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The Palm Springs project in Nigeria challenges all conventional perceptions about the African country, whether it is the concept itself or the use of construction technology. Kartik Punjabi, chief executive, Vijay Punjabi Consultants Pvt Ltd, who’s working on the project explains why he prefers to call it ‘dream engineering’.
When most people think of Nigeria, they usually think of a third-world African nation. I had similar thoughts until I went there for the Palm Springs project. The project came across as a refreshing revelation about the open-mindedness of this country that seems to be getting ready for an economic transformation. This particular project is the brain child of a person of Indian origin - Haresh Keswani, managing director, Palm Springs Projects Ltd (Lagos, Nigeria).
The vision behind the project is to create a paradise in Nigeria. (Incidentally, he is also looking at a tie-up with the Dutch retail giant Spar International, who’s expressed serious interest in expanding in that part of the world.) It is quite interesting that Mr Keswani prefers to call himself a manufacturer of homes rather than a developer or a builder.
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And it’s not just the nomenclature that differentiates him; his approach to the construction business itself is quite unique. His line of thought runs parallel to the assembly line approach adopted by the automobile manufacturing sector.
When the client (Mr Keswani) came to us, the project had already been designed with roads constructed on site, infrastructure being put in place and building plans frozen. It seemed he was primarily looking for cosmetic surgeons – in the architectural sense – who would carry out a face lift to the diminished engineering that was already in place.
Upon our initial meetings in India and my studies of the architectural plans, it was very clear that the beginning was not on the right track. Hence I recommended that an entire re-think was necessary. The client was well aware of the limitations due to the work already done on site. He agreed to a site and design review meeting to be held in Nigeria to discuss ground realities and find a way forward.
Having travelled across developed countries, it was my first visit to an African nation. It was almost a sense of déjà vu when we approached the Lagos Airport; what I saw near the airport reminded me of the Dharavi slum area.
The touch down to the airport itself was quite dramatic with abandoned airplanes lying around the runway. The first impression was definitely not positive and I felt that it would be a big challenge to build dreams in a land ‘as backwards as this’. But it was all about to change upon reaching the project site, which was being managed quite professionally.
The actual site was spread over 83.5 acres and the drive from the entry gate to the other end took a good five minutes. We immediately brainstormed at the site and laid down some parameters that we believed were unchangeable.
The client had already sub-divided the site into plots. In fact, speaking in the Indian context, he had generated plot numbers and had even placed key stones demarcating each plot. This had been approved by the government authorities.
Thus, a redesign of the master plan in totality was ruled out. Although roads were in place, amalgamation of a few plots with variations in the road network was a possibility within acceptable limits.
Having understood the ground realities and site constraints, it was important to meet the local counterparts like structural consultants, architects and planning authorities who had already put some efforts into the project and hence had a hands-on understanding of every aspect.
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