INS GOMANTAK, VASCO-DA-GAMA, GOA

INS Gomantak is located in Vasco-da-Gama city on the narrow western tip of the Marmagoa Peninsula, overlooking the mouth of the Zuari River & Arabian Sea. INS Gomantak & the headquarters of the Indian Navy is located on the hill overlooking St Andrew’s Church, Zuari River & the Arabian Sea. The site is on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea. The site has dense trees on the sea face. The site has three new buildings i.e Administration office block, New GNA Wardroom Mess & Single Officer’s Accommodation.

The landscape design aim was to have a functional landscape conforming to all the recreational needs of the Naval Area as well as to improvise the working conditions and enhances the natural beauty of the site, thereby leading to healthy living. The Client also demanded that the Landscape should be easy to maintain & economical at the same time. The landscape has attempted to amalgamate the adjoining spaces of all three. It also acts as the transition from the built mass to the natural surroundings.

The following design issues have been addressed while planning the Landscape:

1. Create a sense of arrival, by giving a sense of direction and complement the architectural form of the built mass. The maintained gardens for visual appeal create a foreground for the built mass.

2. The gardens at the rear serve as outdoor interactive spaces. The focus has been to keep the spaces easy to maintain, functional and at the same time aesthetically pleasing. Sustainable energy options have been explored and suggested

3. Greens in front of the administration office block with minimal hard paving. Color & textures were added using various ground covers & shrubs.

A gushing Water feature adds to the ambience of the garden in front of the Administration office building. The water features enhance the front entrance appearance and provide a peaceful and relaxing sound as well. The entrance space in front of the administration office block depicts the essence of the Indian Naval Flag. The anchor on the mound signifies the identity of the place. Pebble beach pavers (Grass Pavers) are ideal for vehicular traffic & are also eco-friendly since they promote groundwater percolation in addition to improvising the quality of space.

1. Natural-looking amphitheatre that integrates with the landscape was designed. As the site is facing the sea, Wind Factor is one of the merits. Wind turbines are proposed to suffice energy requirements to some extent. All stormwater is channelized through swales into the natural-looking Rainwater harvesting reservoir.

2. Outdoor lighting dramatically highlights garden features as well as facilitates nighttime entertaining. Lighting transforms the landscape into a soft ambience of understated elegance during the evening hours. It is proposed to use bollard lighting for high pedestrian movement areas, focal lighting for plants & sculptures and security lighting along the compound wall. Lights are used to enhance the beauty of the landscape while also providing safety and security.

3. Flooring -materials such as pebbles, wood and stones provide a rich ground texture. The winding pathway adds elegance with curves in a natural-looking landscape. The material used for hardscape within the landscape reflects an overall theme of the landscape and complements the style of architecture. Natural paving materials locally available are used.

Planting is designed to be lush and completely free form. Mass planting of ever-changing seasonal flowering trees and shrubs complements each other. Colours and fragrances are used to generate excitement or tranquillity. Creating forests, meadows and orchards showcases various forms of cultivation.

Storm Water Drainage-Swales are being used for drainage. With the high-density rainfall in Goa, it is important to address the surface drainage of rainwater. Use of natural swales as drains either grass-lined or pebbles lined are used in natural-looking free form for water drainage. A Swale is a ditch on the contour. It does not direct water, but holds it and allows it to gradually infiltrate the soil down-slope of it. Soil and water run-off are caught in the swale which becomes a fertile area. Gradual infiltration of water and nutrients and the dead roots of plants growing in the swale, slowly improve soil structure down-slope The surface run-off water channelized by the swales will be directed to the rainwater harvesting reservoir using the natural gradient on site.