Lotus Temple Landscape elements

1. Landscape Architecture
Assignment 1-Critical appreciation

2. Lotus Temple -
Bahai Temple
The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi,
India, is a Bahá'í House of Worship
that was dedicated in December 1986.
Notable for its flowerlike shape, it has
become a prominent attraction in the
city. Like all Bahá'í Houses of Worship,
the Lotus Temple is open to all,
regardless of religion or any other
qualification

3. Lotus Temple
1. Introduction
2. Site Surroundings
3. The Accesses
4. Circulation within the site
5. Relationship between the
built up and outdoor spaces
6. Site Services
7. Parking
8. Public Convenience
9. Soft Landscape and
Hardscape
10.Lighting
11.Signage
12.Seats
13.Trash receptacles

4. 1. Introduction
1. Introduction

5. House of worship
Information Center
Public convenience
Education Center
VIP parking space

6. 2. Site Surroundings

7. Bus Parking and
public convenience
Magenta metro line
Commercial Shops
Maanik Park

8. Bus Parking and
public convenience
Magenta
underground
metro line
Commercial
Shops
Maanik Park

9. 3. The Accesses

10. Main public entry
Service entry
VIP entry
All accesses from a 15 Wide Road

11. 1. Main public entry
2. Service entry
3. VIP entry

12. 4. Circulation within
the site

13. Pedestrian Circulation
Vehicular Circulation

14. With respect to the main
entrance of the site, the
temple entrance is oblique.

15. 5. Relationship
between the built up
and outdoor spaces

16. The main walkway towards the temple is along the central
axis of the temple which divides the temple symmetrically
on both sides .
Placement of the walkway in accordance to the symmetry
of the temple.

17. Movement of
cool air
The nine pools around the building form the
main landscaping element .
At the same time, they represent the green
leaves of lotus afloat on water.
The pools and fountain help to cool the air that
passes over them into the hall.

18. While entering the building , the pools are not visible which acts
as the mysterious feature to the structure.

19. 6. Site Services

20. Storm water drainage along walkways
SWD at the entrance of information centre
Water Pump and treatment plant
Solar panels
Electrical substation
Fire hose cabinet

21. Storm Water drainage along the
walkways
Storm water drains are provided along the
walkways to prevent accumulation of water .
Sandstone covering with small grates are
provided for the main walkway towards the
temple .
The use of same stone as used in walkway
creates a merging effect.
Grilled coverings for drains along other walkways

22. The steps towards the information center at
basement level have their treads placed at
certain gap in order to prevent accumulation of
water in the basement .
Sloping stone strip is given along stairs so that
water does not accumulate on the surface of
stairs
Storm water drainage at the entrance of
Information centre
The grooves in stone surface are kept
open in certain areas to allow the water
to flow down through it .

23. Water pump and treatment plant
The water pump and treatment plant is placed
openly within the softscape region .
It is partially covered by the trees around it .
Recycled water is stored underground and
pumped out for watering the plants and trees
through the pipe .

24. Solar panels Electrical substation
Panel board
Fire hose
Watch tower

25. 7. Parking

26. PARKING
Parking
VIP / worker’s Entry-Exit
VIP Vehicular Entry to parking

27. PARKING AREA : -
● VIP CAR PARKING
● WORKER’S
PARKING
PEDESTRIAN ENTRY
TO PARKING
GATE ENTRY:
● Parking and the main
passage are
connected through
pedestrian gate
SPACE FOR:
2-WHEELERS
4-WHEELERS
6 Meter wide road provided
for entry and exit.

28. 8. Public Convenience

29. Public convenience-
Washrooms and drinking
water

30. Entrance to Public Convenience
Drinking water
and washrooms

31. 9. Softscape and Hardscape

32. Maximum portion of the site is softscape.
Softscape
Hardscape

33. 2 kinds of stone used in walkways
● Red sandstone
● white marble terrazzo on the both the
edges of the path
● Red sandstone have non slippery
surface which makes them ideal for
walkways.
Water drains off the path easily
Bushes along the path
Concrete paving in path leading to public washrooms

35. The temple is reached by a flight of steps on the front
and green mounds on both sides which adds a vertical
dimension to it.

36. The height of the bushes along the path leading to washroom area
are higher in order partially cover the path
Symmetrical arrangement of trees along the path.
Trees that were planted near the drinking
water region had greater foliage .
Trees were planted near seating to
provide shade.

37. Planters at the
path junction.
Different types of trees were
planted.
Wild Palm trees
Ashoka trees
Neem trees
Mango trees
Gulmohar trees

38. 10. Lighting

39. Staircase recessed light
Ceiling light
Flash light
Wall lamp

40. LIGHTS ON STAIRCASE
2.CEILING LIGHTS FOR
BASEMENT
● Illuminating the basement
● Creates the mirror image in
water
Recessed lights:
Illuminate the stairs with soft
glow hence showing the
passage towards the
information center.

41. ● High-pressure discharge
lights are used.
● Fluorescent lamps with their
diffused light are used for
pathway lighting.
FLASH LIGHTS FOR NIGHT EFFECTS
● Wall lamps are
installed at
washroom and
drinking water
region.
WALL LAMP

42. 11. Signage

43. Entry
Information center signage
Washroom signage
Photography prohibition signage

44. Temporary sign board was showing path towards
washroom area.
Entry signage
Well maintained and
permanent sign board

45. 12. Seats

46. Sitting area
Shaded sitting area
Open sitting area
Sitting spaces around the monument

47. 1)
● Well shaded by trees
● Benches are made of sandstone
2)
● Seats were made on central axis
which lead to the temple.
● Main purpose of these seats were
to maintain the symmetry.
● No shade provided.
SITTING AREA
● Sitting space provided around
the temple.
● Presence of water body makes
the sitting space cooler.

48. 13. Trash receptacles

49. Sitting area
TRASH
RECEPTACLES:
Inside the campus there is only one trash
receptacle which is near sitting area.
The trash is collected from this trash box to
trash vehicle and disposed off.
Trash box inside campus
Trash box outside campus

50. Team
Bonny Shaju
Atharv Subharwal
Bimenpreet Kaur
Prerna Sharma
Priyal Agarwal
Pulkit Agarwal