The Ripon Building is an all-white structure and is located near the Chennai Central railway station.

[citation needed] The walls were constructed with stock bricks, set and plastered with lime mortar and the roof is supported with teak wood joists.

[2] All departments of the Chennai Corporation, except the offices of the Mayor and Commissioner, function from the annexe building.

The building also features a 500-seat auditorium, a 100-seat conference hall and 70 toilets with facilities for disabled people.

The building has been able to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by means of a water-cooled air-conditioning system and heat-reflective tiles on the roof.

[3] In 2012, a massive renovation was initiated at a cost of ₹77 million under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), to preserve the building's original grandeur.