Go to content
Ideas and Insights
On India's Republic Day an all new playground opened to residents of Upper Thane, welcoming families to the newly unveiled play structures and to celebrate Lodha and Timberplay’s shared commitment to community, public space and the social value of landscape‑led play design. For families, it offer an inviting place that fosters interaction and becomes part of everyday life.
Upper Thane, Lodha Group’s landmark 200‑acre development on the edge of Mumbai, represents a new benchmark in India’s nature‑led residential living. Conceived as a “walk‑to‑everything” community, with more than 80% of its land dedicated to open space, the masterplan places landscape, wellbeing and outdoor amenity at its core.
For Timberplay, this created the opportunity to work closely with the Lodha on a play environment that not only serves families but becomes part of the site’s ecological design.
Positioned within the development’s shared green space, the playground features a series of treehouse‑inspired structures arranged among the mature trees that define Upper Thane’s character. Rather than clearing ground, the existing canopy shaped the layout, allowing play elements to rise between trunks, follow natural desire lines and retain the wooded micro‑environment residents value.
This approach aligns with Lodha’s wider landscape vision - daily life unfolding in green, breathable open spaces shaped by forested areas, grasslands and curated outdoor experiences. Integrating play strengthens that ethos: children can move, climb and explore in settings that mirror the region’s natural features, encouraging engagement with terrain, texture and topography.
The result is a playspace that functions as a core community amenity, supporting Lodha’s ambition to position Upper Thane not as a conventional housing project but as a holistic, nature‑rich development. Play sits at the heart of the design, contributing to a broader network of gardens, sports grounds and leisure spaces, all designed to encourage outdoor living, wellbeing and family‑centered routines.
By weaving play into the development itself, Timberplay and Lodha have created a space that’s environmentally thoughtful and socially meaningful, enriching everyday life for residents of all ages