The composition of colored cuboids creates this sculptural residential project. The brief for these mid-rise buildings was to create studio apartments, a hostel, and a guest house on the perimeter of a housing project for a residential township, to house the working people of a new cement plant.

Angularly stepped in the layout, each of the rooms is oriented towards the north in response to the hot climate of Kudla, in Karnataka. Temperatures exceed 35°C for eight months of the year in this region.

Based on the brief, 18 studio apartments, 54 hostel rooms, and 18 guest house rooms are created in four and five-level buildings facing large landscaped areas & a large playground on the northeast.

Common facilities including a cafeteria, games room, lounge & gym are housed at the ground level.

Rooms opening into sheltered north-facing balconies occupy the upper floors.

Indian culture is known for its vivid use of colour in traditional crafts, festivities, and clothing. India is the only country that celebrates Holi, a festival of colours annually.

Three of these vivid primary colours – red, blue, and yellow highlight the cantilevered balconies to each room creating an identity and simultaneously enhancing the sculptural look of the buildings.

Built economically with emphasis on natural ventilation and natural sunlight, the buildings are very energy efficient. Fly ash brick walls, water recycling, rainwater harvesting, north orientation, and sheltered outdoor spaces reduce heat gain. The entire electrical energy required is harnessed from the residual energy generated in the cement plant nearby.

Studios 90 is a simple, energy-efficient residential building that responds to its site, and the climate of the location and alludes to the culture and social aspects of the users.