Interview With Ar Chandar Sitaraman

He’s so busy with his latest project Chandra Mall in Virugambakkam, Chennai, that he promises a few minutes squeezed into a very tight schedule to talk about glass. “For the students of architecture,” he agrees.

Chandar Sitaraman is a busy man with 25 years of experience under his belt. He’s seen it all – from the brick and mortar of yore to the latest in green technology. And he’s fascinated by glass. “Glass gives a transparent and expansive look,” he says. The linear expansion on volume that glass gives the illusion of, is by far its biggest asset. As for aesthetics, who wouldn’t want to be able to be one with nature inside their workplace. “It creates a fresh environment for people who work 8 to 10 hours a day. It reduces mental fatigue,” he argues.

Aesthetics aside, Mr Sitaraman believes glass is a boon as it helps cut down heat and has the ability to control light. High performance glass is available which can become transparent or opaque when small electrical impulses course through it. This can help control the light that enters the room. Glass can help reduce radiation, helping offices and homes cut down on power bills. “Cooling a hot surface is a redundant exercise, glass helps conserve that energy,” he says. Though glass is a bit expensive, he believes it’s an investment worth making as the cost can be recovered in 3 to 5 years by the savings on energy costs.

Mr Sitaraman has a word of advice for students of architecture. “Study climatology of the area you’re building in,” he says. “The direction the building is facing will help determine the direction of radiation.” This knowledge will help the architect decide the U-value and thereby determine whether to give the glass a soft or hard coating in order to get the best energy efficiency.

Why should glass be used in green buildings? “Because,” says Mr Sitaraman, “according to the green building norms, 0.75 to 1 watt per square foot is the acceptable lighting load. So it helps to have openable windows or surfaces for natural light.” This will add points on the building’s Leed evaluation. Usage of double glazed glass with a cavity in between also cuts out sound, giving audio privacy to occupants.

Mr Sitaraman says high performance glass has worked wonders for him. He has also used self-cleaning glass, which is coated with Teflon so the dust won’t stick to the surface. One shower of rain and the entire building is clean again. No costs involved in cleaning the exteriors, he signs off.