The Punjab Kesari Headquarters is currently under construction, however, the International Property Awards has already designated the design as Winner Best Office Architecture India 2016-7. Set on the corner of an intersection, the 18,000-square-meter office space was created with the objective of reducing heat gain and maximizing natural light to the point that no artificial lighting would be needed on the typical day. Its white, glass-reinforced concrete facade, which looks like a veil inspired by traditional Indian decorations, is punctuated by different sized openings informed by solar orientation and digital simulations. The north facade, for instance, has a 81% opacity as compared to the 27% opacity on the south side.
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“Sustainability is at the epicentre of the project embedded in form of, optimized natural lighting, cross ventilation and reduction of heat gain,” write the architects. “The double jali screen reduces the outside air temperature in front of the glass. The colder air is going in and pulled into the atrium through the chimney effect of the atrium space and resulting in natural ventilation and reducing the indoor air temperature naturally so the cooling load for the air conditioning is reduced.” The project is slated for completion by January 2017.
+ Studio Symbiosis
Images via Studio Symbiosis
