Render of a fuel station at night with a white three-lobed canopy on branching columns and an orange and green pylon

Mono Roof

Fuel station and everything on it

Year: 2022 to 2023
Place: North India
Context: Professional project for HMEL, Incubis Consultants
Role: Design lead, mentored by the studio’s co-founder

5 concepts: two types built
8 to 10: full design iterations in six months
Across India: now in production

Every object on site, from the 6.5 metre pylon to the POS counter, derived from a three-petal logo.

01The brief

A fuel station for North India’s busiest highways. Five concepts went to the client. Each was sketched, modelled for feasibility and tested for light.

Canopy study of hexagonal petals on one column

Canopy study flaring from a single column — Four of the canopy studies.

Grid of three canopy concepts in sketch, 3D model and lit render, marked unselected, unselected, selected — Three of the five through sketch, 3D and lighting. The third went forward.

02From logo to canopy

The client’s logo is three petals. Their geometry became the canopy; their colours went to everything else.

Logo to geometry, geometry to sites and objects.

Night render of the canopy and a tall orange and green pylon — Final iteration.

03A family of objects

Then everything on site, from the high mast to the counter, was drawn into the same family.

Pencil sketches of signs and counters with orange and green bands — First sketches.

Lineup of roadside objects from a tall mast to a small counter, against a highway background — Large scale to small: high mast, light pole, monolith, pylon, dispenser, entry sign, counter, stock board.

Render of a tall orange, white and green roadside pylon — Pylon, 6.5 metres.

Render of a fuel dispenser with an orange and green stripe — Dispenser.

Render of a white counter with an orange edge and green shelf — POS counter.

Render of a folded white entry sign with a green arrow — Entry sign.

04On the ground

It was worked into two types: a city site and a highway site with wayside amenities.

Dimensioned site plan of the fuel station with canopy, plinth, paving and landscape shaded — Detailed technical plan. 3,180 square metres, three dispensers.

Both types are now built and in production across India. It took eight to ten full design iterations in six months. It was the first time I led design.

Photograph of a completed fuel station at night with orange-edged canopy and staff on the forecourt — A built station.

The pylon, built.

05Outcome

Site: 3,180 square metres. Canopy 900, built-up area 320, three dispensers
Delivered: Drawings, construction packages, visualisations and presentations at each stage
Worked with: Two structural engineers, three client teams, in-house MEP and 3D animation teams
Tools: Rhino, Lumion, SketchUp