Palmyra

Mauritius, Mauritius

Architects: Sanjay Puri Architects

Location: Mauritius, Mauritius
Year: 2009

A height of 17 floors and a buildable area of 6 times the plot size are limiting factors on this plot of 12346 sqm in Mauritius touching a river on the northern side. The layout of buildings is done along the southern and western sides of the plot creating a large landscaped garden on the north overlooking the river and hills beyond. Most of the 250 apartments are angled to overlook the garden below and the hills in the distance oriented towards the north to reduce heat gain and capitalize on the natural surrounding views.

Further, the apartments open onto large balconies and terraces towards the north. The wind in Mauritius blows from the South East during most of the year and both the garden and the apartments largely are oriented in this direction to facilitate cross ventilation and render the houses more energy efficient. The apartments on the other side are also largely oriented towards the east or west avoiding southern sun.

The large building is fragmented into smaller masses interspersed with 2 floor high landscaped gardens at the upper levels creating a sculpted appearance, while providing landscaped spaces in abundance.

Palmyra is a building that generates open spaces at the community level and the individual level and is designed to be energy efficient while responding to the island country’s climate and the location of its site.