Chennai has a very vibrant and rich culture. The bold colour palette is inspired by the strong character of the city. The Hive is a co – working space in VR mall of Chennai. The space has a linear layout with apt proportion of enclosures and break out spaces. The common areas are connected by a wide corridor that has a linear form.
Type: Co-working space
Location: Chennai, India
Year: 2018
Area: 20,000 sq. ft.
Project: The Hive
Architects: MYVN Architecture
Client: The Hive – VR Mall
Principal Architect: Elayaraja Mayavan
Design team: Guru Prakash, Aashay Thakkar & Palak Arora
Photos: MYVN Architecture
Contractor: Cauvery buildtech
To break the monotony of corridors, a variety of dedicated workspaces, hot desks and cabins have been carefully introduced in the layout. The cabins are given a sloped roof deriving from the Chettinad houses and giving a feeling of home away from home.
Wooden flooring is used in the cabins to continue the idea of having a homely feel. The pop of rich Indian colours along with contrasting black creates a cosy yet active environment to work. The transparent glass partitions for cabins allow an open and free working environment. The light that is filtered in through these cabins is in proportion to its seating capacity. The majestic height is optimised by creating mezzanines. Activities that require smaller and secluded areas like meeting rooms, open meeting nooks and cabins are accommodated on theses mezzanines.
The height promotes a playful vision which shows the massive scale yet the sunken areas which has a low height. The area under the mezzanine, which has a low height, leads to the cafeteria facing a view of the growing city with Chennai metro in the background. Light installations are added to enhance the vertical volume in the café. The 6m high façade of the structure brings in a lot of light throughout the space.
A warm palette and low seating with minimal lights is used at the reception area for a welcoming feel. An amphitheatre at the entrance is like a threshold between the hotel lobby in the front and the office. The mixed use and interaction at this space allows other people to catch a glimpse of the hive community. Hive is a fresh take on co working space with a contemporary mix on the tradition.
