Sanjay Puri’s ‘Studios 90’ creates a sculptural transformation to the residences in Kodla

The latest sustainable residences project by Sanjay Puri Architects, named ‘Studios 90’ located in the Kodla village of Karnataka is a residential project, involving a series of built compositions and bright colours. The angularly stepped buildings together form a sculpture of mid-rise buildings, wherein each of the rooms are oriented towards the north.

The sustainable residences were planned for the employees of a new cement plant coming up in Kodla. And the brief provided by the client consisted of building studio apartments, a hostel and a guest house on the perimeter of a housing project for a residential building. The design contained 18 studio apartments, 54 hostel rooms and 18 guest rooms respectively on the 4th and 5th levels of the building. The guest rooms were also placed in a way that they get large views of the landscaped areas and playground on the northeast.

Common facilities within the building also included a cafeteria, games room, lounge and gym located at the ground level. Since the majority of months tend to be hot in the region, exceeding 35 degrees celsius for approximately 8 months, the rooms on the upper floors have an opening towards the sheltered balconies in the north direction. The buildings are also highly energy-efficient because natural ventilation and sunlight have been given a crucial emphasis.

The pop colours used in the inner elevation of the residences signify the vast use of colours in the Indian culture portrayed through its indigenous festivals, crafts and clothing. The primary colours – red, blue and yellow highlight the cantilevered balconies to each room creating an identity & simultaneously enhancing the sculptural look of the buildings.

Consciously sourced materials and building features including fly ash brick walls, water recycling, rainwater harvesting and sheltered outdoor space have aided in reducing the overall heat gain. Further, the sustainable factor of the residences increases as the required electrical energy is harnessed from the residual energy generated in the cement plant nearby. Studios 90 is therefore a simple, energy-efficient residential building that responds to its site, the climate of the location & alludes to the culture & social aspects of the users.

FACTFILE:

• PROJECT: Studios 90
• CLIENT: Shree Cement Ltd
• ARCHITECTS: Sanjay Puri Architects
• PLOT AREA: 53200 SQM
• TOTAL BUILT-UP: 10400 SQM
• PHOTOGRAPHER: Ricken Desai

• Text: Nikitha Sunil | Contributor at A+D