A Sustainable Powerhouse

Despite the challenges of designing a culturally significant building like the Collector Office, Ar. Sunil Patil and his office SPA were mindful of weaving in a contemporary and environmentally conscious approach.     The Collector Office in Pune is an administrative headquarter of the district. To balance the role of the building as an efficient public space and the functioning of the building was the biggest challenge while envisaging the project.     The building is naturally day-lit and ventilated with optimised shading devices designed to control glare and heat gain and help achieve thermal and visual comfort. The architects carefully planned the native landscape species that help maintain the flora and fauna and also reduce the demand for water.     The use of efficient water fixtures will result in cutting consumption by half. A crucial step in ensuring the sustainability of the project is to make environmentally responsible decisions during the construction stage as well.     A crucial step in ensuring the sustainability of the project is to make environmentally responsible decisions during the construction stage as well. The execution of the building, assures Patil, is done with adequate safety measures and procedures, innovative green construction , techniques and effective air and noise pollution control measures. Most of the furniture is made of metal, reducing the use of wood.   The design also features a multi-level parking building that not only preserves existing trees but leads to minimal elevator usage by providing connections to all floor levels. The project also follows GRIHA norms during the construction phase, like protection of topsoil, barricading with GI sheets to reduce air pollution, protection of existing trees, replanting the existing lawn and curing with gunny bags to save water.     With an area of over 18000 sqm. the Collector Office fulfils the promise of delivering a monumental urban icon while also responding to the context and climate of the city that perceives it as a “PowerHouse”