A viral video on Instagram raised eyebrows among homebuyers. It talks about facilities offered by residential projects, which turn out to be of no use in everyday life. From amphitheaters and jacuzzis to reflexology walks and life-sized chess boards, the video argues that are many facilities which end up being underutilized. There has been a discussion online about whether the facilities mentioned in the video serve more as a marketing tool rather than having some practical utility. Let us take a closer look at the eight amenities talked about in the viral video.
Amphitheatre – The ‘King of fake amenities’?
This video puts the amphitheatre as the ‘king of fake amenities.’ An amphitheatre is almost always a part of any residential project, which serves as a community facility for cultural events, movie screenings, festival celebrations or society meetings. Yet in most residential societies, this facility remains underutilised for most parts of the year with activity happening only during special events. The video makes it clear that while the facility looks good during the project launch, it hardly adds to residents’ daily life.
Reflexology walkway
Reflexology walkways are equipped with stones that encourage walking barefoot in order to trigger pressure points in the feet. These are common features of landscaped gardens of residential projects. But the viral video questions how frequently these facilities are used by the residents once the project is completed. These facilities complement the landscaping but most of the people just walk through them as part of daily routine activities and never use them in real sense.
Jacuzzi
It becomes common to find shared jacuzzis in the housing projects nowadays as these have the potential to elevate the living standards of premium housing projects. But there is hardly any activity taking place in these facilities. This is due to various reasons like maintenance issues, concerns about hygiene, privacy or operational cost. It becomes another facility which loses its premium appeal due to a lack of proper utilisation.
A netizen commented:
“Meditation in the garden area is good. Clean fresh air, grass touch, and adding a water sprinkler is a use.”“Chairs, swing chairs, trees, kids’ play, and a swimming pool. That’s all.”“I disagree with 7. They often do need to be isolated for the betterment of the future.”
Here’s the video:
Meditation Zone
It is becoming increasingly common to find quiet meditation zones in modern residential projects where the residents can come to meditate or just relax. The concept seems very appealing, yet most of the people do not use this facility in their routine life. Most people find it more convenient to meditate at home or at multipurpose park rather than using such facilities on a regular basis.
Open-air gym
Open-air gyms refer to the facilities where people can do exercise in the open. These are common in landscaped gardens or walking track areas. These facilities are helpful for doing light exercise, stretches or senior citizens’ friendly exercises. Most people prefer to use indoor gyms, which have more facilities and better climate control, depending on the community.
Outdoor Chess
Life-sized outdoor chess is done to provide recreational facilities where families and neighbours can interact with each other. These facilities do add to the charm of the landscaped garden area, yet these are utilised by a few residents who know how to play chess. For most communities, it remains a decorative facility rather than a recreational facility.
Senior citizen area
The dedicated senior citizen seating area is provided so that the residents can use it to sit and enjoy fresh air and company. Its usage will depend upon proper planning and interaction in society. In some communities, it becomes a hub of activity, but in some others, these facilities remain deserted since the residents prefer other facilities like shaded parks or clubhouses.
Rock Climbing Wall
Most premium housing projects, especially family-oriented projects, have a rock-climbing wall as a part of it. It does add to the thrill, but the utilization of these facilities is quite low due to various reasons like supervision requirements and maintenance costs. Due to limited usability, it invites debate if these facilities could have been used in some other facilities with more daily use.
