Obvious is an office space for a growing team of designers with a unique sense of choice and principles that fuelled the design development for the interior of their new workspace. Discussions with the client, led to the concept driven by minimalism, followed by a soft colour palette which eventually resulted in the theme being white and grey with a complementing texture of birch ply and a little green to complement the whites.
Architects: MYVN ARCHITECTURE
Design team: Elayaraja Mayavan & Himanshu Lamba
Client: OBVIOUS
Location: Bangalore, India
Project type: Office interior
Area: 6500 Sq. Ft.
year: 2019
Contractor : RAHUL ASSOCIATES, & Galore Constructions
Lighting: Achu P & IKEA
Furniture: Sangaru, SPIN & IKEA
Photography: MYVN Architecture
Low ceiling height was a challenge for achieving a comfortable space. An aisle, opening up to the glazed facades is introduced in order to infuse maximum natural light which eventually illuminated the whole office including smaller workspaces.
The client believed in having enough space for everyone and not making it a congested space unlike other offices in Bangalore which resulted in opting to work on a floor plate of 6500 sq.ft for 25 people i.e. double the required area. Though the plan is divided into parts, it follows the order and feels vast.
The zones for working are Deep work zone, transition zone and community zone. Entering into the community zone, one can see the space designed with the mere thought of privacy while using sunlight from the opposite façade to its full potential. Fluted glass is used, making it a key feature, to provide privacy as well as giving a blur insight into the office, creating a unique experience through shimmering shadows of people crossing by and sunlight filtering in through translucent screen. This partition is used for segregating the plan with three layers, one is at the entrance, second one is creating barrier between the dining and the workshop space and lastly creating a partition by joining two columns to segregate different workspaces for the engineers and designers respectively.
Moving ahead, the workshop space is designed for hands-on, a pocket for the team to interact and elevate the creative process. An original ring sofa designed by Sandeep Sangaru and some minimalist furniture from Spin is brought in to add to the character of the space while supporting the crafts of local artists. On the other side of the glass is a flexible space for 40 people to dine in or to have a kind of a setup with projector by shuffling the furniture. The fluted glass acts as the backdrop adding to the framework.
The aisle leads up to the transition zone consisting of one of the three pockets of workspaces with sliding folding systems along with white boards. This space acts as a discussion area. The conference room at the entrance provides a glimpse of the work context and office culture.
The third zone, that consists of the deep work zone involves the predominant workspace where the group crafts their motives and work. The second workspace incorporates a linear table near the column partition designed for the engineers and the third one has high planter boxes for designers, although the team believes in flexible working and shuffle spaces according to their needs. The space also includes a library and two meeting rooms side by side.
All the other parts designed by the purity of white, the washrooms are all black, representing the complimentary vibe of a dark zone. The intention behind the washrooms is to promote the feel of an intimate and lit space to relax and focus on oneself.
The balconies that are flooded with green and wrap around the whole space, add as a relaxing feature. One can stroll around or attend phone calls while being amidst nature. The glazed facades enclose the office as an entity and after stepping out in the balcony, one can feel the chaotic city. The balcony acts as a buffer creating a soothing filter and refining one’s vision while looking over the city. The balconies at the front are filled with green whereas the rear side balconies fulfilled the purpose of utility area
Since the whole space is flooded with natural light, it enhances the idea of minimalism. The intention behind using grey cement epoxy was to blend in with the minimalistic approach and adding the complementing greens completed the picture as a whole.
