Once in a while comes a project that one is extremely proud of, because of its ability to change you, architects dont just shape the world, in turn they are shaped by the world and this project did just that. For one, it made me an ardent fan of light at 2700K and once you have that in your living and working space you’d know why. But besides that this one project located off the main spine of Bengaluru, the MG Road is an office space for a start-up company, an account aggregator that makes online payment portals work. As the quick commerce industry takes India by storm, delivery in an instant, it is only possible because of payments that are carried out in an instant. The office tucked away in the leafy lanes off the busy MG Road, is an oasis, a respite with its green cover and also a location where work is possible round the clock, and along with nature features commissioned art that makes creative thinking, work and execution possible.
To start with the design, in a rare case and also a very interesting one, I consulted the eminent Vaastu consultant Hari AR and discovered the science of Vaastu-shashtra, an ancient science that dictates how people could tap into the resources of the universe to build for positivity. And in that meeting, while the octogenarian explained the means to use an existing house for the win, I looked up several books that he has written to find wisdom in the way of life, whether color or water. Now armed with the ancient principles leveraging the movement of the sun, the plans for the bungalow to be retrofitted into an office space for about 25 people began. Every office works in a different way, just like no house is run the same, the nature of work, the dynamics of the team, and the requirement of every industry is vastly different. When Sri Harsha Majety of Swiggy declared at the Valley school interview that Swiggy doesnt have an office space, his model of work-from-home works for the company to maintain low overheads. But at Sahamati, the nature of work required the principals to meet investors and key decision makers on a daily basis, along with specialised teams carrying out specific works that make the collective output possible. So while walls were brought how and ceilings peeled, the new layout expanded the space with transparent glass partition systems that serve acoustic purposes too.
The work spaces sprawl over the bungalow, some inside and some outdoor to welcome creative thinking and a tryst with nature, the birdsong in retrospect is totally worth it! Something to bring out the calm even on a very busy day. While nature works at its own pace, not hurrying forth to complete anything, so do the living beings in tune with nature, with that as the design concept for this office, the cue from nature is brought into the spaces that are expansive, soulful and are lent a dose of calm in their colour and composition. While the electrical team and the gypboard teams worked in tandem to make use of the existing walls and electrical points, tearing down walls where unnecessary, we unearthed, quite literally old wardrobes hidden away behind gypsum walls. Using the old wardrobes as storage spaces for the office, allowed for the work-stations to remain frill-free and essentially levitate over the different work spaces. As possible, work-stations are kept central and not facing the wall, that allows the team to feel a part of the team and encourage collaboration. Interior design is also in part behavioural design where designing interiors of a space is also a way of designing behaviour of the users who inhabit the space. Keeping the walls free of desks, make the walls a space to ideate, with large glass boards installed to collaborate together on ideas or literally to think things out. The sense of wood in combination with white lends a zen-like feeling in the space while also adding in the earthy element of wood, a warmth that brings out the best in a any of us. With an addition of commissioned art, some bringing in the softness of nature, others highlighting the monumentality of India and even more suggesting the quirks of the generation, thinking even of outer space, and at other times being other wordly, accentuating the mythology of lore, the tales of Krishna carrying the Govardhan Parvat on his little finger, the streets of Hampi, or the learning centre of Nalanda. The beautiful art work complement the essence of nature and the spirit of mankind in full force.
In terms of functionality, the office is enclosed by sprawling gardens in the front and the rear, that is treated with pretty flora, floral art and seating space for discussions and open communication. The gardens are in full view from the main cabins for the founders, the work spaces and the conference rooms on the ground and the first floors. The main central wooden staircase provides the two floor connection, keeping the feel light and airy connecting the more public portions of the office to more private spaces on the upper floor. The tone of the conference room on the ground floor is kept more cordial, while the conference room on the upper floor is kept more collaborative and inclusive. Each of the rooms are given unique names, while the conference rooms are titled Hampi and Nalanda, the meeting room is called Synapse, suggesting the interchange of information between neurons, the work spaces are called Pi, Infinity and Fractal, that centre-stage mathematical concepts that are crucial to today’s computational industry that make the fringes of development possible. The ground floor also has in its midst a white brick wall with a collage of milestones of the company and the people that make the company thrive, with framed photographs and news-clippings orchestrated to inform the viewer on the stalwart achievements made by the company. On the upper floor at the landing of the staircase is the library that is flanked by two workspaces and leads out into the cafeteria area, enclosed in a tiled lit roof and the other conference room sided on two sides by glass windows and doors. From the library space are visible the two main art works that display the bright strength of India, the monuments of the country are curated and painted in a black sketchy tone by artist Ahamm Aditya and the intricate line work of Lord Krishna carrying on his little finger the might Govardhan mountain, taking into shelter his people, a note is made to the nature of work done at Sahamati that aggregates to empower people of the country. Art, an important part of the project is given its due and possibly took the most time to curate and commission following many warm and heated discussions between noteworthy influential figures and thinkers in the Bengaluru tech circles and equally enthused artists from the city’s own ChitraKala Parishad.
The workspaces on the upper level, open out to the outdoors through shaded balconies that allow for meetings and open air discussions. Here a tree of life is painted on the wall with a red perforated bench, open for seating, and perhaps to strike notes of nirvana! While the palate of the furniture is kept neutral, all the furniture is custom-made, white and light textured wood, pops of colour in strategic locations are made with the use of red, to energise the space and infuse in it prosperity. With a lot of spaces facing the outdoors, blinds are installed, as per the necessity, different fenestrations are employed to maintain optimum lighting levels. The design makes the most use of daylight by opening up the existing windows and keeping them free to allow for light and ventilation all through the day. Balancing the indoor and the outdoor in equal proportions, this project also as a Design and Build project has me donning the hat of an architect and a builder. The best works are those where the architect dons the builders hat for sure, for the sensitivity that it lends to the project is for the win, for the project. While most of the existing parts of the building are retained, for sustainability is to keep some while remodelling some, breaking down a building should always not be an option, there is great merit in Brownfield architecture, a lot for the environment, and thats what we tried to do with this project. As the office works in its own rhythm churning out work for the future of India, the new tree planted by its chief patron and mentor, Shri Nandan Nilekani, also the Father of most Bengaluru Start-ups, rustles with the cool breeze of Bengaluru and finds its own rhythm.
Project Data:
Project Architect & Builder: Vedasri Siddamsetty
Project Area: 6500 sft
Project Timeline: November 2023 to April 2024
Project Team: Impel Inc, Inder Woodworks, Skynet Networking, Featherlite Office system, Likos Partitions, Sachin Light house, The Town Hardware Stores, Polar Solutions, NXT Powertech, Arpitha Kamarthi Landscape, Kwality Furnishings, Light Form Marketing, Amit Safety Enterprises, Seagull technologies, NB Marketing, Design Mint
Project Photos:
Vedasri Siddamsetty 