An Office Design in India that Keeps Creativity, Energy and Spirits High

That our surroundings affect our mood, productivity and creativity is a universally acknowledged fact, and the designers at Arkiplan International took that literally when they designed their architectural office with an abundance of spaces that range from private and communal to formal and casual to give the creative minds behind the firm an environment that keeps their creativity, energy and spirit scales high.

There are different punctual elements that come together to enliven the great working space. The office opens up to a reception donned by a magnificent parametric table with the backdrop of a green wall and faces a semi-formal meeting room in the tones of warm yellow. Rather than confronting the open reception with the closed meeting room, a complementary, coherent whole has been created with a sleek divider.

The office follows an open plan layout to foster communication among the staff and seeks to create engagement through design and design through engagement. With the open floor plan comes the responsibility to create breakout areas where people can get a few moments of quiet or concentrate. It has been catered to with several quiet spaces. A stepped seating in leather-finish granite provides the opportunities for spontaneous conversations and a creative setting for casual recreation and refreshment. The steps look upon a wall of human-sized sculptures based on the theme of ‘Resurgam’, which translates to I shall rise again. It inspires people to look beyond their current struggles in the hopes of a blissful tomorrow and future.

There are two meeting spaces in the office that can seat up to six or eight people each. These two rooms vary widely in their furniture and language. The formal meeting room consists of a traditional conference table and chair arrangement and is home to a corten steel word cloud that features the verticals and the chief value drivers of the company. The formal meeting area is also compatible with Amazon Alexa that can be used to set various moods and settings in the space. The semi-formal meeting area, on the other hand, is in the tones of warm yellow to break the monotony of all-white corporate spaces. The space features a height-adjustable table and bar stools to make long design discussions more comfortable. Both the meeting rooms use smart TV displays to aid meetings, conferences, video calls and presentations.

What other kind of support space or amenity spaces are provided?

The office is in close proximity to the Rapid Metro station which is just 1.5 miles away while shopping complexes, popular eateries, salons and retail stores reside close.

Was the C-Suite involved in the project planning and design process? If so, how?

A considerable amount of time was spent in discussions and meetings with the teams to find out how they were working, how they would work in an ideal world and the desired culture. The idea was to identify what they wanted to experience in the new space.

Were any pre-planning surveys conducted to get employee input?

We worked with the workforce directly to understand and learn how each team functions and their seating arrangement was planned accordingly to encourage design through engagement and engagement through design. All the designers were also directly involved in the designing and planning process of the office to come up with something that was beneficial for all.

Were any change-management initiatives employed?

As employee engagement was a major objective of this project, the breakout areas became an issue of importance. There is a variety of time-out zones that range from a casual stepped seating to a counter-height bar table area. There is also an outdoor seating area on the terrace garden to offer a generous dose of natural light, air and greenery to the employees. All of these spaces have been designed as flexible areas which can be used as collaboration spaces, refreshment zones and recreational sections.

The fluid table has been made out of FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Plastic) as it was the only material that could support its design and curves while still keeping a tab on the weight. Another interesting material used in the office is corten steel, that gets its name from corrosion resistance and tensile strength, which sums up its properties.

For specific examples, please describe the product, how it was used, and if it solved any specific problem.

The office is truly vibrant and reflects the distinct style of the architecture firm. Crisp lines, flowing curves, lacquered surfaces and a play of levels are all expressions of the versatility of design. Meticulous detailing and careful planning of all types of spaces, light fixtures and acoustic dry walls celebrate Arkiplan’s rigorous and empirical approach to design.

What is the most unique feature of the new space?

The team meeting room features a height-adjustable table to make long design discussions more comfortable. The roof also has a terrace garden with seating to provide fresh air and greenery to the staff.

What kind of technology products were used? 

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