Permaculture Consult - Palghar, Maharashtra
- Mandy
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 20, 2025
Tropical River Basin, Wellness Center
When a young couple, both Ayurvedic medical practitioners, saw the view from this property, it reminded them of their home town in the Kumaon region, and they instantly fell in love with it!
The elongated, faucet shaped property with a long arm of land extending from a square shaped field, nestled in a tribal area, verdant with trees and paddy fields. The views were to die for, and the location, an hour north of Mumbai and minutes from the National Highway, was unbeatable.
With a dream to build an Ayurvedic Center and farmhouse on the land, the clients contacted my firm for a design plan. The brief was to create a productive, aesthetically landscaped, green environment that would offer a healing environment for resident patients, and become a place to call home for the family. To design for an estimated resident population of 20 persons (plus 5-10 day staffers/visitors) at the center and farmhouse, include an admin center, central kitchen, consultation rooms, treatment rooms, meditation center, and parking area - all within 1.6 acres of farmland - was a challenging task.
The challenges were three-fold:
To optimize land use in the narrow necks of land that comprised half the property while distancing water sources from septic tanks and grey water discharges in tight spaces
To provision for water at maximum use/capacity amounting to 8,000+ liters/day
To drain the low lying, former paddy field and make it usable for orchards and construction
What emerged after brainstorming with both clients, and days of wrestling with project requirements amidst the resources and constraints of the plot, was design that finally flowed in consonance with the geography, topography, soil condition, water availability and orientation of the land - all within the ambit of sustainable, waste-free, permaculture.
A simple breakthrough was the decision to use the farthest portions of the property as a teak forest, siting a Zen Forest Pergola within that space. More complicated breakthroughs came with decisions to sink ponds within the property to achieve the dual purpose of draining excess water while also provisioning for water requirements for the proposed project. Long water channels were drafted in the 2 D design plan, following dips in the contour of the land to link ponds, irrigating orchards on both sides while increasing water storage capacity. Septic tanks and grey water zeronis were sited far from water sources, and fruit and spice tree orchards located around them.
Other interesting elements were the incorporation of medicinal and native trees, and widespread use of water loving trees to absorb the plentiful supply of subsurface water. The areas around the Admin Center, Treatment Rooms and Meditation Center were landscaped for low maintenance and community engagement with large shade trees overhead. A winding pathway with bridges was included across the length of this extended property, with lots of benches and pergolas at intervals for a resident-patient friendly design!
Much of the design was inspired by genuine client enthusiasm. It was a true pleasure to work with such dedicated medical practitioners and offer professional services that could lay the foundation of this Ayurvedic Center that can, over time and care, become a true healing space for others!
