Projects — Urban/Public — Skywalk - Bonkode, Navi Mumbai

The 72 meter long and 3 meter wide skywalk is unlike the skywalks one has seen in the country. It is aesthetic, environment-friendly and commuter-friendly and stands out as an iconic land-mark on the six-lane concrete highway. But there is more to the design beyond the aesthetics.

The FOB addresses the genuine need of pedestrians from Bonkode village, commuting daily for work to TTC Industrial belt across the busy 6 lane highway. The high speed Thane Belapur road divides the Bonkode village from the TTC Industrial area; leaving the villagers no other option but to cross the road risking their lives. The new FOB connecting with the old railway bridge; provided relief to these pedestrians to commute without fear of accidents. The primary concern was facilitating easy commuting across the busy road. For this a central circulation axis with two access points were created at both the ends equipped with handicap and elderly friendly features such as ramps and lifts.

The brief from the project clients i.e. Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) was that the foot-over bridge has to be designed keeping in mind that Navi Mumbai is the emerging contemporary city of the 21st century. The design was conceptualized as a ‘Prototype’ to be replicated at other locations too. The design consists of the two cores connected by the tubular body of the FOB.  The FOB has one lift on either side with a capacity for 10 people each. The lift lobby is planned within the constraints of the width of the pathway; also leaving minimum space for the movement of the passerby who is not using the FOB. In-spite of a restricted narrow width available for the lift lobby, the pedestrian still experiences a spacious foyer owing to the double height which is naturally lit with the full height glazing.