The Bangalore-headquartered Biodiversity Conservation Ind­ia (BCIL) is coming up with two residential projects – Zed Woods and Zed Earth – on the Yelahanka-Doddaballapur Road in Bangalore, which promise a harmonious blend of green living and urban comforts.

The company is investing Rs 108 crore – Rs 90 crore for Zed Earth and Rs 18 crore for Zed Woods.

BCIL has served as consultant to the governments of Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland and Madhya Pradesh and also Pa­ris-based ADEME and ADB in the areas of watershed management, environment impact assessment, building methods and materials, low-energy architecture and energy-efficient systems. The company operates in three verticals – promoting pioneering residential projects, offering green consulting to companies and offering professional training.

While Zed Earth is coming up over an area of 18.7 acres, Zed Woods is spread over 1.5 acres, Chandrashekar Hariharan, chairman & co-founder, BCIL, told FC Build. Zed Earth will have over 130 houses. The campus is carved into two large home bays. The first phase offers 44 standalone, single-family houses spread over 6.7 acres. The second bay will offer at least 80 homes over 12 acres. ZED Woods will have 60 houses in its 1.5 acres against the industry norm of 65-90 homes an acre, he said.

Zed Earth homes come in three-bedroom (2,740 sq ft and 2,929 sq ft) and four-bedroom (4,056 sq ft) options. Zed Woods, in turn, will offer plush apartments ranging from 811 sq ft super built-up area for a studio apartment to 2,700 sq ft super built-up area for exclusive four-bedroom apartments with lots of green features.

What is so special about the two projects? Hariharan explained, “Ze­d Earth home sizes offer much lower density of 0.9 in the ratio of built area to land area compared with a much higher density of 1.2 which is the norm in Bangalore. Zed Earth has drawn from the vast traditional knowledge systems of Indian architecture and ‘vaastu’, and have ble­nded them with contemporary engineering expertise and architectural needs of today’s world.”

Zed Earth villas are muted. They don’t violate the skyscape or stand out too prominently. They offer a combination of rich wood floors, fine natural stone and earth-toned walls on the outside. Sloped roofs add grace to the exteriors. Exquisite spaces with high ceilings, gabled roofs, terraces and backyards promise pleasant barbecue evenings. Sp­lit-levels accentuate spaces. Pr­ivate nooks give personal comfort. Water bodies with solar-powered fountains cool the air around. Rich and ve­rdant foliage offer micr­oc­limate adv­antages that Ban­galore used to be known for. Every home has its own air-conditioning system that costs you under Rs 1,000 a month on a pay-only-on-use basis. Each home has a wet waste treatment system that converts all kitchen waste into odourless compost for your gardens, Hariharan said.

The Zed Earth villas come with a price tag of Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 4 crore, while Zed Woods the price tag is Rs 25 lakh to Rs 80 lakh.

“Urban people are well traveled and want to leave behind a better world for their children. They don't want to compromise on urban comforts, yet want to live green. These properties are typically for senior executives, VPs, directors, CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals,” Hariharan told FC Build.

ritwikmukherjee@mydigitafc.com