This is what you will see soon on an island off Marine Drive

The blueprint was picked by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan a few days ago and Chief Secretary Johny Joseph said that the selected design had been submitted by Mumbai-based Team One architects. The firm had drafted the concept design along with Bensley Design Studio,a Bangkok-based resort and landscape architecture company.

“We will now finetune the design and make plans and estimates. The project will be put to tender for civil works once all clearances from the Government of India come through,” said Thanksy Thekkekara,Principal Secretary in the General Administration Department.

The design envisages a 150-ft high Shivling-shaped pedestal spread over an area of eight acres and the island will be created a kilometre off Marine Drive. It is expected to accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 visitors.

“The sea bed here is 40 feet deep. We will be using mild steel tubular piles for the foundation below the pedestal. This is the latest technology for offshore constructions and has been used in the yacht-shaped Burj Al hotel in Dubai,” said Parish Kapse from Team One Architects. “The statue itself will be 159 feet high and made of reinforced steel and clad with glass reinforced concrete. It will have intricate detailing and a sandstone look.”

The pedestal will be further divided into three levels which can be reached by a capsule lift. The top level will house a historical museum showcasing murals,paintings and other artifacts,both original and recreated,from the era of the Maratha warrior.

The level below will be a palatial high-ceiling area with a fort-like ambience hosting mostly live sound and light shows. The base level will have a state-of-the art 300-seat auditorium. It will also have a seminar and concert hall which the state government plans to rent out for corporate meetings and cultural shows to recover the cost of the monument’s construction and maintenance.

Visitors arriving at the monument in a hovercraft will enter an atrium flanked by two art galleries. The main deck will also house internet kiosks,souvenir stalls,food courts,toilets,a babycare centre,green areas,open air theatre and a 10,000 sq ft revolving restaurant.

On the rear side of the deck,will be a viewing gallery which can carry up to 80 people and scale the height of the equestrian statue with the help of a hydraulic jack. “It will go as high as the statue itself and offer a panoramic view of Marine Drive. The monument will make the best use of non-conventional energy and highest automated equipment for security,” said Kapse.