Climate Responsive

Overcoming multiple site restrictions Sanjay Puri Architects create energy-efficient offices that open into outdoor spaces


Fact File
Client: Akshaya Group
Built area: 8,000 sqm
Location: Chennai, India
Principal Architect: Sanjay Puri
Project Architects: Kapil Merchant, Pooja Sampat
Completion Year: June 2020
Photo Credit: BRS Sreenag, Sreenag Pictures

Akshaya 27 is designed in response to the climate and the client’s brief. Located in the old business district of Chennai in South India, the plot had multiple challenges. With very narrow access from an arterial city road and no road frontage, the 4,098 sqm plot is sandwiched between existing buildings on all sides. A total area of 8,000 sqm was to be built based upon the client’s requirements and the permissible construction area, along with a height restriction of 27m.


Cantilevered cuboid volumes create a sculptural office building. The ground floor is deliberately kept small to allow easy vehicular circulation within the site and houses community spaces including a cafeteria, gymnasium, and an entrance lobby. The offices divisible into 4 at a level with varying sizes from 165 to 270 sqm, cantilever out at the first floor and step back and forth creating linear north-facing terraces on every floor.

The service core forms the southern side of the building, becoming a buffer to reduce heat gain in response to the hot climate of Chennai. Temperatures are in excess of 35°C for most of the year with the sun always in the southern hemisphere. Orienting all the office spaces towards the north with the service core on the south mitigates heat gain completely, rendering the building very energy-efficient.

The open terraces on every floor along with a rooftop landscaped garden provide outdoor spaces for the office occupants. Solar panels at the rooftop harness the ample solar energy available in this location, providing energy for the lighting of all the public areas.