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Photography: SIS Team and CAI Team

Chennai-based Creative Architects & Interiors has designed the SIS Queenstown in Guduvanchery, which is a residential township incorporating nature, luxury, and convenience.  Classical European architecture is interspersed with greenery and comprises 424 housing units with several amenities, which aims to exemplify urban living in a suburban neighborhood. The project is spread across 5.4 acres with five seven-storeyed towers arranged around a central courtyard, and several convenience stops are housed in the tower.

The podium level accommodates the swimming pool, children’s play area, and indoor and outdoor sports areas. Multiple configurations of 1, 2, and 3BHK units offer a premium living experience. The building footprint and structural grids allow for ample parking space on the stilt floor without needing a basement.

The project’s mixed nature brings the need for pedestrian and vehicular pathways, public and private areas, and accessibility and safety. Driveways run along the tower’s perimeter, creating a vehicle-free zone around the central courtyard. Pedestrian walkways connect the towers to amenities, and two entrances from each tower demarcate the areas to ensure safety.

Passive design strategies create an energy-efficient township; such as the tower’s spatial planning and orientation to keep the central courtyard shaded throughout the day. Approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of landscaped gardens mitigate the heat island effect, and each unit brings in ample natural light and ventilation. Units maximize space on a compact layout without compromising comfort and well-being while prioritizing efficiency and utility.

Corridors incorporate lightwells to keep them well-lit, the double-walled cavities create a thermal buffer and shading devices reduce heat again. Polycarbonate roofing, porotherm bricks, over-deck insulation, and high-reflective tiles on the terraces further reduce indoor temperatures. Undertaking a sustainable approach to water management, hydropneumatic chutes and low-volume flush tanks help reduce water consumption.

Porte-cochere, entrance lobbies, Roman arches and colonnades, and symmetric elevations define the premium experience. Intricately-detailed screens are adapted to function as jaalis that elegantly conceal service and air-conditioning shafts.