Studio Symbiosis’s revitalization of the ID Origins Headquarters building involved the retrofitting of a road-facing low-rise retail block within the Dudhwala Complex, in the heart of South Mumbai. This 18,750 sq m rehabilitation project, situated on a 1.5-acre site near Mumbai Central, is blessed with breathtaking views of the surrounding urban landscape. Its renovated frontage was envisaged as a tantalizing new landmark in the locality’s bustling urban environment.
Architect: Studio Symbiosis
Scope: Facade | Landscape
Program: Dudhwala Office Headquarters, Residential, Office Area, Lobby
Project Lead: Dewesh Agrawal
Design Team: Concept Design: Kartik Misra, Chinmay Chowdhary, Anjan Mondal, Mandeep Chaudhary, Aditya Sharma Detail Design: Jitrendra Farkade
Partners: Amit Gupta, Britta Knobel Gupta
Site Area: 1.5 Acre
Built-Up Area: 18750 sq m
Status: Under Construction Since October 2019
The existing six-storey structure had housed office spaces for the I.Dudhwala Real Estate Group since its construction in the 1980s, along with three residential towers present within the complex at the structure’s rear. The existing building was central to the group’s operations and served as a foundational symbol of its history and progress. In merging the old with the new, Studio Symbiosis sought to create an iconic edifice from the existing built form that honoured the organization’s past while looking towards its future.
Taking advantage of the project’s prime location within Mumbai’s lively urban milieu, the rehabilitation program specified the addition of 12 floors of residential units to the existing low-rise structure. Subsequently, the extra loads from the new levels necessitated the augmentation of the existing structural system.
For this purpose, the two masses were connected through a load transferring girder with supplementary external columns provided from the building’s ground level. However, protruding columns and shafts from the existing structure and external grids in the new residential block would not have aligned when placed above one another.
Moreover, there was significant difficulty in integrating both sections as part of a cohesive unit due to clashes between the two distinct horizontal striations on their exterior faces. The resulting mismatch in the structure’s external rhythm created a dichotomy that eventually served as the driving force behind the facade’s design.
Studio Symbiosis settled upon utilizing geometric facade elements to synchronize this prevalent duality within the building’s strata. These elements align with peripheral columns and screen them, taking on undulating, V-shaped profiles whose organic strokes allowed for the seamless, harmonized unification of both sections into a coherent whole – thereby moderating the previous disjunction between their grids.
The surfaces of these facade elements feature perforations at lower levels to minimize glare and ameliorate heat gain in commercial spaces – as per the firm’s commitment to energy-conscious, performance-driven design.
Furthermore, their convex strokes taper at higher levels to run parallel with the upper block’s vertical grid and ensure unobstructed views of the surrounding cityscape within the residential units. In employing these measures, Studio Symbiosis catered to the necessities of both commercial and residential functions within the building’s mixed-use program by ensuring optimum levels of natural illumination and thermal performance in the former, as well as creating visual links between interior and exterior in the latter.
The V-profile was initially devised to ensure flexibility in the choice of materials for fabrication. To this end, Aluminium Composite Panels were eventually selected – for their lightweight properties, fire rating, and durability, in the aftermath of tests conducted before assembly.
Additionally, openable glazing is inset between the faded profiles of the geometrical facade elements in the residential units, while a homogenous fixed curtain wall system rests behind these elements on the commercial floors. All this served to amplify the coherency and performance of the structure’s unique facade.
The building’s new edifice welcomes visitors to the site, acting as a focal point for the entire complex at the street level. Old entrances and exits were rerouted to create an urban lobby, with landscaping and pedestrian walkways that further enhance its aesthetic quality.
This ground-level development blends into the local streetscape of Mumbai – cementing its position as a visual landmark within the locality’s urban fabric. The site is also well connected to nearby metro and railway stations, as well as the Worli Sea Link, Mumbai airport, or the BKC and Nariman Point business districts.
The design language exhibited in the facade extends to interior spaces, where the decor showcases similar motifs. Residential units above the new ID Origins Headquarters will host luxury 1,2,3, and 4 BHK units, provided with anodized aluminum sliding windows, video doors with intercom systems, gas leak detectors, and flush doors.
The new building will also contain state-of-the-art amenities such as a grand entrance lobby, gymnasium, parking spaces, CCTV surveillance systems, and smoke sensors in common areas.
Studio Symbiosis’s design for ID Origins embodies the firm’s philosophy of amalgamating robust, efficient, and sustainable solutions, aided by the use of computational tools, to create architecture moulded by the parameters of performance. This has resulted in an elegant, visually enthralling structure – creating a spectacle that marks the advent of a new era in the Dudhwala group’s legacy.
Construction on the ID Origins Headquarters commenced in October 2019, with lower portions of the facade elements currently nearing completion. As a testament to the project’s quality, ID Origins was also honoured during the 36th World Architecture Community Awards cycle for its inimitable design approach.
