Office & Campus for Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA)

DESIGN CONCEPT: Every project is unique because every client is different. The architectural firm believes it is paramount that the client receives a building that not only meets their requirements in an efficient and cost effective design but also emulates the values of the company. In this case, the practice that embeds Sustainability as an intrinsic part of its design philosophy; was more than enthusiastic since MEDA, having the objective to undertake development of renewable energy and facilitate energy conservation in the State of Maharashtra; made its intentions very clear by floating the competition for design of State-of-Art MEDA Office Building & Campus at Pune, based on green building principals. Therefore this building has been designed with a strong environmental agenda so that MEDA have an exemplar building of sustainable design which will give them a stronger identity and advertise their commitment to environmental design. The building program required the design to provide for the Office, Auditorium, Exhibition Pavilion and Guest House. OBJECTIVES - Provide MEDA with a superlative building of sustainability developed from initial design to operation that will promote and advertise the values of the agency•Increase worker productivity and morale•Holistic and efficient environmental design to reduce impact on environment and overhead costs•High GRIHA rating and ECBE Compliance. Massing: VOLUME - Building mass orientated on North-South axis as a response to the site dimensions. PROGRAMME ELEMENTS - Form is split to provide necessary distinction between the office and the residential aspects of the programme. PARKING - Car-park is placed under the whole building mass to provide unobstructed views. It is covered with landscape and green planters. CORE - The core is placed on the West side to minimize the Western solar gain and glare in the office space. SUN EXPOSURE - The building has been designed to respond to the sun path. An atrium void was created to increase the area of office window that faces North and South to avoid summer heat gain and to allow maximum winter radiation. The atrium light increases the visual comfort for employees. Office: Efficient utilization of daylight provides natural lighting to all work spaces• Open office arrangement does not obstruct natural light. It also stimulates employee interaction• High proportion of workstations have direct views to exterior or interior landscaping PLAN - The plan is very efficiently designed space. The programming of the space has been considerate to the different user groups and levels of privacy. The rooms which receive guests are situated near the lift lobby whereas the senior members of staff are located towards the private end of the office. The departments are necessarily bifurcated to distinguished them but share a linear core and circulation route so as to maintain inter-departmental connections. Atrium: Affords quality natural light into interior office spaces •Shared space visually unifies all departments in the building•Functions to provide passive cooling and ventilation for all office spaces•Serves as a ambient circulatory space for all building users. Exhibition: The atrium doubles up as a dramatic space to hold an environmental exhibition. •It serves as an exemplar space because the building advertises solar cells in the roof, natural daylight and passive ventilation.•Combining exhibition and circulation is an efficient utilization of space that also allows the employees to be engaged with the exhibition. Living Wall: The atrium space is accentuated by four large living walls that span all floors of the building. These walls offer the interior space views of nature and increase the air quality of the atrium. Ecological Landscaping: Abundance of green landscaping provides attractive and inviting spaces for employees and guests to relax and socialize•Podium landscape orientated to receive the cooling Westerly winds•Seating design to be sociopetal so that employees interact and socialize, increasing worker morale•Access to podium landscape for guests and office workers allows both to benefit from a large outdoor green space•A central water feature provides an aesthetic focal point whilst also creating a cooled micro-climate in the shade of the solar tree•The landscape is designed with only native species of plants and trees to be considerate to the environment•A central solar trees provide renewable energy whilst also affording shade to the landscape seats•Green link unifies the atrium living wall with the exterior landscape inviting employees and guests to the podium landscape. The designers have focused on creating visuals to green space from all areas of the building. Building Users: The building encourages MEDA to function as a unified family of employees with high worker morale•Circulation routes are efficient and positive spaces which have been given the same amount of design consideration as the rooms•Separation of social zones and work zones allow work to be focused while also providing the facility for employee to socialize INTER-DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION - The office has been designed with a central atrium to visually affiliate the departments. The effect promotes inter-departmental interaction that prevents departments from becoming insular. This will promote unity of the company as a whole and will contribute to the individual employees’ sense of belonging. Guest House and D.G Residence: North orientation gives desirable natural light into every room.•Director General has penthouse bungalow• Every ground floor guest room has personal access to the landscape•All rooms have views to the landscape Facade Treatment: SOLAR DESIGN- The facades have been treated accordingly to their orientation to the sun. The analysis shows that in the summer months the roof, East and West facades receive the most solar gain and thus have been designed accordingly.The analysis shows that in the winter the South receives large amounts of radiation due to the low sun. The design will utilize this to increase the thermal comfort in the winter. LIGHT SHELVES (SOUTH FACADE) The South and North facades have been designed to allow maximum light penetration because the solar gains are low. A multifunctional light shelf has been designed to shade the window from the high sun in the summer and also to reflect this light and illuminate the interior. SLIT WINDOWS AND DOUBLE WALL (EAST/WEST) - The East and West facades are dominated by shading walls to prevent solar gains heating the interior, only a few slit windows allow North light to penetrate to the interior. SUSTAINABLE FEATURES: • Innovative Air-Conditioning (Direct Indirect Evaporative Cooling + Radiant with Pre-cool for Natural Cooling) with energy savings of 75% in comparison with conventional HVAC • Steady 26 Degrees Celsius temperature throughout year
•90% of the office plates are naturally lit • 100% of internal electrical lighting load met via solar power•25 solar heaters provide 100% of hot water•100% rainwater harvested and re-used•100% of all non-potable water demand is met from recycled sources•66% water savings from low-low fixtures• Native tree and plant species encourages a vibrant and lively ecosystem• All proposed plants and trees Native to Pune and as a result will use 66% less water than exotic species• Design decisions informed by highest ratings for GRIHA & ECBC Compliance• The grand Atrium used for circulation; doubles up as a dramatic space to hold an environmental exhibition. CONCLUSION: Design provides MEDA with a strong identity exemplifying its values of sustainability and allows the company to operate in a comfortable environment that promotes the idea of a unified family of employees.