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Studio Infinity uses organic walls to unfold spaces and move attention away from the spatial constraints of this office for Air-tech Engineering & Solutions.
Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Yogesh Mahumani; courtesy Studio Infinity
The brief
Air-tech Engineering & Solutions, a company dealing in HVAC systems, commissioned Studio Infinity to design their headquarters in Pune — a space they had purchased to fulfil their growing needs. The 1,800-square-foot space allotted to architect Tushar Kothawade and interior designer Chiranjivi Lunkad, founders of Studio Infinity, was a bare commercial shell with an open warehouse below. The space was open from three sides, and one side was completed with an abutting rear building.
The civil intervention
The bare shell didn’t call for any civil modifications. But the face and front verandah had to be modified and re-defined as it was the only visible side of the office. So a semi-covered walkway and a large entryway diverting one’s attention towards the tamarind tree in the front yard was focused on.
The design intent
“The Curved Wall is one of those projects that brought us this sheer joy catalysed by its materiality. The idea was to keep the palette minimal and use inherent qualities of those few elements in ways such that every space gets its own identity and yet follows a common language,” explains Tushar. “Vertical and horizontal lines were used as a tool to increase or decrease verticality of given spaces and in turn keep the visual volumes aligned. All our design endeavours for this project focused around seamlessly weaving the functional needs, simple materials, natural textures and colours to create a strong design environment, which will help the users and visitors enjoy this space to the fullest,” adds Chiranjivi.
The spatial configuration
The design team had to work with a tight commercial space and overwhelming spatial requirements. Hence, the creator’s first segregated the client’s functional requirements and defined a smooth circulation between their various departments. The spatial outlook of this office attributes to the curved wall that make the dense and regimental plan more spaced out and organic. This element — The Curved Wall — helped change the way movements happened, and the way aesthetics were governed in the entire premise. To break away from the tight and rigid nature of the formed rectangular spaces, this curved wall played an interesting element, intriguing a visitor as they pass by the space.
The design and material details
Textures, colours and light infuse life into a space, and that is exactly how the space was conditioned. A material palette consisting of wood, grey veneer and metal, contributed to the overall design vocabulary. Since only one side was exposed to harsh sunlight, a series of wooden screens were derived to filter in controlled natural light. These screens eventually become a focal point of the visuals for the entire office space. The crisscross pattern of sleek wooden members was also continued on tables and in adjoining furniture.
Since the office is for a HVAC company, all the services were consciously exposed and not covered by panelling or false ceiling. So efforts were put in for proper alignment of ducts, pipes and cables throughout the office. In fact, the main ducts were painted in rust orange against a black ceiling to make a subtle statement of their trade and expertise.
Fact file
Project: The Curved Wall
Client: Air-tech Engineering & Solutions
Location: Pune
Area: 1,800 sq ft
Principal architect: Tushar Kothawade
Principal designer: Chiranjivi Lunkad
Design team: Prajakta Sannak and Sameer Ghare
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