A compact 900-sq-ft office ‘breathes’ with the use of curved elements

Envisage juggle client requirements and space limitations by employing a gentle space modulation strategy.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Suryan//Dang; courtesy Envisage

The site and the brief

Iris is a 900 sq ft office, one among many on the 15th floor of Emaar Digital Greens, a highrise building in Gurgaon. Envisage was entrusted with the task to create an optimally functioning workspace. The client and the firm, which deals with IT solutions, had broad requirements of seating a certain number of people, one calling room and some breakout zones with a pantry. He also was not looking for a large reception, only one that can screen off guests into the meeting room right at the entrance. The office looks out into the Gurgaon skyline and receives ample sunlight and ventilation to be directed optimally.

The design response

“The ingenious way to make this small office space appear bigger was through curves employed to segregate space,” states Meena Murthy Kakkar who co-helms Envisage with partner Vishal Kakkar. “We did away with a linear manner of cordoning off zones inside a limited footprint.” Playing with the heights of the rounded partitions but ensuring they stayed below the ceiling, results in a sense of seamlessness owing to a contiguous overhead expanse. “The curves have promulgated a contemporary vocabulary to the workspace, steering away from the regular regimented office layouts,” points out the architect. In the centre, the height of the curves is brought down to create a discussion space around a large oval table where the floating population can gather. The curves are not merely limited to partitioning; their use extends beyond zoning out areas. “At Envisage, we understood the pivotal role of intelligent spatial planning to expand workstations and adapt the workspaces to various other functions if need be,” she adds.

The spatial configuration

A locker wall embedded in the curved profile greets the employees at the entrance, and a sanitation cum server room is also positioned here. The cabins and workstations are all segmented by the use of curved glass partitions, which are acoustically viable for the space while allowing light to disperse through the entire office. The multiplicity of the system of partitions ensures privacy and at the same time maintains a fluidic visual connection.

The chromatic and material directions

The colour palette is muted with the use of neutral tones and hints of brownish-grey in pockets. The flooring is terrazzo tiles complementing the pinewood rafter, coming together to create a light and airy ambience inside the office. Pops of olive green are incorporated in the furnishings and the locker wall. Generous amounts of plants are brought into the space as well. The soundproofing for the glass partitions is carefully constructed with airtight joinery; the magnetic lacquered glass used in places doubles up as pin-up boards.

This project is symbolic of the fact that designing small spaces is now limiting in nature or will result in banal space making. The deft tackling of client requirements combined with innovative design thinking creates the illusion of a larger volume within a light footprint.