Beachfront Museums and War Memorial Precinct

Beach Road in Visakhapatnam already holds some of the city’s best-loved landmarks: the INS Kursura submarine museum, the war memorial and the TU-142 aircraft museum. For the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA), ARCH-EN DESIGN planned the stretch between them as one continuous precinct, so that visitors can park once and walk from one to the next along the sea.

Eleven zones along the sea

The precinct is laid out as a sequence of zones on both sides of the road, linked by pedestrian bridges:

• Two multi-level car parks at the ends of the stretch, carried over the road on piers with spiral ramps, with green roofs and canopies on top
• The existing Rajiv Smruti Bhavan, set in lawns and an elevated garden
• A nature trail, a music garden and a temple complex
• The TU-142 aircraft zone, with a runway and a display of sculptures
• The existing war memorial, approached along a path between stone walls and dense planting
• The INS Kursura museum, with a timber deck over the beach and a ticket kiosk
• A hawkers’ zone and a food court under tensile canopies, with step seating down to a sea-facing deck

Room for the crowds

Parking is lifted over the road so that the beach side stays free for people. On the sea side, broad steps, decks and palm-lined walks give room for the evening crowds that come to the beach, with shade under coloured fabric canopies.