Cube on Cube

The exposed brick facade of the building runs evenly throughout the length fabricating a "Jaali look" composed Purely or raw bricks Placed strategically.  Brick is an incredibly versatile material, as evidenced in the use of a combination or full bricks and brick tiles in this project to create a screen That Allows the building to be shaded from the western sun. The resultant device play of light and shadow, solid and void changes during the course of the day.

Infres Methodex Office

InfresMethodex is an organization specializing in niche office automation products like shredders and currency counting machines. They needed to comfortably accommodate their current team in a new location while providing sufficient scope for future expansion. The only brief from our clients was to create an office space that would foster the values of the organization – quality and efficiency.The site was in a generic office building located on the main highway to Agra, just beyond the city limits of Delhi. A peculiar characteristic of the space was the presence of a large atrium that virtually divided the space into three distinct zones.

The challenge was to create a unified office atmosphere while dividing the space programmatically into the three zones. The first part of the office was laid out for the reception area and the marketing team since they would have the most interactions with visitors. The accounts and technical section were positioned on the other side of the atrium while the main management area acted as the bridge between the two and enjoyed the best views out towards the highway. Services were consolidated and pushed to the lightless areas of the building footprint, where they could be easily ventilated into the building air conditioning system.

As a planning strategy, it was decided that enclosed cabins would face the atrium and the open plan workstations would face the curtain wall at the periphery, thereby allowing a better overall distribution of light in the space. The movement corridor divides the two spaces, allowing for a sense of privacy while still providing opportunities for mentoring. Even the walls between the cabins stop short of the glass doors of the corridor, enabling wider views from within and better transparency while walking. A sophisticated energy saving air conditioning system that allows for efficient zone-wise cooling was adopted to ensure to differentiate between occupied and unoccupied areas. Adopted from the hospitality industry is an idea to combine and divide meeting rooms by silent top hung acoustical panels. These can be stored away when a larger training session is required and pulled out for smaller discussions.

A light oak colour is used to offset the crisp white surfaces in the open plan areas and a darker, more mature oak is used in the cabins of the senior management and the board room. The reception area features a continuous ribbon of panelling that envelops the entire space while illuminated by an architectural fabric ceiling. A raised seating area is enclosed by a series of wooden beams that provide a fleeting glimpse of the interior from the entrance, carrying forward the overall theme of transparency and lightness.

Location

Faridabad,

Haryana

Client   

InfresMethodex

Typology

Commercial

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area                

12000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2014

Playhouse Competition

BIG FAT MAGNET

 Magnetism is a source of wonder for all of us, the action at a distance remains one of the most evocative science experiments for children. The playhouse is a way to engage young kids and invite them the learn more about this fascinating phenomena. Consisting of a curved interior path inside the iconic shape, the magnet can be made from a basic wooden frame and covered with flexible ply. The trademark grey and bright red colors help define the shape. If the budget allows for it, magnets can be incorporated into the frame to allow children to experience the phenomena.

THE MAZE

The Maze is an architectural trick, a composition of passageways that lead to nothing and the elusive path to freedom. In the playhouse, an additional twist is added by way of vertical movement, with steps that lead nowhere and one set of steps that lead to a viewing spot, allowing children to experience the world from an adult’s perspective. Besides the photo opportunity, it also allows us to subtract volumes from what is essentially a modernist white cube. The interiors are painted in disorienting colors to add to the experience of being lost in a maze.

NUT & BOLT

The Nut & Bolt assembly is one of the great icons of the industrial age. Consisting of two simple interlocking components, they are a fundamentally recognizable shape. The playhouse is a means to educate children about how the simple act of rotation translates into a vertical movement. A locking mechanism is incorporated to prevent it from moving above the reach of children. Constructed on a basic wooden internal frame with ply covering, it will painted in bright contrasting colors.