Baddi area in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh is characterised with undulating topography, bounded by Himalyas in the north and the flood plains to the south.  The scenic setting is akin to a 'gateway' to the mountains and as such the foothill location offers a unique geographical edge that has its own environmental peculiarities. It is crucial to comprehend the visual environmental uniqueness of the resource in order to ensure its perpetuation in thr face of urbanisation and infrastructure growth. 

The area is being developed as an industrial hub and would attract significant urban growth. The steep slopes, fragile landform, reserved forest patches, valleys, rivulets and other water feature need to be included at the onset, in developing a planning framework for the proposed development. This would be crucial to ensuring ecological sustainability for the proposed urban precinct. 

The studio esercise aimed to explore the myriad factors and landscape issues that come into play in the developmet of such urban expansions over ecologically sugnificant settings with a special thrust on looking at drainage corridors and potentials for development of waterfronts as an intericsic value of the proposed urban development, while protecting their environmental characteristics. 

-Brief