Pond & Reed Garden

Location: D'Silva Road, Chennai

Conceived as a living landscape infrastructure, the pond and reed garden integrate ecological restoration with resilient stormwater management. Surface runoff is filtered through a series of reed beds before entering the ferrocement pond, which has a storage capacity of 87 KL and expands to 100 KL during the monsoon through adjoining grassed retention areas. A cascading water feature and a network of underground sumps maintain water movement. One wet well provides continuous recirculation between the pond, reed garden and cascade, while a second wet well operates only during peak rainfall, diverting excess water to a dedicated stormwater holding tank.

Responding to the site's high groundwater table and expansive clay soils, two underground drain wells relieve hydrostatic pressure beneath the pond by allowing groundwater to dissipate during soil swelling, safeguarding the pond's structural stability. Together, these systems create a landscape that is both ecologically productive and technically resilient.