Designing the masterplan of this modern city was perhaps the single most significant milestone responsible for accelerating the upward trajectory of the then fledgeling Bobby Mukherrji Architects. Mukherrji won this project through a competition floated by Sahara India Parivar, a conglomerate interested in developing a township near Pune city, through superiority in design thinking and problem-solving over other international competitors.

The design he presented to the company was a culmination of a year of hard work and a collaboration with Gruen Associates, a legacy Los Angeles-based firm entrenched in quality architecture and masterplanning. Though backed by such powerful expertise, Mukherrji single-handedly worked on the prestigious project in India, the first of its kind after the planned city of Chandigarh and the largest undertaken by a private enterprise in the country.

The 10,000-acre sprawl was envisioned as a resort city, home exclusively to villas and private residences. The once arid landscape was transformed into a lush landscape populated by dense vegetation and home to three manmade lakes, the largest of which — about 1.5 km long —  was created by putting dam across the valley in the centre of the city. Seven town-centres or villages were defined within the overall masterplan. Each precinct was marked by neat sidewalks, wide roads and landscaped areas. A PGA golf course, a small airport, an airstrip, a heliport, a small terminal lounge, a slew of restaurants, and a nightclub on the island in the centre of the lake. Aamby Valley City set a powerful precedent and set a benchmark for the high quality of living that could be created for people.