Design and architecture award for Apollo R&D centre

A second design-related acknowledgement has been bestowed upon Apollo Tyres’ Global R&D Centre, Asia. The facility, which opened last November and is located just outside the Indian city of Chennai, has gained an NDTV Design & Architecture Award 2016 in the ‘Architecture Award, Office’ category.

The tyre maker’s Asian research and development hub was designed and conceptualised by Chennai-based architectural design practice, Calm Studio, which addressed the harsh weather conditions in the coastal city by crafting a perforated screen ‘shelter’. Apollo Tyres opines that this shelter “embraces within it the interior and exterior spaces of the building” and allows for a “vibrant and manageable landscape.”

Workstations & guest areas are housed in transparent modular units to maximise natural light, while the shelter helps to reduce heat and glare

According to Apollo Tyres, saving energy was the “key guiding factor” of the centre’s design. Workstations and guest areas within the centre have been housed in transparent modular units, ensuring maximum daylight in all areas, while the shelter helps to reduce heat and glare. The project has already received LEED Gold certification.

Organised by New Delhi Television, the NDTV Design & Architecture Awards focus on the complexities of building projects from a design, aesthetic, sustainability and conservation perspective, and also take a “sense of purpose” within the project into account. Winners are decided by a jury made up of eminent architects and interior designers.

The Apollo Tyres Global R&D Centre, Asia performs core research for the company and takes care of development for all product segments within the entire Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Approximately 140 people work at the centre.