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Architects: Design Plus
- Area: 2200 ft²
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Vibhor Yadav
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Manufacturers: Saint-Gobain, Halomax Lighting Solutions, Livin Products, Spin, Urban Ladder
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Lead Architects: Arun Bij, Abhishek Bij
Text description provided by the architects. Being part of the growth endeavor of a brand such as William Grant & Sons was an exciting prospect for Design Plus Architects. The brief was in-sync with their company’s values of pride, responsibility, professionalism, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. These values were not necessarily imbibed as metaphors but were also prevalent in an objective requirement - of several small meeting rooms, semi-formal discussion zones, well-lit interiors, a possible gathering of 70+ people for a town hall, proverbial open office; essentially a lively and happy working environment.
Gone are the days when offices used to be linear spaces with workstations repeated in a regular manner when the boss used to have the biggest room in the entire office from where he could keep an eye on his employees. Times have changed and so has the planning of office spaces. Now, the time demands interaction and exchange of ideas. The time demands discussions which involve everyone in the office to give their ideas. So has the architecture and interiors evolved with this concept.
The evolution of the concept can be seen in the design. Spread across an area of 2200 Sq. Ft., the office was divided into two zones – Ideation Space (Meeting Hall) and Conversation Room. While the Ideation Space would encompass formal discussions and presentations by the marketing and business development team; the conversation room would cater to more semi-formal/informal deliberations. The design of the Ideation Space questioned the need for secluded meeting rooms. The proposed sunken discussion pods, each housing 14 seats, were taken as an answer.
The Pods are self-sufficient to run individual discussions and presentations. These were sunk within the congregational amphitheater. The Ideation Space has the capacity to bring together 80+ proud employees to attend management pitches, HR revisions or simply celebrate achievements. 8’ wide slider links, physically and visually, link the Ideation Space to the Conversation Room. The Conversation Room incorporates various configurations of seating – from coffee sets to hot desks and even a 12’ long bar table. This encourages the user to seek individual comfort based on the hierarchy of conversation. The conversation room includes a library and a pantry counter to complement longer duration.
The primary materials were borrowed from a distillery dispatch. The Hardwood batons and MS flats (bent & configured as required) not only make a symbolic connection but also add warmth to the space. Both the zones have distinct ceiling and lighting patterns. While the discussion pods carry their respective light barrels, the café carries a range of light and HVAC flutes. The firm believes in minimizing the use of materials and textures, hence the ceiling draws the same texture as the furniture or the walls. The design caters to the modern day office requirements, interactive and appealing yet functional, evoking a simplistic charm and enhancing the productivity of the employees.
