Porous Walls and Green Terraces: Lalit Kala Akademi, Kolkata

In the busy urban fabric of Kolkata, this building is shaped by two ideas: porosity and greenery. Both respond to a constrained site and a demanding climate, and both aim to connect what is built with the city and with nature.

A porous facade

The building is meant to encourage exchange between art and the city, and its facade expresses this through openness. It was developed with parametric design, using custom scripts to create irregular geometric voids. The voids give the facade a sculptural quality, but they also do practical work. Their placement shields the interior from Kolkata's strong south and south-west sun, reducing heat gain and keeping the rooms comfortable, while allowing controlled ventilation and shade.

Stacked, with terraces

The site is small, so the building's functions are stacked vertically. On the east side, each level is recessed, making room for green terraces. The terraces break up the height of the building, bring planting to the upper floors and help cool the air in and around it, easing the urban heat island effect.

Courtyards in the air

There was little room for greenery at ground level. Instead, landscaped courtyards are placed on different floors. They serve as social and recreational spaces, and they give people on every level a view of, and a way into, planted space. Whatever floor someone is on, a garden is close at hand.

Together, the porous walls and the recessed green terraces are the building's response to its climate: shade on the sunny south and south-west faces, terraces stepping back on the east, and gardens at every height.