Visveswaraya Towers Bengaluru (VV TOWERS) Designed by Charles Correa. Named after great engineer Sir.M Visveswaraya AUTHORS : Farooqh, Aishwarya, Anusha, Dhanush, Achsah

1. VISHVESHWARAIAH TOWERS
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Famously called the VV Towers, the building
houses a number of government offices. the
Visvesvaraya Tower is one of Bangalore’s tall
buildings. It has 21 floors and measures 85 metres
in height. It was built between 1974 and 1980.
Designed by the famous architect Charles Correa,
the tower is like a bunch of alien periscopes
protruding from the earth’s crust and standing tall.
VV Towers in itself is an icon for its
simplistic architecture which looks like a neo-
modern style. With minimalistic design, Late
Charles Correa, who was the architect, is
remembered for the VV Towers till date. He loved
to marry western revivalist trend with Indian
nativity. The tower has a shape of periscopes
protruding from the ground. The building surface
has raw concrete finish (Brutalist characteristic) and
has markings from concrete castings. Window
openings are towards east and west. The design
exhibits a blend of Western Revivalist and Indian
Nativity.
1.2 STRUCTURAL MATERIALS
The building as a whole uses pre-cast
concrete blocks. There is no further ornamentation
as the structure is of Brutalist characteristic, having
markings of concrete casting.
The building is designed with more openings
to the East and the West. This is to allow more wind
to enter the structure at the same time provide
natural sunlight.
Building has handicap friendly spaces in the
first floor alone. Staircase is made of steel which is
bolted and welded to the walls and floor
respectfully. Window openings are quite large at
regular intervals.
The floor-to-floor clear height remains 5m
until first floor, while is reduced to 4m from second
floor onwards. The entire building is a framed
structure made of moment framed elements, i.e.,
columns and beams. The fire escape staircase is
situated in the south side of the building, made of
stainless steel. Dimensions of columns are 300mm
x 600mm while beams were 200mm x 800mm.
Fig.1 North side view Fig.2 Staircase at
entrance
Fig.3 From lobby
towards first floor,
left side is
department for
physically
challenged

2. 1.3 SEISMIC ZONE
A Seismic zone is an area where the rate of seismic
activity remains fairly consistent.
There are the varied seismic zones of the nation,
which are prominently shown in the figure ( name
the map figure I sent and all it)
Zone - II: This is said to be the least active seismic
zone. Hence from the map we can see that
Bengaluru comes under zone-II where seismic
activities are very rare. Therefore the structure is
not accounted to designing for such seismic activity.
1.4 CLIMATIC RESPONSE &
EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE
The building is 21 floors, 85 metres tall, with
periscopic openings on its facades towards the
southwest, south, and southeast directions
respectively. These openings provide better solar
response for the building’s surface.
The building allows good ventilation through
east-westward direction allowing the southwest
wind flow through it, giving it a natural ventilation
effect. The central part of the building has open
walkways and open spaces, providing evaporative
cooling effect for the building’s corridors.
The entrance is located at the north of the site,
and the windows towards the entrance has egg-crate
shaped shading devices of approximately 1 to 2 feet
deep, providing shade from the summer sunlight
during afternoon and early evening periods. The
towers have windows pushed inside the façade,
which act as false columns or vertical shades for the
ventilational openings.
1.5 WIND LOAD RESPONSE
The building works on a better wind load
response, as it has a slender high rise structure on
north and south end, where the wind is effectively
less and more in between the centre of the building
plan, i.e., east to west.
The columns are thicker than the beams in
dimension, and they act as a good moment resisting
frames on higher altitude.
There are shear walls of thickness of 300mm
as we rise to the top, which act resisting the wind
load, and provide better resistance to high speed
wind.
The facades of the building are not glazed,
which also helps in a better stability of the structure,
providing less deflection and torsion due to wind
movement.
Usage of steel is very rare, hence the building
is least subjected to deflection and torsion, and
more stable.
The building possesses a high strength to
weight ratio, which results in less inertial force
impact on the building members, giving it
advantage over seismic and wind loads. There is so
far no anisotropy in the structural composition of
the building, either in material or structural
composition, providing homogeneity and
orthotropy (as the building has a physical model

3. with the best elastic composition for seismic effect)
for the building.
The building has a better form of full strength
connections, because it has a desirable composition
of brittle member (concrete) and ductile member
(steel) to withstand the wind load as per the wind
regulations in Bengaluru zone, and also seismic
effects that can be observed in the same zone on an
average. Hence, it has a better performance as there
is proper structural continuity, providing it a good
response to the entire structural system.
1.6 DEPARTMENTS
0. GF- senior citizen Dept, handicap Dept, land and
revenue Dept.
1. Minority welfare Dept
2. Fishery workers welfare Dept
3. Municipality Dept
4.public library Dept
5.loan sanction department
6. Employee department
7. Election commission Dept
8. Women empowerment Dept
7. Administration Dept
8. Government employee Dept
9. Education department
10. backward class development department
1.7 FIRE ESCAPE STAIRCASE
There are 2 Fire Escape Stairs located in the
building . One in the interior of the structure near
the buildings core and the other outside the
structure.
Materials used -
The interior staircase is designed with RCC . Here
the walls act as balusters with stainless steel
capping .
The exterior staircase is made of steel . Fixing detail
is with the help of bolts and nuts to the exterior of
the wall .
Fire extinguishers placed near the fire escape at
every floor level and at intervals in the corridors of
the structure
Fig.4 View from east side
Various govt
departmants,
in first floor
for physically
challenged
Fig.6 First floor
with open
courtyard like area
serves as a portico
to the building
Fig.7White cement
applied to prevent
intrusion of water
through cracks, which
caused in a later
period. During
additional
construction of new
surrounding
Fig.8 Residential unit,
50 meters away from
the official building,
for government
officials
Fig.5 From first
floor

4. Fig.9 Fire escape
staircase
Fig.10 Metal fire
staircase, at south of
the building
Fig.11 Fire duct Fig.12 4 passenger
lifts are provoded with
capicity 10. 14, 16
Fig.13 Corridor
from lobby to other
departments above
which the tall
building stands,
beam width 400mm.
Fig.14 Entry at each
floor, has each
particular
government
department
Fig.15 Main lobby Fig.16 Walls
covered with
stainless steel
instead
baulusters on the
staircase
Fig.17 Fire ecsape
staircase area
Fig.19 Staircase within
the building could be
used during emergancy
also
Fig.20 Same indivisual
plan for all 21 floors Fig.18 Vents provided in
the staircase area

5. Fig.21 Fixing to fire
escape stairto the building
wall