The ground floor contains a reception and waiting area, conference room, cabins and pantry while the first floor has the executive cabins, workstations, waiting area and conference room. The terrace is accessed from a separate service staircase.

The ground floor contains a reception and waiting area, conference room, cabins and pantry while the first floor has the executive cabins, workstations, waiting area and conference room. The terrace is accessed from a separate service staircase.

Extremely simple in its design, the overall architecture is a play of spaces, pure volumes, materials and light. The structure was designed in prefabricated bolted systems in steel, so that the whole structure, apart from the foundations and the civil works, if required could be reused for other projects. The interior design doesn’t detach itself from the architecture, rather is a free-flowing extension of the outside to the within.

They wished to showcase their strength in building construction and finishing, evolving from their humble roots as a construction company to a reputed development company of the future. The result was an 8-storey building block encased with an exoskeleton designed to hold the glass façade in place with a suave contemporary interior design language rendered luxurious with the use of plush finishes and furniture.

Looking at a company with a strong legacy firmly rooted in the present and creating for the future, the studio suggested a more daring route, one that would be inspired from the classic, but created with the technology of the present and be relevant in the years to come. A thoroughly intensive design exercise rationalized the geometry of classical Victorian interiors breathing life into the space with modern techniques and materials.

To incorporate an estimated 50 people office within an existing residential building, the internal layout was completely remodelled, leaving the external lines of the boundary intact so as to not disturb the surrounding fabric. Ample openings made on the North and the Eastern edges allowed as much natural light as possible into each interior space. The openings in the south were protected by the existing boundary wall and a metal trellis that acts as a shading device. Bamboo and wooden venetian blinds were used to control internal lighting levels.

All the internal partitioning was done in exposed 3”x 3”x 8” Fly ash Brick masonry which has a very low embodied energy. All the zones are divided with their own individual master switches for air-conditioning and electrical outlets which lets zones get shut off when not in use. All lighting fixtures are LED and have a very low combined electrical load. Lighting in the toilets is controlled by motion sensors to optimize the electrical consumption. The entire rainwater and air-conditioning drainage is fed to a harvesting tank which stores water for cleaning and landscaping.

The majority of the flooring and wall panelling is made from reclaimed wooden packaging material picked up from stone importers and put together in an intricate pattern which forms the character of the internal space. Reclaimed tiles from manufacturers and traders have been used for broken tile mosaic finishes, and cut tile patterns in toilets and pantry areas. Some of the furniture was reclaimed and remodelled from the previous premises.

The roof has been covered with two layers of 50 mm thick over deck insulation, protected by a reclaimed tile-mosaic floor which in itself reflects a considerable amount of heat. All the openings in the building are fitted with airtight UPVC windows and doors which restrict losses during the summer and winter months and are operable for the humid months when cross ventilation is a must to achieve comfort.