Sanjay Puri Architects Respond to Extreme Summer Temperatures
Sanjay Puri Architects has completed Stella — a compact 14-storey office building in Nagpur, India, that responds to extreme summer temperatures reaching up to 48 degrees Celsius. This project was completed in January 2026.
To accommodate the extreme heat that is common for the region, Sanjay Puri Architects wrapped the entire perimeter of the office structure with alternating semicircular open decks and planters sheathed in aluminum louvres. This serves to create a layered climate-responsive skin that mitigates direct solar heat gain and introduces greenery around the building. The greenery wrapped around the façade creates cooler microclimates immediately outside the building.
The service core of the Stella office building is positioned on the eastern edge of the site to allow north, west, and south-facing workspaces to benefit from natural light, cross ventilation, and outdoor views.
Image Credit: Vinay Panjwani
To accommodate the extreme heat that is common for the region, Sanjay Puri Architects wrapped the entire perimeter of the office structure with alternating semicircular open decks and planters sheathed in aluminum louvres. This serves to create a layered climate-responsive skin that mitigates direct solar heat gain and introduces greenery around the building. The greenery wrapped around the façade creates cooler microclimates immediately outside the building.
The service core of the Stella office building is positioned on the eastern edge of the site to allow north, west, and south-facing workspaces to benefit from natural light, cross ventilation, and outdoor views.
Image Credit: Vinay Panjwani
Trend Themes
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Climate-adaptive Facades — Adaptive facade systems that modulate solar exposure and ventilation present opportunities to redefine building envelopes for extreme heat resilience.
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Biophilic Perimeter Integration — Greenery-wrapped exteriors that create localized microclimates offer potential to merge landscape design with environmental performance metrics.
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Sculptural Modular Louvres — Prefabricated semicircular louvre modules that combine shading, planter integration, and aesthetic form could enable scalable, design-forward thermal control.
Industry Implications
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Commercial Real Estate — Office developers in hot climates may see value in buildings that advertise lower cooling loads and enhanced occupant comfort through facade-driven passive cooling.
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Building Materials Manufacturing — Producers of aluminum systems and integrated planter assemblies could capitalize on demand for lightweight, durable facade components tailored for high-heat environments.
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HVAC and MEP Design — Mechanical and electrical consultants have scope to rethink load calculations and ventilation strategies around perimeter-driven passive cooling and cross-ventilation schemes.
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