One Green Mile / MVRDV

Architects: MVRDV
Year: 2022
Photographs: Suleiman Merchant
Lighting Design: Lighting Concepts
Landscape Design: Enviroscape, AMS Consultants
MEP: ARKK Consulting
Founding Partner in Charge: Jacob van Rijs
Partner: Stefan de Koning
Design Team: Ronald Hoogeveen, Valentina Chiappa Nuñez, Jose Manuel Garcia Garcia, Prajakta Gawde
Strategy and Development: Sruti Thakrar
Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
Masterplan & Urban Design: StudioPOD
Co Architects: StudioPOD
Client: Nucleus Office Park
Public Art: St+Art
City: Mumbai
Country: India

One Green Mile, designed by MVRDV with StudioPOD, transforms a 200-meter-long section beneath Mumbai’s Senapati Bapat Marg flyover into a vibrant public space, addressing neglected infrastructure and setting a model for sustainable urban renewal. The project integrates greenery, public amenities, and improved mobility while mitigating the flyover’s negative effects. StudioPOD initiated the program, with MVRDV introducing a sinuous blue-striped visual identity that unifies the design. The space features functional “rooms” like gyms, shaded seating, and biodiversity-promoting greenery that dampens noise and cools the area. Pedestrian and cyclist pathways, bright crossings, and mobility hubs improve accessibility and safety. This intervention exemplifies a circular urban approach, repurposing underutilized spaces, and is part of a broader plan to extend these improvements along the 11.22-kilometer flyover, redefining its role within Mumbai’s urban fabric.

MVRDV, in collaboration with co-architects StudioPOD, has finalized the construction of a section of One Green Mile, repurposing a series of neglected spaces beneath Mumbai’s Senapati Bapat Marg flyover. By transforming an imposing concrete structure into a functional public space for the local community, the design incorporates essential amenities, greenery, and improved mobility while establishing a distinctive visual identity for the area. Moreover, on a larger scale, the project introduces a replicable model for sustainable urban development, setting a new standard for revitalizing underused public spaces in the densely populated Indian metropolis.

The Senapati Bapat Marg flyover is part of a network of major roads stretching over 11 kilometers through the center of Mumbai, contributing to significant noise pollution and acting as a barrier between adjacent neighborhoods, thereby restricting mobility options. To improve 1,800 meters of streetscape and transportation infrastructure along this corridor, Nucleus Office Parks appointed Mumbai-based StudioPOD as the urban design and master planning lead for One Green Mile. For the most impactful part of the project, a 200-meter-long unused space beneath the flyover known as Parel Baug, StudioPOD brought in MVRDV to collaborate on creating a community space that would mitigate the flyover’s adverse effects while addressing the area’s shortage of greenery and public amenities.

StudioPOD formulated the initial ideas and programming for the space. Collaborating closely with StudioPOD, MVRDV expanded on these concepts by incorporating sinuous blue stripes into the design, establishing a cohesive visual identity that ties together all elements of the space. This approach resulted in a concept for One Green Mile that delivers a holistic and engaging urban spatial experience.

A hilly paved landscape transforms the two-dimensional visual elements into a three-dimensional spatial experience, accommodating a variety of programs and serving as a dynamic physical attraction. Visual accent colors in materials and graphics ensure that all components of the intervention are unified and easily identifiable. The space is organized into a series of public “rooms” with varied functions, including a lounge, gym, shaded seating areas, a performance space, and a reading room. Planting is integrated throughout, with greenery featured on screens lining the space, an entrance archway, and in retaining walls and planters. This greenery enhances biodiversity, cools the surrounding environment, and reduces noise pollution.

MVRDV partner Stefan de Koning reflects on the broader implications of the project, stating, “Perhaps one day we will see the end of noisy, unpleasant highways carving up our cities, but for now they are still, unfortunately, a necessary evil – one you can see in Mumbai more than most cities.” He adds, “One Green Mile asks the question: what if we expected highways to give something back to the places they cut through? A flyover can provide some shade in a hot city and creates a small area of land that can’t be developed with tall buildings. It’s not such a crazy idea to make that into a public space.”

The design improves connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists, making the area more accessible and user-friendly. Features such as paving, dedicated bicycle paths, and bright, large-scale zebra crossings enhance both access and safety. Accessibility is further improved through the integration of an uninterrupted mobility network and a mobility hub designed to encourage cycling. Furthermore, the lighting concept, in conjunction with programmatic elements and urban furniture, creates a distinctive and secure environment that remains safe and functional at all times.

The project embodies a circular economy approach by repurposing the space beneath the flyover, thereby increasing its value. Beyond serving as a roadway for cars, the flyover gains a new role as a sheltered, functional public space. Engineering systems are incorporated to store and filter monsoon water, which irrigates the extensive greenery throughout the site. With its emphasis on shaded, inclusive green spaces, this approach is highly adaptable and can be implemented in other areas of the city. The larger master plan and planned extension by StudioPOD aim to expand this concept, extending improvements to both the public spaces under the flyover and the surrounding streetscape. Ultimately, the vision is to reimagine the entire 11.22-kilometer stretch of highway, from Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse to the Dharavi Mangrove Region, as a revitalized urban corridor.