World One is the first of three signature residential towers that form the core of Mumbai’s Lodha Place, a 17-acre development master planned in 2009. The project brief called for a design that would not only epitomize the highest international standards in luxury living, but symbolize the emergence of Mumbai as a key world city. This meant, among other things, establishing an iconic skyline presence characterized by unprecedented height. Until recently, high-rise residential buildings in the city topped out at around 50 stories. Planning a tower twice that height involved the reinvention of the typical “inside-out” design process and the reconsideration of a wide variety of structural and planning approaches, including safety and sustainability.

The tower’s unique cloverleaf plan and three-tier elevation is a decisive response to the singular challenge of creating a supertall residential tower on a compact site. The building’s special shape affords each residence with a corner living and dining room, featuring a wraparound terrace and unobstructed views of the city. Self-shading, cross ventilation, high-performance insulating glass, and a wide array of efficient mechanical and electrical systems contribute to the building’s anticipated LEED-Gold certification.

The building’s rigorously gridded façade is detailed in such a way that achieves a visual unity befitting its size and iconic stature from afar, while respecting the scale and clues of inhabitation up close. Fully embracing the idea that a tall building should contribute as much to the life of the city at ground level as it does on the skyline, World One’s base gives way to a generously proportioned circular entry court along a gently arced boulevard that links the tower to the city, bringing urban energy into the experience of the building.