A residency with a difference

A HOMELY AFFAIR While most condominiums tend to tower over the city scape, Orchid Island, built in the style of villas, defies the conventional architectural norms

GURUGRAM: Located close to Artemis Hospital in Sector 51, Orchid Island is a 34-acre hamlet constructed in the style of villas. This residential complex defies the architectural rule of other condominiums, which tend to tower over the city.

The society’s main gate opens to a fountain at the entrance. Surrounding the fountain stand rows of similar-looking houses. Each house has three floors with one apartment each. There are a total of 1,200 apartments, which come in 2, 3 and 4 BHK options. The houses have identical facades, with walls painted in red and beige.

“I love the layout of the residency. There is a lot more space than you usually see in other condominiums,” said Rupesh Ninawe, a 31-year-old resident, while on his morning walk. He was accompanied by his pregnant wife.

The society houses two large parks that are used by residents for various activities. The central park is the largest and houses a place for yoga. The park also has a jungle gym set, swings and a see-saw. “We have excellent walking tracks. We can take a walk at any point of the day,” said RP Gupta, a resident.

The residency lacks a community centre but has an open gymnasium, badminton and basketball courts, a prayer hall, three daily needs store, a medical store and a boutique. It also has a senior citizen’s room, where the eld- erly can relax. Classes for sports, such as karate, taekwondo, football, dance, etc, are held for children.

Celebration of festivals and special occasions, such as Diwali, Navratri, Janmashtami, Guru Purab, Independ- ence Day and Republic Day are held throughout the year. Holi is one of the biggest festivals in the condominium. All residents gather in the central park to play colours, eat, dance and enjoy. This year, Children’s Day saw children participate in a sit-and-draw competition.

“We have a lot of interesting activities during these celebrations and people participate in such activities enthusiastically,” said Kumkum Rastogi, who herself participated in a race at the residency last year.

The society takes its waste segregation very seriously and has been raising awareness regarding the same.

“RWA volunteers went from door to door, explaining the function of waste segregation. The residents were even given a green bin and were encouraged to buy red and blue bins for segregation. A session was also held with the maids,” said Ninawe.

Although the society is merely sixyears-old, the paint on some of the buildings has already started to peel. The RWA, which took over the society from the builder a year ago, plans to bring about a few positive changes. “We want to change the main gate a bit, construct a gym and add sprinklers to the park,” said Vipin Bhatia, RWA general secretary

YOGENDRA KUMAR/HT PHOTOS Orchid Island in Sector 51 is a 34-acre residential complex, which has a total of 1,200 apartments.

for various activities. The parks that are used by residents a The society has two large has place for yoga. The park also and consists of a dedicated central park is the largest a see-saw. jungle gym set, swings and The residency lacks a community centre b ut has an open gymnasium, children and adults alike. which is used by

■ The facade of the houses are identical in nature and painted in shades of beige and red. There are three daily needs stores, which ensure that residents don’t need to step out for their groceries.