The designers planned the Shivpad Engineering Unit, which manufactures a range of water treatment equipment, across a 2-acre site. Demonstrating a functional approach to industrial architecture, the Vallam facility has two access points. These are located at the southeast and southwest corners, both abutting the main SIPCOT road. The metal PEB production facility occupies the central part of the site. The administrative building to the south and the ancillary building to the west flank the production facility.
For the industrial architecture of the Shivpad Engineering Unit, Chennai and its immediate surroundings sit at a latitude of 13 degrees North of the equator. The region experiences a sub-tropical, arid climate. It remains warm and humid for most of the year. The summer months receive very little rainfall. However, the northeast monsoon brings significant rain during November and December. Between June and August, the sun reaches a critical vertical angle of 70 degrees. The designers considered this angle a key factor in the building’s design. It brings excessive heat and glare into the building. The designers also plotted the east and west sun against the building’s working hours. This helped them understand the impact of sunlight throughout the day. The southern sun is in the cooler months of the year and therefore more tolerable to allow into the building.
The wind movement in Chennai is predominantly from the South. The site experiences land and sea breezes from the east only when it is located close to the coast. In warm, humid weather, a gentle breeze of 1.5M/sec allows for evaporative cooling, which helps the building to maintain a low ambient temperature and comfort while exhausting the built-up hot air.
The space allocation for the admin is a footprint of 33m by 18m across 2 floors. The designers scooped out the central space to create an atrium, allowing natural light to illuminate both halves of the office from above. They oriented the atrium along the east-west axis to ensure even daylight throughout the day. They also raised the ground-floor space facing the front garden to form a verandah. This design allows the south breeze to pass over the landscape, cool naturally, and enter the central atrium, thereby ventilating the office interiors. Windows at the roof level create a convective current and allow the south breeze to naturally push the hot air out of the building.
Even though the atrium brings natural light into the space, it needs to be shaded to ensure it doesn’t bring in glare and heat. This is done by introducing a parabolic concrete roof that acts as a heat reflector, allowing glare-free reflected light to enter the space. The southern external face which receives low-angle sun from the east and west, can also be shaded using arced sun shaders so as to reduce heat and glare from these directions.
Now, looking at a sectional view of the admin building, we are able to see the various levels of this building and the quality of light and ventilation these spaces will enjoy. The central atrium space has trees within planter boxes, giving a sense of the outdoor merging with the interior space. Views towards the landscape and the interconnected nature of the two office wings lend a relaxed and congenial work environment. During the months when the weather is good, the entire office can manage using natural ventilation and light with the aid of ceiling fans. During the summer months, the windows can be shut, and the spaces can be air-conditioned.
The overall building symbolizes a sensitivity to climate and its local environment. The use of abundant natural light and cross ventilation ensures the building’s low carbon footprint in terms of energy consumption. The balance of space, daylighting, landscape, and good working conditions is the attempt this design has tried to address for Shivpad Engineering.
Fact File
Designed by: KSM Architecture
Project Type: Industrial Architecture Design
Project Name: JASH Factory
Location: Chennai
Year Built: 2025
Built-up Area: 63722 Sq.ft
Team Design Credits: Siddarth Money, Sriram Ganapathi, G.Deivanayagi, Jayaprakash, Shanmugaraja S.
Photograph Courtesy: Sreenag Pictures
Client : Shiv Pad Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: KSM Architecture
Firm’s Instagram Link: KSM Architecture
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