Grit instead of grass

Bhawanimandi sits in a part of Rajasthan where water is precious. Rain arrives briefly and leaves quickly. Through the long dry months every litre drawn for a garden is a litre taken from somewhere else. A factory campus here could have been given the familiar answer of broad green lawns kept alive by sprinklers. It would have looked generous for a season and grown more costly with every year that followed.

We began with a different question. Rather than asking how much water the landscape would need, we asked how little it could live on and still feel complete. The answer shaped every decision that came after. The plant palette was drawn from species suited to the region, plants that have learnt over generations to wait for rain and make the most of it when it comes.

Across the larger open areas grit took the place of grass. It is a quiet material. It holds the ground, reflects the light softly and asks nothing of the water supply. Laid against hardy planting it gives the campus a calm and deliberate character, closer to the land around it than to a borrowed idea of what a garden ought to be.

The result is a landscape that does not fight its climate. It was recognised by the Centre for Science and Environment for that restraint. For us it remains a reminder that the most responsible design is sometimes the one that chooses to do less and does it beautifully.