Building & Investment (Jul - Aug 2016) (Jul - Aug 2016) | Page 56

Design Feature

Colourful Studios 18 apartment dazzles
in the middle of the desert
Sanjay Puri Architects incorporates traditional bright colours favoured by the
local communities in his residential apartment design.

LOCATED ON an undulating site in Ras,
Rajasthan, India, Studios 18 apartment
spreads across 36 acres of desert land. With
no buildings or development in the vicinity,
this development was created for the workers
from a new cement manufacturing plant
nearby. Within a one kilometre radius of the
project are four villages. Taking cue from
the layouts of the villages, the architect built
organic streets that weave across the site. In
fact, Studios 18 follows the style of ancient
Indian cities with houses built in volumes that
interlock across three or more levels.

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The apartment units are all oriented
towards the north, north-east and north-west
to prevent minimal exposure to the direct
path of the sun. In this hot arid climate,
temperatures can soar to 35°C and summers
can last up to eight months. The apartments
are lowrise so that all units are close to the
ground, similar to living in landed houses.
At the sides of the housing blocks are
partitions and corridors with square “holes”
that allow natural ventilation at the same
time cutting off the harsh glare of sunlight.
The holes also allow natural light into the
linear corridors creating different patterns
at different times of the day. Each apartment
is also cross-ventilated with deep recessed
windows.

In Rajasthan, colours play an important
role in the daily lives of the people as can
be seen in their colourful attire. Most cities
in the state are identified by a colour, for
instance Jodhpur is known as the blue city,
Jaisalmer as the yellow city and so on. The
architect borrows some of these colours to
create a visual impact for the apartment
blocks. Lighter hues on external walls are
used to deflect heat while darker tones are
used indoors to create a cooler ambience.
Studios 18 is a housing project with a
sustainable design that follows the existing
contours of the land, an orientation which
reduces heat and features that facilitate
natural lighting and air ventilation. n
More information at www.sanjaypuria