nair on Thursday.
The fort-like walls along the footpath of the PSU are now being transformed into beautiful landscape spaces with three different modules; one with heavy planting, another with vertical creepers and garden seats, and the third with theme-based graphics.
Kumar Group Total Designers, who had previously executed public landscape work at the Durbar Hall Ground in the city, Gandhi Park and the crematorium in Thiruvananthapuram, was entrusted with the job of improving the visual appeal of an otherwise uninteresting perimeter wall of the shipyard.
Architect S Gopakumar of the group says planting was done on modular planter boxes in three different heights, placed on top of the gutter slabs. “This enables removal of the boxes if one wants to access the sewers. The plant used is of the sturdier variety, which can withstand harsh weather conditions. A drip irrigation system is also installed for maintenance,” said Gopakumar. With proposed phases of the project, the initiative is set to cover more than 1.3 km, he added.
An array of theme-based graphics fixed on separate panels on the wall will have pictures of the vessels built by the CSL, and public awareness messages on sustainable living. The wall and footpath will be lit by specially-designed ambient lighting. Gopakumar adds the project implemented at a cost of `53 lakh will act as a visual feast for pedestrians and passersby. “It is the first time such a project is being tried out in a public space,” says the architect.
The project is an attempt to make the city more scenic. “Based on public response, efforts will be taken to landscape the entire stretch of MG Road bordering CSL,” said Madhu K Nair.The shipyard has a larger vision of landscaping its internal spaces which will also help reduce the carbon footprint of the PSU. The design process for the same has already begun.