Hyderabad Collective - India

The Hyderabad Collective is located amidst beautiful hills and valleys just 31km off the Outer Ring Road in Hyderabad.  Site work on the 132 Ac land commenced in 2020.

From in-depth landscape studies to intricate farm activities, the ball hasn’t stopped rolling. The major steps towards achieving food, water and power security have been taken. The rocky land that was deemed unfit for food cultivation is brimming with potential for ecological design interventions.

Maximum impact with minimal intervention – this is the crux of the design approach at Beforest. The 132 Ac collective is being designed to accommodate 88 families with complete food, water and power security. The first step in the process was to prepare a Land Use Map. Defining the zoning of the land based on physical land surveys, topography, geology & hydrology studies and drone imagery. Based on the same, the land is divided into three zones – Wilderness Zone (60 Ac), Economic Zone (12 Ac), and Combined Zone (60 Ac). Housing clusters and cultivation patches are designed in accordance with the economic & combined zones. The wilderness & combined zones account for the watershed, lakes, springs and other ecosystem services that are necessary to build our natural capital pillar.

Fencing was one of the first interventions we made to ensure controlled grazing which has a direct impact on regenerating ground cover and improving soil health. This allowed native grasses and shrubs to regrow from the native seed bank in the soil. In July 2022, riparian and marshy zones were planted with water-loving species to increase biodiversity and strengthen the riparian corridors.

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