The design focuses on achieving the client’s vision of a new paradigm in factory design for India, identifying optimisation opportunities and reducing waste in the current textile factory typology and drives the improvements adopting biomimetic principles.
The project is a new build, 32,000m² spinning and weaving factory located on the outskirts of Nagpur. Atelier Ten evaluated energy use during factory operations and explored synergies between various operations to minimise waste and offer value to the production.
An energy hierarchy was followed, first using passive means to conserve energy, through insulated thermal envelope and offering a working environment almost entirely lit with natural light, delivering substantial savings in energy as well as improvements in staff well-being. A combined heat and power plant will generate heat as a product of power generation and therefore significantly increase the energy efficiency of the energy centre from the current coal fired boilers. The waste from the power plant will be reused as fertiliser and as additives in concrete block manufacturing, thereby minimising operational waste.
In addition to the savings in lighting energy the rooflights have been designed to be solar-ready on their south-facing sides and the factory units have been specifically orientated north-south so that solar energy generation can be maximised.
The ventilation systems have been laid out to reduce pressure losses and air distribution ductwork follows hierarchical structure to optimise material use by following biomimetic principles.
