Building Detail Study

Technical Design

The building would not be a mere extension/extrusion of the lower floors, but rather could be a structure that floated above the old building barely touching the ground. This would be a structure that had to respond to three separate micro-contexts - the road fronting the site, the colonial-era campus within, and the adjacent campus sports field. The structure was restricted to a height of 15 m because of fire regulations, and its footprint was restricted by road setbacks as well as the buildings and the ground in its proximity. At its simplest, the design is a space between two full-floor height edge trusses. These trusses would be supported on just 8 cylindrical RCC columns, carefully positioned to avoid creating obstacles to the existing conditions at the ground level. These eight columns at the periphery of the truss allowed a seamless uninterrupted interior space of around 1200 sq.m The width of the office on top was restricted by the existing context on site as well as the considerations of daylight penetrating throughout the whole interior. The length of this space was similarly restricted by the ground on one side, and an existing garden with a historically significant memorial on the other. In elevation, it comes across as an inverted L form with a vertical arm containing the circulation and lobby and a horizontal arm that floats over the old building and cantilevers onto the sports field. The vertical circulation that forms the L form also helps visually anchor the building to the ground on one side, while allowing it to float in the background of the sports field on the other side. The L form of the building creates an entry portal from the road to the campus which aligns with the central tree-lined avenue along which there are several heritage structures. These heritage buildings are framed through this triple-height entry portal as one views the campus from the road.

Interior Design

The views of the exterior from the interior spaces are layered and framed, by the form of the trusses as well as the simple aluminum glazed windows, the plants in the verandah, and the light aluminum mesh screen. Thus, the office spaces provide a sanctuary from the bustle of the city outside yet filter in the city and the campus through layers of transparency. The interior spaces of the offices benefit from the abundant natural light and ventilation and a simple palette of whites and accent colors with foliage of plants and trees enliven the space. The interior is programmatically divided into three main spacesthe entrance lobby with the Chairman’s chambers, a middle section with private offices and meeting rooms, and a rear section with open office cubicles with a view of the city and the sports field. The roof trusses are left exposed in many areas, and a clerestory skylight along the center of the roof defines a spine that also emphasizes the main circulation corridor.

Facade Design

The simple box of column-free office space is wrapped around with a continuous verandah. This verandah is an interpretation of one of the ubiquitous features of the colonial architecture of the subcontinent. A verandah is simultaneously a social space, which is undefined in a singular function but allows for a multiplicity of uses, as well as a passive climatic device that protects the interiors from the harsh rain and sun of the subtropics. This continuous verandah, here, is a breakout space for the offices as well as a climatic buffer between the interior and exterior. The floor-height trusses, painted in a deep red, become a sculptural element that defines the edge between the core office space and the verandah outside. Simple aluminum sliding doors act as an interior envelope allowing for easy access to the verandahs. An expanded mesh aluminum skin of operable vertical fins further enhances the climatic and transparency control offered by the verandahs that front the longer eastern and western facades thus filtering harsh direct sunlight on these facades.

Product Design

The new addition was required to function in cohesion with the offices in the existing building. Visually and conceptually, they needed to be distanced. The two structures are connected by a glass elevator facing the sports field, which provides dynamic vistas of the campus and its sports ground as one travels vertically through the office complex. The glass elevator is also an element that not only connects the two buildings physically but also allows a user to temporarily exit the buildings albeit in a glass box and reconnect back to the offices. This ritual of being transported while being in the building yet being apart from it, further emphasizes the distinction between the old and new.

Landscape Design

The new addition, though appearing to be a simple metal box, has several layers of complexity woven into its very fabric. It responds to the road by appearing as a linear screened box that is set parallel to the road and is experienced through the foliage. It forms a portal entranceway to the campus beyond. It also is experienced as a backdrop to the sports ground and track acting as a visual anchor for the campus.