New Fish Market at Loop Road, Chennai

The award-winning Loop Road fish market in Chennai, built for the Greater Chennai Corporation at Pattinapakkam, transforming an informal beachside market into a clean, shaded and dignified public space for Chennai's fishing community.

The Project

From an informal roadside market to award-winning civic architecture in Chennai

The Loop Road along Chennai's Marina coastline has long hosted fish vendors working from temporary stalls on the roadside. Vernacular Building Solutions was engaged by the Greater Chennai Corporation to design a permanent fish market at Pattinapakkam that gives vendors organised stalls, shade, drainage and water, while keeping the open, breezy character of a beachside market.

Our design uses a light, ephemeral structure with a sweeping roof that shelters the stalls from sun and rain, allows sea breeze to move through the market, and reads as a landmark along the Loop Road. Clear circulation, wash-down flooring and dedicated waste handling improve hygiene for vendors and buyers alike.

The design views below show the market as presented to the Corporation. The project received the Construction Industry Award for Excellence in Ephemeral Architectural Design and is one of the most visible examples of VBS's public infrastructure work in Chennai.

Project facts

Client: Greater Chennai Corporation
Location: Loop Road, Pattinapakkam, Chennai
Typology: Public infrastructure, market
Scope: Architecture, landscape, site planning
Status: Completed 2024
Principal Architect: Babjee S
Senior Architect: Sharmili S
Design Team: Vignesh
Recognition: Construction Industry Award: Excellence in Ephemeral Architectural Design