The Kochi Refineries Limited Headquarters building is an enclosed container protected from the sun by a surrounding 'jali' of horizontal aluminum fins. The ground floor faces a "back water" river and garden through shear structural glass walls set in from the sun. An interior atrium links the floors vertically together. Each floor is a balcony looking into this generous space, with a free standing sculptural stair demarcating its limits.
Deep piles with broad caps provide a resting-place for the columns, which ring the structure along its exterior wall, connecting into an RCC vertical shaft which houses elevators, vertical services and the 'wet core'. The system allows the structure to absorb lateral forces in the event of an earthquake.
The louvered wall is designed to
cut the heat gain from sunlight, resulting in significant savings in
power costs. The structure is a model for other projects which attempt
to protect the environment, while economising on operational costs.
