ENVIRONMENTAL

RESPONSIVE DESIGN
CASE STUDY - CII - SOHRABJI GODREJ GREEN
BUSINESS CENTRE , HYDERABAD
INTRODUCTION :
 The first LEED Platinum Rated
Building in India
 Site area : 5 Acres
    Buildup Area : 20000 sqft
 Large area for landscape to enhance
micro climate and visual delight
 It offers advisory services to the
Industry in the areas of:
•     Green Buildings
•      Energy Efficiency
•      Water Management
•      Environmental Management
•      Renewable Energy
•      Climate change activities
The latest LEED rating system consists of 5 different areas addressing multiple projects:
• Building Design and Construction
• Interior Design and Construction
•
•
Building Operations and Maintenance
Neighborhood Development LEED
RATING
• Homes
These 5 areas are then broken into smaller components where points are given and
depending on a number of points received they can obtain one of the following categories:
• Certified : 26 – 32 points
•
•
•
Silver : 33 – 38 points
Gold 39 – 51 points
Platinum 52 – 69 points
SYSTEM
The LEED certification process needs to meet at a minimum these requirements: LEED (Leadership in Energy and
• Be in compliance with environmental regulations and standards Environmental Design) is an
• Must meet the threshold of floor area requirements ecology-oriented building
• Meet a minimum of building occupancy in terms of number of users certification program run under
• Maintain a reasonable site boundary the auspices of the U.S. Green
• Be a permanent building
Building Council (USGBC).
• Share energy and water usage data
• Must have a minimum building to site area ratio
 In order to earn credits to achieve one of the above categories, the project must meet
certain criteria and goals within the following categories:
• Location and transportation - You should take into consideration the location of your
project and how it can be combined with the transportation option within the area, in
other words how the users of the facility can get in and out of the facility.
• Materials and Resources- Earn credits by using sustainable and earth-friendly products,

LEED while reducing waste promoting better indoor air quality.

• Water efficiency - The building must be designed in such a way that potable water

Certification
usage is reduced or resources can be reused, minimizing the needs of water inside the
building.
• Energy and atmosphere - The building must enhance energy performance and

Credit promote great indoor air and environmental quality.

• Sustainable sites - Design the project in such a way that the natural resources and

Categories
ecosystems nearby can naturally take part of the design minimizing environmental
pollution.
• Indoor environmental quality - Increase daylight usage and promote natural
ventilation.
• Innovation - Any idea that is not covered under the five LEED main areas.
• Regional priority credits - Addressing any particular concern based on the regional or
geographical location.
• LEED for Neighborhood Development provides for a couple of additional credit
categories such as smart location & linkage, neighborhood pattern & design and green
infrastructure & buildings
LEED CATEGORIES POINTS CONTRIBUTION
SS – Sustainable Sites 14 20%
WE - Water Efficiency 5 7%
EA - Energy and Atmosphere 17 25%

MR - Materials and Resources 13 19%

EQ - Indoor 15 22%
Environmental Quality
ID – Innovation and Design 5 7%
Process
69 100%
TOTAL
LOCATION:
• Hitech City Road, Satyam Info City,
Kondapur, Hyderabad, Telangana 500081
CLIMATE :
• It remains fairly warm most of the
year
• Receive less rainfall in the monsoon
• Temperature come down in the
months of December and January
and the might become quite cool in
and around the Hyderabad city
APPROACH AND SURROUNDINGS:
• Min entrance located at the main road
• Surrounded  by Medium Rise Commercial buildings
ENTRANCE :
• The main gate opens to a long driveway with lush greenery
on both sides creating Emphasis to the entrance
• The main building has direct access from the main road.
Parking & Accessibilty :
• Bicycle riders are treated
preferentially  - convenient
parking  , lockers , shower cleaning
• 30 % of employee transportation :
Carpools , bicycle and LPG cars
• The documented reduction of
harmful emissions achieved is 62%
THE CONCEPT: ZONING :
An attempt to make a positive change • Zoning done by HIERARACHY in terms of
in design by reducing the negative privacy
impact on the environment in terms • Public - Reception , Library
of : • Semi Public - Administration , offices for
• Use of materials employees
• Semi Private -  Seminar Hall
• Energy efficiency • Private -  Conference rooms , Cabins for
• Natural Ventilation Senior Executives.
• Renewable Energy • Common Areas -  For Circulation and
gathering 
• Ecological Footprint
• Socio Cultural Response 
• Water management
• Sustainability FORM : Circular form 
• Reuse & Recycle • Limitless flexibility of design and layout
• Unrestricted circulation of air
• Effective Land use • Orientation of the site for optimum solar gain
• Arrangement of spaces according to size to create balance
CLIMATE RESPONSIVE
DESIGN
Cooled air is retained and
circulated within the site and
prevented from escaping by
landscape on all sides
There is circulation of wind
within the site along the
circular exteriors of the
building- easy flow
Warm breeze from the
South West gets filtered SUMMER
and cooled by the presence
of lush greenery
Warm breeze that picks up
heat from the vast expanse
of barren land in the
surroundings
Cooled by the presence of
Greenery and further by the
water body to the North
Orientation of the buildings
capitalize on all favorable conditions
on site and measures have been
Harsh west heat filtered
taken to fix the problems on site
and partially blocked by
the landscape and the
plantations in the w
POLLUTION
Max
REDUCTION
 Min

https://archestudy.com/
when-architecture-meets-
technology-cii-sohrabji-
godrej-green-business-
centre-hyderabad/
SENSITIVITY TO
CONTEXT

• Minimal damage during construction and

occupancy, to the natural elements of water flow,
air quality, vegetation, and topography 
• The built form responds to the rocky site. 
• Small footprint, design retains site contours and
existing boulders. 
• "Contour trenching" adopted to avoid erosion and
sedimentation. 
• During construction, barricades were installed to
prevent contaminants from spreading to
surrounding areas.
•  Care has been taken not to disturb the activities
of a temple nearby
 THE TRADITIONAL
COURTYARD WITH
COLONNADED CORRIDORS
• The spatial and formal elements around a courtyard create
introverted blueprint.
•  Courtyard space was not rigidly fixed but could be
adaptable depending on the time of day, season Its mood
changed with varying degrees of light and shade, and with
them the ambience Centrally located, serves as visual
anchor..
•  It was the spatial, social, and environment control center of
the home. 
• By building them around a central open space ensured close
relationships between separate units Brought in an
additional usable space within the living space.
• Inside Yet outside Stay connected to nature
• Exploded geometry
• Centre creates a centrifugal effect, Parts of the design
spring apart, try to escape from the centre, but are caught
and held together again by a bracket, a round canopy over
the connecting route.
• Colonnaded corridors surrounding the courtyard convey a
sense of Rhythm and Movement
GROUND
HUGGING
CONSTRUCTION:
• Like most olden systems of
construction, structures are
kept ground hugging ensuring
natural modulation of
microclimate and creating
more interaction with nature
• Gives a sense of being close to
nature
 LIGHT AND
VENTILATION:

Building layout North facades are Low heat Double glass to Light captured
ensures that 90 % glazed for efficient transmitting glass further reduce from as many
of spaces have diffused light used  heat gain sides possible - the
daylight access use of courtyards
and views to the
outside.

Natural lighting -
no lights are used
until late in the
evening 
JALLI WORKS:
• Allow controlled passage of air and light into the
interior space.
• throw patterns of light and shadow on the floor
enhancing aesthetics
• Ensure constant flow of breeze into the interior -
occupant comfort cools the interiors
• Diffuse the glare of direct sunlight.

LANDSCAPE:
• The outside brought in –COURTYARDS
• Influences microclimate and hence human
comfort
• Contributes colour and is a visual delight
• Defines and articulates space
• Greenery and Landscape is proven to be
therapeutic and a stress buster
CANOPY TREES:
• Create mass from the outside, for a canopied space from the
inside
• Tree trunks act as landscape columns and give architectural
character to the site
• Modify the natural light quality Penetrating sunlight adds to the
dynamism of the space

GROUND COVER:
• Lead the eye to focal points, building entries
• Lead the eye to focal points, building entries
• Large expanse of ground cover used to
create focus on Local craftwork as
landscape elements
• Unify groups of plants into a composition
• Tree trunks and columns lined with gravel
stone – attention to detail - aesthetics
Water Has Sensual Value:
• It calms the mind and relieves
stress
• It triggers the mind
• Water is also used to modify
site climate by evaporative
cooling
• Existing rocks used as
sculptural features
 ROOT ZONE TREATMENT

•Root zone treatment is one of the natural and

attractive methods of treating domestic,
industrial and agricultural wastes. It is an
engineered method of purifying wastewater as
it passes through artificially constructed
wetland area. It is considered as an effective
and reliable secondary and tertiary treatment
method