Located in the seventh largest metropolis in India, Falling Lotus Blossoms: EON IT Park is an elegantly arranged quartet of buildings totaling 4,000,000 square feet (400,000 square meters) that occupy a site located in the EON Free Zone, a Special Economic Zone established by the government to encourage development. This 21st-century workplace, which sets a grand scale in counterpoint to the rugged Indian countryside, overlooks a river and the fields beyond on a flat site that was previously almost entirely untouched.

Inspired by nature — India’s national flower, the white lotus – the design began as different iterations of the shape of the lotus flower petal. Ultimately, four “petals” were arranged like a four-leaf clover in plan with an open space at its center. In part a response to the extreme heat and humidity and the goal of populating the outdoor spaces for more than just a few months of the year, the buildings themselves contain semi-conditioned, shaded atrium spaces that serve as meeting or gathering spaces for the buildings’ occupants. At dusk, each courtyard morphs into a giant kaleidoscope by the delineation of building elements with neon lighting.

Raised on the ground plane, the complex picks up a teleological dimension in that it becomes a quasi-temple devoted to the future of technology and its own iconography. As the eye follows the sweeping shape of the roof line, a vivid image of the fluid plane emerges. The building opens up and embraces the users of a new society. This iconic project, both in its construction phase and completion, exemplifies technology as a transformative force for the language of architecture in a fast-growing country like India.

Sustainability:
First principles in environmental design led to the proposed project form. It is our position that architecture is inherently sustainable when the design intent springs from a genuine commitment to the betterment of society. We applied this ideal to the Falling Lotus Blossoms project, achieving LEED Gold. Our strategy included addressing energy needs, water use, waste, materials and heat island effect.

We achieved:
– 68% reduced water use: A 7,481,054-gallon (28,318,873-liter) reduction of water use was realized through the use of gray water and water saving fixtures and sensors and the efficient use of water in landscaping, including rainwater harvesting and high efficiency irrigation systems.
– An on site sewage treatment plant (STP) treats 100% of the wastewater generated at site for reuse in landscaping
– A 20.09% energy savings (against the ASHRAE basecase) is a result of optimized energy performance through the energy conservation measures (ECMs) that were incorporated into the project including: under deck insulation in the roof, efficient lighting design, occupancy sensors, wall insulation, VRV system in office areas, and double glazed high performance glass.
– 75.60% of the total project’s materials, by cost, were manufactured within 500 miles (800 kilometers) of the project site. Among the materials sourced regionally are: bricks, cement, fire-proof doors, pozzocrete, steel, metal sheet roofing, glass, dry wall and false ceiling.
– 98.18% of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Waste diverted from landfills include: reinforcement steel, cement bags, plastic, broken tiles, paint cans, cardboard, aluminum scrap, concrete cement and broken bricks.
– 100% underground parking. To assist in the reduction of a heat island effect, all 2,226 car parking spaces and 202 two-wheeler spaces are underground. Electric charging stations have been provided for 67 car parking spaces and 6 two-wheeler parking spaces.
– 100% roof coverage. The project used high SRI materials to cover 100% of the 145,000 square feet (13,350 square meters) of roof area.