45 Udyog Vihar

Conceived as a sustainable project, this 4-story speculative office building in Udyog Vihar, Gurugram, is an exercise in combining multiple passive bioclimatic design strategies. The clients were keen on the use of brick, as a nod to the previous structure on site, which was torn down to give way for this one.

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The planning was kept simple, to ensure flexibility while leasing, yet informed by the movement of the sun.  In-depth solar exposure studies indicated a need for vertical shading devices along the east face to cut the low-angle sun. As a result, the façade makes use of exposed bricks, as a construction element (to form the walls and the arches), as an embellishment (to form the jaalis), and as a passive environmental element (offering thermal mass and solar shading).

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Arches were integrated into the façade, as a design request by the client. This opportunity was maximized by using these arches to flood the double-height atrium with natural light, while offering views of the greenery outside. All existing trees on the site were retained, and various elements designed around them to accommodate them seamlessly. Multiple measures were introduced to reduce the carbon footprint of the building, for example the use of vermiculite insulation of the roof to reduce thermal gain, maximizing daylight penetration, rainwater harvesting and the installation of solar panels.