West 8 to design a world-class Botanical Garden in India!
Kadambur, Tamil Nadu, India
West 8 is proud to announce that we have been selected to design the Botanical Park at Kadambur, located in the larger district of the Chennai Metropolitan region in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department and the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board requested West 8 and its partner SPECTRUM Techno Consultants Pvt Ltd to develop a concept plan and a detailed project report. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has worked with the government from the beginning and will assist in developing the future park. West 8 will bring its global experience, delivering remarkable and sustainable designs to create an outstanding botanical garden. Grounded in its context, the project will emphasize and preserve the quality of the local Tamil Nadu landscapes and community, with the goal of developing into a precedent of both national and international attention.
About the project
Within its various biotopes, Tamil Nadu holds one of the richest diversities of landscapes in India, from mountainous regions to coastal landscapes, forests, and dry deserts. The ambition of the project is to capture and celebrate the characters of these landscape typologies within the botanical garden.
To develop a ‘botanical enclave’ across the 137-hectare site, West 8 has assembled a dedicated team of local specialists in the field, together with SPECTRUM Techno Consultants Pvt Ltd, that includes experts in botany, horticulture, architecture, wildlife, hydrology, and financing.
Next steps- in the making
Following several days of site visits exploring the vast biodiversity of the site, on December 11th, West 8 attended a Kick-off meeting with the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, Supriya Sahu. The meeting included representatives from the Public Works Department, Forest Department, Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board, and Green Tamil Nadu Mission. Stakeholders from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department were also consulted during site visits to share their experience and understanding of the area’s ecological dynamics and biodiversity.