The Grand Arch

India’s explosive growth in urban populations has created a critical need for housing for its middle classes, both upper and lower. Mughal architecture served as an inspiration for the design and as a connection to the country’s culture and history. The Grand Arch is a mixed-income community. The dense design serves as the flagship in a new 300-acre township outside New Delhi and features more than 900 residential units in both high and mid-rise buildings. Cultural differences in planning for multifamily housing include creating larger apartments for extended families, the inclusion of attendants’ quarters and puja rooms, and increased privacy of personal spaces and bedrooms as compared with Western standards.