Defining Modular for Sustainable Future

By Anoop Jha

Sustainable Modular Unit for Design, Architecture and Planning

Modular planning and design is not a luxury, its necessity of time due to scarce resources, ever growing population, industrialization and mass production, automation, emerging and rapidly changing technology, wide gap of demand and supply, time constraint, need for efficient integration, rapid expansion and need for fast and easy maintenance and reproduction. In context of above observation let’s analyze the elements and process which are and can be made modular for optimum utilization of time and resources for the better future. But one should not be confuse modularity with monotony; Modular units need to be flexible for the customization based on region, location, altitude, culture and other environmental constraints. 

Modular Elements in Design - Design elements, patterns, motifs, pixels, Canvas/ Panel/ Base, printing, casting moulds, design tools, frames, pallets,

Modular Elements in Architecture - Architectural elements like door & windows construction items like tiles and glass panels, false ceiling panels, etc., Toilet, Kitchen, Structural elements, prefabricated modules,

Modular Elements in Planning - Replicable city grid, clusters, modular infrastructure, Modular neighborhood sectors, Modular housing units, Street section templates, street hardware etc

Designing Golf Course – Creative side of sports

By - Anoop Jha

Why designing Golf Course is so different from most of other sports

Golf is one of the fastest growing popular outdoor sports in the world. It is quite fascinating and very different from other sports in terms of its playfield design and layout in the midst of lush undulating surrounding; it has a touch of natural ecology with varying texture of surface made of grass, sand and water, with carefully placed and maintained vegetation. Though it is a laborious game but it is quite rejuvenating in terms of environment.

Designing a Golf course is very different from designing fields and courts for other sports like, football field, Race track, tennis, badminton, swimming pool etc. because of scope for flexibility and creativity it provides in terms of planning and design elements for localised treatment while staying within the prescribed standards. Most of the other sports have a very standardized and rigid layout for their field and court, and provides very little flexibility and scope for creativity in design, except envelop i.e. indoor and outdoor stadium buildings / envelop. Golf course provides a much wider scope for creativity which is specific to physiography and profile of site.  

Layout Design Guidelines

Par - 3 :  250 yards [230 M] & below

Par - 4 :  251 to 450 yards [410 M]

Par - 5 :  451 to 690 yards [630 M]

Par - 6 :  691 yards [632 M] or more

Typical elements of a hole on a golf course

1.   Teeing ground

2.   Water hazard

3.   Rough

4.   Out of bounds

5.   Sand bunker

6.   Water hazard

7.   Fairway

8.   Putting green

9.   Flagstick

10. Hole