Sanjay Puri Architects has completed the main administration building at Prestige University in Indore, India. This five-level structure steps up diagonally from the northern point to reach 28 meters in height. Its design features a 9,000 square meter rooftop garden that functions as an open auditorium that can seat up to 9,000 students. The east, west, and southern sides of the administrative building are wrapped in ventilated GFRC screens to mitigate heat gain in a climate that ranges from 30 to 40 degrees Celsius for eight months of the year.
Sanjay Puri Architects’ Prestige University project draws inspiration from traditional Indian architecture, specifically the concept of stepped wells that have existed for over a thousand years. These spaces have historically been used for large social interaction and brought communities together. The north lighting and courtyards in the project, another principle borrowed from traditional architecture, allow indirect light to infuse the internal volumes at each level, meaning that even deep interior spaces receive natural illumination.
Image Credit: Vinay Panjwani
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Rooftop Public Gardens
- A 9,000 sqm rooftop garden functioning as a 9,000-seat open auditorium reveals potential for large-scale elevated public spaces that redefine building roofs as primary social and event venues.
- Climate-responsive Facade Systems
- Wrapped ventilated GFRC screens that mitigate heat gain in extreme temperatures indicate opportunities for facade systems that integrate passive cooling with prefabricated modular panels.
- Heritage-inspired Stepped Architecture
- Designs borrowing from stepped wells and north-lit courtyards suggest new typologies that stack functional programs diagonally to create socially dense, daylight-rich interiors.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Higher Education Campus Planning
- Admin buildings reimagined as multifunctional hubs point to campus masterplans that prioritize large-capacity communal amenities and daylight-driven indoor environments.
- Building Materials Manufacturing
- Demand for ventilated GFRC facade solutions in hot climates highlights a market for engineered envelope products emphasizing thermal performance and offsite fabrication.
- Landscape and Event Design
- The rooftop auditorium model opens possibilities for landscape and event services focused on elevated, integrated venues that shift programming from ground-level to building tops.
