Indira Sharma presenting the two projects	Invitees who were present during the evening

Brigade Gateway and Brigade Metropolis were presented to the trade on 2 September at the Taj West End, Bangalore. Well attended by international property consultants, realtors and associates, the evening began with a welcome address by M.R. Jaishankar and an audio-visual presentation of the projects by Indira Sharma (Vice president —Marketing). A question-and-answer session with M.R. Jaishankar was followed by informal discussions over cocktails and dinner. We have received an overwhelming response from the industry.

The meaning of a Lifestyle Enclave

Urban development within rapidly growing cities like Bangalore is often haphazard, inconsistent and unpredictable. Civic authorities, urban planners and concerned citizens alike wonder what we can do to make our city more liveable—taking into consideration not just the problems and issues that we face today, but those that are likely to manifest in the future.

One possible solution may be the development of Lifestyle Enclaves.

What is a Lifestyle Enclave?
A Lifestyle Enclave is the perfect, mixed use, integrated and self-contained urban neighbourhood, servicing residential, commercial, business and entertainment needs. Forming a pocket of orderly development, a Lifestyle Enclave offers an escape from a world of chaos into an organised and well-managed world that has been created based on the best practices of modern town planning. Brigade Gateway, covering 40 acres that stretch from Malleswaram to Rajajinagar, is the first such enclave in Bangalore, or perhaps in the entire country.

A world in itself
Typically, a Lifestyle Enclave contains all the infrastructure and facilities that are required to make it truly self-contained, with everything set in a well-planned environment. Users of the enclave are insulated from the inconvenience, confusion, aggravation and messiness of normal public life. So they can enjoy the luxury of exceedingly comfortable everyday living.

Brigade Gateway will form a refreshingly self-contained world, complete with well designed apartments, a mall (with stores, food court, multiplex), a 30-storey office building crowned by an observation deck and helipad, a star hotel, a full-fledged hospital, a central lake surrounded by gardens, promenades and restaurants, and a school. Everyone who lives or works within the enclave will be able to enjoy the facilities it offers with effortless ease. Residents who have offices within the enclave can walk to work.

An aesthetically uplifting environment
From the big to the small, every aspect of a Lifestyle Enclave is designed to be aesthetically appealing—which in turn leads to a sense of upliftment in just being a part of the surroundings. At Brigade Gateway, you will feel the sense of a better life wherever you are, wherever you look: within the residential gardens and courtyards, at the mall or office building, walking along the lakeside esplanade…

The sense of being in a better world will be palpable: elegant signage, carefully nurtured gardens, tree-lined avenues, swathes of parkland, the welcome sprinkling of outdoor seating areas and much more.

Further, the design, ambience and infrastructure of a Lifestyle Enclave create a sense of being in a rarefied, exclusive atmosphere. Common social and recreational areas facilitate a lifestyle few citizens of a busy city are privileged to enjoy. Imagine, for instance, the life of someone working at an office in North Star, Brigade Gateway. Lunch break could mean walking across to the lake and enjoying a peaceful meal on a bench under the trees or crossing the sky bridge to entertain a client at the star hotel on the other end. Life after office could include a coffee at a lakeside café, some leisurely shopping, a movie at the mall, and dinner after. Certainly not the lifestyle most office-goers are privileged to enjoy! Actually living at Brigade Gateway would multiply these pleasures many fold.

High standards of maintenance and security
Aesthetics is just one aspect of the enhanced environment experience in a Lifestyle Enclave. Equally important is other tangible evidence of better living: excellent security and high quality civic maintenance. Brigade Gateway will set the benchmark in these areas—a refreshing change from the conditions usually encountered in the city.

Smooth roads, well-regulated traffic
Those who live or work within Lifestyle Enclaves are sheltered from the chaos of city traffic. Roads within the enclave are wide, clearly illuminated and well-maintained. Medians facilitate the smooth flow of two-way traffic. Parking is available in abundance. All this will be the reality at Brigade Gateway. Additionally, sky bridges will facilitate easy access between the hotel and office building, as well as the hotel and mall.

A Lifestyle Enclave could be summed up as being a place that offers a life of security, peace and privileged ease. As for Brigade Gateway, the enclave has evolved in keeping with Brigade Group's vision of providing a better quality of life and the philosophy of H.O.K., New York. A philosophy that aims at "creating places that enrich how people work, play, heal, discover, learn, and travel—places that improve how people live".