Indore, India
City population: 1994000
Duration: unknown – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Building
Last updated: April 2023

A low-rise building located within Prestige University's existing 32-acre campus in Indore will feature an entirely walkable, stepped green roof. The green roof is planned to be punctuated with courtyards for temperature regulation and accessible to its users (university staff, students and other visitors etc.) from the ground level (1,2). It is designed and implemented by 'Sanjay Puri Architects', Architecture Consultancy based in Mumbai (1,2,6). This building is planned to be used for administration offices, an auditorium, lecture halls, and a library and cafeteria (1,2,3). The green roof mainly serves as a space for recreational activities for the users. The terraces will also include different-sized open-air sections, providing the building's interior with natural ventilation (2,4,5). This project truly blends with the traditional Indian Architecture approach in an innovative and modern way (4,5) and targets problems related to central India's oppressive heat (1,2,4). Despite the initial target completion date of June 2022 (9), the construction phase of the project has not yet been finalized. The responsible architecture firm anticipates the completion date within the forthcoming months. This information was disclosed in January 2023 (10).

Indian University with accessible stepped green roof
Indian University with accessible stepped green roof
By Sanjay Puri Architects, available at https://sanjaypuriarchitects.com/architecture/education/prestige-university-indore/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Nature in buildings (indoor)
  • Atriums/Courtyards
  • Nature on buildings (external)
  • Green roofs

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Regeneration, land-use and urban development
  • Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social interaction

Focus

Creation of new green areas

Project objectives

- To design a masterplan for a new sustainable building on a Prestige University's campus, highlighting green and eco-friendly roofs as an open area for relaxation and recreational activities - To reflect the traditional Indian Architecture approach by using local eco-friendly materials to adapt to the local climate condition - To use sustainable passive strategies for reducing heat gain and maintaining local temperature - To form an intangible connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces for social interactions - To foster social relationships amongst living beings and the vegetation - To develop an energy-efficient structure with low-tech sustainable solutions (1,2,4,5)

Implementation activities

The building with a biophilic green roof concept for Prestige University is designed and implemented by Sanjay Puri Architects, an Architectural Consultancy based in Mumbai, with the support of various other engineering consultants (1,2,6). It includes the following features and activities: - The designers gradually elevated a building up into what amounts to a small hill on top of the building on the rear south side. It is a 20m tall stepped building with red bricks and a series of green rooftop courtyards connected by small staircases. The building is basically an ample open public space with an accessible ground floor and landscaped roof (1,2). - The green roof was developed to function as an open auditorium amidst the landscape (4,5). - The building's grass-covered roof was stepped up from its north side, making its entire surface area an accessible terrace to be enjoyed by students and university staff (2). - Small indoor courtyards were designed to work as recreational spaces with nature (2), and terraces were created to have open-air sections which feature natural ventilation to the building's interior spaces (1,2,5) - Every floor comprises different spaces = Ground floor: a cafeteria, administration offices and an auditorium; 1st floor: library; 2nd floor: classrooms; 3rd floor: visitors will find more tiered classrooms; 4th floor: administrative facilities (2) - Inside, there is a diagonal indoor street that splits the building and opens to interior courtyards that feature natural ventilation (1).

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
  • Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation

Main beneficiaries

  • Researchers/University

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Researchers/university

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Prestige Education Society (University) was the entity behind the intervention, with a project implementation partner responsible for the design of the project (Sanjay Puri Architects, Mumbai) (4,6) Other stakeholders: Civil and Structural Engineering: Pyramid Consultants Environmental & MEP: SEED Engineering Consultants Landscaping: Envision (4)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Research organisation / University

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Lowered local temperature
  • Energy efficiency improvements
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No

References

1. Cowan, Laura. (2022). University under a hill in India has a green roof. INHABITAT, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
2. Englefield, Jane. (2022). Sanjay Puri Architects designs Indian university with accessible stepped green roof. DEZEEN, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
3. Ibrahim, Naser Nader. (2022). Prestige University in Indore, India by Sanjay Puri Architects. Amazing Architecture, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
4. Moss and Fog. (2022). Impressive Green Roof for India’s Prestige University. Moss and Fog, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
5. Diandra, Shafa. (2023). Sanjay Puri Architects added a biophilic green roof on prestige university. The Design Story, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
6. Sanjay Puri Architects. (2022). PRESTIGE UNIVERSITY, INDORE. Sanjay Puri Architects, available at Source link (accessed 06-02-2023)
7. Source link (2020). PRESTIGE UNIVERSITY, available at Source link (accessed 03-04-2023)
8. Cutieru, Andreea (2021) Sanjay Puri Architects Designs Stepped Volume with Green Terraces for Prestige University Building in India, available at Source link (accessed 03-04-2023)
9. Source link (2021). PRESTIGE UNIVERSITY, INDORE, INDIA by Sanjay Puri Architects, available at Source link (accessed 03-04-2023)
10. Sanjay_puri_architects (2023), Official instragram account of sanjay_puri_architects, available at Source link (accessed 03-04-2023)
Green Rooftop courtyards accessible by small staircases
Green Rooftop courtyards accessible by small staircases
By Sanjay Puri Architects, available at https://sanjaypuriarchitects.com/architecture/education/prestige-university-indore/
The ground floor featuring Cafeteria
The ground floor featuring Cafeteria
By Sanjay Puri Architects, available at https://sanjaypuriarchitects.com/architecture/education/prestige-university-indore/
Various open-air sections naturally ventilates interior spaces of the building
Various open-air sections naturally ventilates interior spaces of the building
By Sanjay Puri Architects, available at https://sanjaypuriarchitects.com/architecture/education/prestige-university-indore/
20m tall building in stepped form at north-south direction
20m tall building in stepped form at north-south direction
By Sanjay Puri Architects, available at https://sanjaypuriarchitects.com/architecture/education/prestige-university-indore/
Under Construction Image of the Project
Under Construction Image of the Project
Available at https://amazingarchitecture.com/university/prestige-university-in-indore-india-by-sanjay-puri-architects
Site Plan and Roof Plan
Site Plan and Roof Plan
Available at https://amazingarchitecture.com/university/prestige-university-in-indore-india-by-sanjay-puri-architects
Site Sections
Site Sections
Available at https://amazingarchitecture.com/university/prestige-university-in-indore-india-by-sanjay-puri-architects
SITE DIARIES: Stepping up towards completion of the Prestige University building.
SITE DIARIES: Stepping up towards completion of the Prestige University building.
Ref. 10
SITE DIARIES: Stepping up towards completion of the Prestige University building.
SITE DIARIES: Stepping up towards completion of the Prestige University building.
Ref. 10
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.