One On One, Gurugram

Dedicated 33 kV / 25 MVA Electrical Infrastructure

Among One On One’s defining engineering features is its dedicated 33 kV electrical receiving and distribution infrastructure with approximately 25 MVA capacity.

Rather than depending solely upon conventional building-level electrical connections, the campus receives power at high voltage and distributes it systematically across the development.

This approach provides greater control over electrical distribution, protection, load management and future expansion. The network supports office occupancies together with the significant electrical requirements of the 6,000 TR cooling plant, lifts, basement ventilation, pumps, fire systems, lighting, retail, landscape and other common services. The dedicated substation therefore forms the electrical backbone of the entire corporate campus.

6,000 TR Central Cooling Infrastructure

Perhaps the most significant mechanical engineering installation at One On One is its approximately 6,000 TR central cooling plant.

At this scale, air-conditioning ceased to be an individual building service and became a campus utility.

Centralizing cooling allowed the campus to take advantage of the diversity between buildings and occupancies, rather than requiring each building to independently install a plant for its theoretical maximum load.

The system therefore provides both scale and opportunity for operational efficiency.

High-Performance Hybrid Façade

A major component of One On One’s energy-performance strategy was the hybrid high-performance façade comprising double-glazed systems together with insulated stone-clad external walls.

The façade is therefore not merely an architectural treatment. It is an important component of the building’s thermal and mechanical engineering strategy.

Double-Glazed Façade
Double-glazed façade areas include an insulating cavity between the external and internal panes. Compared with conventional single glazing, this improved thermal performance and assisted in reducing heat transmission into conditioned spaces.

For a large commercial building, controlling solar gain was particularly important because façade performance has a direct relationship with peak cooling requirement.

Insulated Stone-Clad Envelope

The stone-clad areas of the façade perform an equally important technical function.

Thermal insulation behind the external stone cladding creates an additional barrier between Gurugram’s external climate and the conditioned interior.

The combination of stone + insulation + backing wall reduces conductive heat transmission through opaque portions of the envelope.

The thermal mass of the wall construction also helps moderate the impact of rapidly changing external temperatures.

Integrated Envelope Performance

The advantage of the hybrid approach is that it avoided treating an office building as an entirely glazed enclosure. Instead, glazing was used where daylight and visual connection are valuable, while insulated opaque walls provided improved thermal resistance elsewhere.

At the scale of 2.3 million sq. ft., improvements in envelope performance translated into significant reductions in annual cooling energy.

The façade and the 6,000 TR cooling plant must therefore be viewed as two parts of the same energy strategy.

Fire & Life-safety Engineering

As a corporate campus occupied by thousands of employees, One On One required comprehensive fire and life-safety engineering.

Life-safety systems were integrated with emergency electrical infrastructure to ensure that critical equipment remains operational during loss of utility power.

The structures were also engineered for the requirements applicable to Seismic Zone IV.

Water Conservation & Resource Management

Water management was another important component of the LEED Platinum strategy.

The engineering objective was to reduce fresh-water demand and maximize reuse wherever technically and statutorily appropriate.

Water-efficient fixtures reduce initial demand.

Wastewater treatment and recycling enable treated water to be reused for permitted non-potable applications such as flushing and landscape irrigation.

Rainwater harvesting captures appropriate surface and roof runoff and directs it towards groundwater-recharge infrastructure.

This moves the development away from a conventional use-and-discharge model towards integrated water-cycle management.

Two-acre Piazza as Green Infrastructure

The approximately two-acre landscaped central piazza, designed by HM White of New York, forms the physical and social centre of One On One.

It is also an important piece of environmental infrastructure.

The engineering complexity was high because much of the landscaped environment interfaced with the basement structure below.

The piazza is consequently not landscaping added around buildings—it is landscape engineered as part of the building and infrastructure system.

Major Corporate Occupiers

One On One has attracted major institutional occupiers including Air India/Air India Express and Ericsson.

Air India’s consolidation of major operations into approximately 700,000 sq. ft. of accommodation created one of the largest corporate occupancies within the campus.

Ericsson similarly established a major office presence within the development.

From an engineering perspective, the significance of such occupiers extended well beyond their corporate names.

Thousands of employees occupy the buildings simultaneously and depend continuously upon their engineering infrastructure. These occupancies therefore provide a demanding real-world test of the campus’s engineering resilience.

Testing, Commissioning & System Integration

The technical sophistication of One On One lies not merely in the capacity of its individual systems but in their interaction.

The campus therefore was commissioned as an integrated engineering ecosystem, rather than as a series of unrelated equipment packages.

For large institutional occupiers, this level of commissioning is fundamental to business continuity.

Approximately 12 MVA Standby Power

Major corporate headquarters demand continuity of electrical supply as a business requirement, not a mere amenity. One On One therefore incorporates approximately 12 MVA of DG backup capacity for designated campus loads.

At this capacity, the standby generation system effectively operates as a substantial independent power installation.

Following a utility failure, loads cannot simply be restored indiscriminately. Critical systems are prioritized and electrical demand is introduced in a controlled sequence. Fire and life-safety systems, essential lighting, pumps, critical lifts and designated tenant infrastructure therefore formed part of a coordinated business-continuity strategy.

Central Plant Energy Optimisation

Installing 6,000 TR of cooling capacity was only part of the engineering challenge.

The more important long-term objective was to operate that plant efficiently.

So, the central plant needed to respond dynamically to real demand.

At a 6,000 TR scale, relatively small percentage improvements in operating efficiency could produce substantial annual energy savings.

Plant performance indicators such as kW/TR, operating hours and load profiles therefore became important components of long-term asset management.

Building Management System & Automation

The scale of One On One’s engineering infrastructure made centralized monitoring essential.

An integrated Building Management System (BMS) was installed to provide operational visibility and control over major services.

The BMS provides three major engineering benefits.

Operational Control
Engineering teams can monitor equipment and systems from centralized locations rather than relying exclusively on local intervention.

Energy Management
Equipment operation can respond to actual demand, schedules and operating conditions.

Preventive Maintenance
Abnormal operating parameters can be identified before they develop into equipment failures or service interruptions.

The BMS therefore converts thousands of individual pieces of equipment into a coordinated and observable engineering platform.

Three-Level Basement Engineering

Three basement levels provide parking for approximately 2,500 vehicles together with significant common engineering infrastructure.

The strong structural grid supports the office buildings above while maintaining efficient parking and vehicular circulation below.

The basements feature extensive mechanical ventilation and smoke-management infrastructure, fire-fighting systems, emergency power and drainage.

Protection against water ingress is particularly important in a three-level basement. Waterproofing, ramp geometry, storm-water interception and pumping were therefore treated as critical engineering systems rather than secondary details.

LEED Platinum – Sustainability Through Engineering

One On One’s LEED Platinum certification reflects an integrated engineering strategy rather than the addition of isolated sustainability features.

Building Envelope Efficiency
The combination of double glazing and insulated stone-clad walls was a significant component of the energy strategy. The façade reduces both solar and conductive heat gain before that heat can become a mechanical cooling load. The building envelope thus works directly with the central cooling plant rather than independently of it.

High-Efficiency Central Cooling
The 6,000 TR central plant allows cooling demand to be aggregated and managed at campus scale.

Energy-Efficient Lighting &Amp; Controls
LED lighting reduces connected electrical load and generates less internal heat than conventional lighting.

Renewable Energy
Solar photovoltaic installations were set up to contribute renewable electricity for appropriate campus and common-area requirements.

For a development with electrical infrastructure measured in tens of MVA, solar generation formed part of a broader energy strategy rather than replacing the primary electrical network.

Its role is to reduce grid-energy consumption and the environmental impact associated with common-area operations.

Storm-water & Rainwater Engineering

The 12-acre development containing large roofs, hardscape and three levels of basement required careful storm-water engineering.

Roof and surface runoff is collected through a coordinated drainage network.

Rainwater-harvesting systems support groundwater recharge while reducing uncontrolled discharge from the site.

Particular attention was given to basement ramps and low points: levels, intercepting drains and pumping arrangements protect the lower basements from water ingress during periods of intense rainfall.

Engineering a Live Corporate Campus

One of the most challenging aspects of One On One was how to continue construction and commissioning while completed buildings remained occupied by major corporate users.

Once an occupier became operational, the development could no longer be managed as a conventional closed construction site.

Physical Separation
Construction zones, labour movement and material handling were segregated from operational office areas.

Construction Logistics
Heavy vehicles and deliveries used controlled routes and operating windows to minimize interaction with employees and visitors.

Utility Protection
Existing electrical, chilled-water, fire, water, drainage and communications infrastructure were mapped, identified and protected before adjoining construction began.

Independent Construction Services
Temporary construction power and water were separated from permanent tenant services wherever practicable.

Controlled Shutdowns
Connections to operational infrastructure were executed through planned shutdowns, isolation procedures, temporary bypass arrangements and predetermined restoration protocols.

Progressive Commissioning
New equipment and infrastructure were tested independently before being connected to operational systems.