Designing the ‘unoffice’-THE HINDU

It is customary to expect an office space to have straight-lined cabins, formal hues, and exude a sombre ambience. Even when a relatively cheerful lively ambience is preferred, the décor continues to lean towards formality, the tones more inclined towards conventional office spaces.

But how about stepping into an office where you can cycle in, step into a bus to take a break, lock yourself into one of the telephone booths of yore to make a call, munch from a food van kiosk? A little hard to conceptualise and more so, actually walk through such a space? Architect Mukul Kulkarni’s design offers just that and much more, leaving the visitor literally gobsmacked.

As principal architect of White Design, Kulkarni was given a brief for the design of a 50,000 sq.ft. single floor space of a software centre that clearly spoke of zero cabins, open plan, and expansive space for seamless interaction and collaboration. Kulkarni realised that to meet this brief he needed to come up with a design that was unique.

Friendly neighbourhood

Thus came up elements in his space that were hitherto unheard of, such as a bus, a taxi, scooters, food van, and a cycle, to name a few. The design was fluid, dynamic, the walls minimal, the spaces speaking of total transparency, the environment reflecting a community hub rather than a rigid demarcated office space. The concept opted was that of a ‘friendly neighbourhood’, the emerging spaces not just stunning but proving to be intensely productive for the user.

Given the age group of the users predominantly being 23-27 years, the design Kulkarni came up with evokes fun and interaction while packing in a silent serious strain that is productive, contemplative, packaged in a green environment. Each section is lent a distinctive character, the individual spaces more experiential in nature, blending in seamlessly open and enclosed spaces involving open discussion areas and pods, video conferencing and training rooms, workstations, and resource rooms along with telephone booths that take the user back in time.

Winding pathways

The winding pathways that mark the entire office connect to meditation rooms, break-out areas, amphitheatre, recreational spaces, library, central atrium, and even a crèche. The entire office is designed as 16 zones, each zone self-sufficient, with its own resource room, discussion pods, workstations, break-out space as well as coffee vending machines. Colour and art demarcate each zone, the colours tying in with the carpets layering the winding pathways that connect each zone.

As in a neighbourhood, each zone incorporates small landmarks to serve as a guide. The landmark could be a vintage Premier Padmini, a set of Vespa scooters, or a bus covered in vibrant graffiti. Street lights, park benches, Bollywood posters, and food kiosks mark the pathways, akin to a normal neighbourhood street.

Sustainability quotient

And that is not all. Recycled materials too mark these individual zones, bringing in the sustainability quotient. A shipping container thus becomes a conference room. “The interiors are kept transparent by opting for glass tables and chairs such that the visual feel of being inside the shipping container is not lost,” says Kulkarni. Likewise, the bus doused in graffiti serves as a discussion area, invoking a fun element during serious work.

The dynamic office also displays the presence of contradictory elements in the space, where earthy flavour merges effortlessly with the vibrant hues.

Thus a riot of colours in the form of bright hues in the individual pods and demarcating panels sit harmoniously with exposed brick walls and raw, rustic textures in the open discussion nooks.

While scribbling panels invite the employees to indulge and permit their imagination to flow unhindered, the differential patterns and textures that mark the entire office space elicit a sense of surprise and novelty, provoking creativity in every employee.

Central atrium

A sky-lit expansive central atrium with its food van kiosk serves as an irresistible space to unwind at the end of the day. A white amoeba-shaped table, representative of the unconventional design, sits at the centre, with its high table, bench, deck chair, and stools, permitting groups to use it in multiple ways as suits their fancy. The atrium further connects to an adjacent rock climbing wall along with a vertical garden, fusing in effectively the fun element with the work spaces.

A notable factor is the per capita space availability per employee, the office housing only 368 employees even though it can ideally accommodate 500 employees.

“It gives ample space for each to ponder, deliberate, wear their creative hats and log in exemplary work”, avers Kulkarni.

Be it a fairy tale wooden bridge to hang out on and shake away an unexpected mind block or board a vibrant bus and tread back to childhood, or pick a chosen corner as the heart wills to work from, Kulkarni’s design proves to be truly an experience that evokes positivity and cheer.