The image of the city is one of the most important aspects that determines the vision, development and experience of spaces, especially in an urban environment. To balance this image becomes crucial in time honoured cities that are home to historic structures and are renowned for their traditional experiences in the built environment. However, with time and developing technology, the infrastructural need of the city and its people transforms and so does the image of the city; from an ancient historic realm to that of a city that celebrates its past and embraces the present and the future.

The historical city of Udaipur in Rajasthan is endowed with heritage structures that are celebrated to date. Its popularity as a tourist destination and growth as a developing city witnesses a flux of tourists, bureaucrats and business travellers. Catering to this and the requirements of the local residents, the Urban Square, in the northern part of the city, is a landmark mixed-use development that encompasses a selection of commercial, retail, hospitality and entertainment sectors.

Conceived as an iconic development, Urban Square is a statement project designed to change the built and socio-economic landscape with a sensitised pedestrian orientation and a balance of the live-work-play environment. The site has a 230m frontage along the national highway, to one of the most popular pilgrim designation, which gathers maximum visibility and grants the rectangular plot roads along the perimeter. Reclaiming the land for the pedestrian, the sizable plot of land between the main road and the building is developed as an urban plaza that functions as a transition space. It is detailed with outdoor retails, food kiosks, cafes, landscaped open areas, spruced with comfortable street furniture to create an ambience of leisure. The food joints on the ground floor become a focal point, buzzing with activities throughout the day. The planning fosters encounters and interactions, engaging people with the spaces.

The open plaza is partially covered, manifesting a dynamic space that keeps changing with the sun’s movement. The structure behind displays an aesthetic volumetric exploration with the connecting bridges on the upper floors. This plaza leads the visitors inside the mall that is designed to accommodate a daily footfall of 30,000 to 35,000, with 3500 to 4000 people at any given time, catering to a wide diversity of people, varying in age, social and economic groups. The built environment thereby becomes a common denominator and cultivates a multicultural setting that acts as a catalyst in enhancing commerce.

On the inside, the retail zone is spread across four levels with a balanced mix of Anchors, mini-anchors, vanilla shops and a Haat -bazaar, giving flexibility of required ticket sizes for respective buyers and rental and also a variety to shop from, to the flock of visitors. The mall has well - connected circulation cores employing corridors, escalators, elevators and travelators. The atrium in the centre is a strategic highlight of the internal volume, granting maximised visibility of shop fronts across the malls as well as adding drama to the overall ambience with the skylight.

The entertainment zone has a diverse range of activities, including multiplex, family entertainment zones, outdoor gaming and a clubhouse. The cinema has a deck area that offers outdoor space for recreation and communal pursuits. After a long day of shopping and play, the mall has multi - cuisine restaurants, cafes at prime locations, and a food court on the to p floor, which caters to 1000 patrons at once. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, the food court garners a lot of visitors, rejoicing in the beautiful weather of Udaipur while indulging in some delicious food.

Flanging on two sides of the retail podium are the towers accommodating the hotel and service apartments. Planned as one of the tallest structures in the city, they add a distinct architectural expression to the massing, giving it a unique visibility and a peculiar identity at the city -level scale. The front facade is a play of masses and colours that ensures that the linear length of the structure is not overwhelming and rather, makes for an eye - catching and inviting entry.

Each typology in this iconic mixed - use development maximises space usage. The natural contour and surrounding infrastructure offer multiple entry - exit points, efficiently segregating the traffic circulation and activating footfall at multiple grade levels, ensuring a conflict- free manoeuvre.

The Urban Square in Udaipur is a harmonious structure that offers the city, its visitors, and the inhabitants a place to indulge in, while consciously elevating their living standards. The structure transforms the skyline and the architectural aesthetics of the urban realm, and simultaneously adds a modern mark to the image of the heritage city of Udaipur.