vibrant colors make 'shree town' housing project in india pop

Sanjay Puri Architects brings vibrancy to shree town

Sanjay Puri Architects uses various color combinations to identify the different typologies within ‘Shree Town’, a new residential complex in Raipur, India. The vibrant shades also echo those found in Indian culture, from traditional festivals to clothing and food.

Situated 3 km from the closest city, Shree Town is a self-sufficient housing project that’s being developed for the personnel of a cement plant. Within an area of 24,281 sqm (6 acres), Sanjay Puri Architects has completed a program comprising 72 studio apartments, 48 two-bedroom apartments, and 48 three-bedroom apartments, all of which are planned in an informal and organic layout that takes cues from old Indian cities and villages.

images by Dinesh Mehta

Shree Town is planned around a large landscaped park with the studio apartments, smaller and larger apartments, school, and club positioned along the perimeter of the site. Each building is designed with sheltered open courtyards, naturally ventilated circulation spaces, and garden spaces between them.

As well as the contextual design, the architects also designed according to the climate, imbibing traditional planning principles and cultural responses. All of the apartments are designed with recessed windows, sheltered balconies, and cross ventilation to mitigate heat gain in response to the hot climate of the location, where temperatures remain in excess of 35°C for 8 months annually.

Since the overall layout is planned with a large 36,000 sqm garden, the apartment buildings are designed to create intimate sheltered spaces between them. These spaces are varied in each part of the layout by the organic nature of the building placement, creating multiple spaces with varying degrees of enclosure and shape.

All of the water within the project is recycled and reused through its own sewage treatment plant. Extensive rain water harvesting is integrated with the planning. The design also ensures and facilitates natural light and ventilation to all the spaces within.