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Architects: Studio Lotus
- Area: 1200000 ft²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Andre J. Fanthome
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Manufacturers: Asian Paints, Bezel Designs, Bharat Flooring Tiles, Blue Star, Fabindia, Jacquar, Kajaria, Pallavi Aggarwal, Philips, SKK, Spectrum, St. Gobain, Ultratech and ACC, Wipro
Text description provided by the architects. The Integrated Production Facility for Organic India in Lucknow is a campus designed to support the production, processing, and administrative functions for the holistic wellness brand. Two sets of intersecting axes characterize the building footprint of the facility; the resulting interstitial spaces emerge as courtyards, lightwells, and lawns that provide space for interaction as well as relaxation to the facility staff. The built vocabulary of the facility is articulated in brick and concrete, with sleek lines and planar symmetry characterizing the facade design.
Programmatically, the building comprises of the Production Wing, the Finished Goods Block, the Quality Control Department, an experience centre wrapped in a tessellated brick screen, administrative facilities, and ancillary functions for the staff, which include a meeting room, a cafeteria and a gym. In contrast to the monolithic appearance of the processing wings, the built vocabulary of the offices is porous and composite.
The design scheme imbibes local influences to create a sustainable built environment, the primary among these being the use of bricks as an infill material. Left exposed, the facility’s brick shell harkens to the regency structures of colonial Lucknow; bricks are also locally available due to abundance of labour-intensive kilns and availability of pliable clay, lowering the carbon footprint of the campus. The fenestration strategy, in tune, has been devised to provide the optimal wall-window ratio to each zone: the processing blocks have limited ingress of light, facilitated through skylights and north lights, to prevent spoilage of goods.
On the other hand, high ingress of light is enabled in the administrative blocks, to help lower dependence on artificial lighting. The interstitial open spaces on campus further aid climate control, primarily by enabling passive cooling of the blocks through stack effect. The abundance of open spaces and limited hardscaping also increases potential for recharging the ground water table. The design scheme utilizes, in addition, a gamut of passive cooling techniques—such as terracotta filler slabs in the large-span spaces, and recessed openings to cut out solar glare. Over one-tenth of the material used in the construction of the facility is recycled; these interventions, among others have accorded the project a LEED Platinum rating.
The project also has a paramount focus on creating a hospitable user experience; careful details have been put in place to meet international standards for hygiene. All the internal services are designed to ensure clean, dust-free corners. The project’s hierarchy-free planning brings the management and the factory workers together by creating the central building as a congregational space. Furthermore, the programme encompasses ancillary provisions for truck drivers to include areas for rest, relaxation, dining, and washing. These interventions allow for the campus to engender social inclusivity uncharacteristic in such building types. The expansive open spaces, permeable built fabric, focus on community and introspection, and prioritization of the workers’ safety and comfort over all else has created an architectural template for all future properties for the company.
