Workspace in Technicolour

The White Rivers Media office in Mumbai designed by Kovet Design & Co started with a white background, but deviated into a spectrum of multiple colours.

Curated by: Tanaya Pednekar
Photographs: Pulkit Sehgal, courtesy White Rivers Media

The reception and waiting area are smeared with colours, to tease what is to come.

The brief

The brief was to design a digital marketing company workspace, for over 200 employees, with the aim of designing the space keeping in mind their fun working culture. The clients wanted the space to be young, vibrant, welcoming while also being functional for maximum work efficiency.

The design intent

The idea was to make the space look unconventional yet functional which was obtained by designing dedicated spaces & multiple zones for the employees to brainstorm and work individually as well as a team. The site had the capability to accommodate a coworking space as well as private areas for meetings and discussions. Deep pockets were transformed into thinking pods to juice up creative thoughts. With an array of light pouring into the space, glass and colours were used to lighten up the space.

The open workspace becomes the focal point of the entire office.

The spatial configuration

This 15,000 sqft office comprises a 300-seater office which includes multiple open spaces for ideas to flow freely, and striking think pods for thoughts to cultivate. Each pod is themed based, it has gadgets protruding from the walls which tell us the journey of communication mediums till current times. The elevated turf grass seating acts as the focal point of the floor plan bringing the outdoor indoors. The red floating staircase leads way to a mezzanine where one can work diligently. With these designs and scale of the project, it has made White Rivers Media one of the few independent advertising agencies in India to have an office floor plate of this scale and an in-house chroma studio that is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for shooting video films & commercials. A garden seating area under the open sky and a fully-loaded sports room for the employees offers a relaxed, refreshing setting for a zero-stress working environment. The headquarters is designed in a manner where the employees feel comfort & convenience of their home with the ergonomics of a modern workplace. It has lots of dedicated open spaces, each one an experience in its own.

The break room comprises of TT table, foosball, carom board and a casual sit space to relax.

The material palette

The material used for this office space is mainly glass to give the space a sense of openness. Other materials used were decals on the glass partitions, colour PU, colour lamination, laminates, and extensive play of paint to create visual patterns.

The highlights

The 43’ long turf grass structure right in the middle of the office which acts like a partition without being a hindrance visually was the highlight of the space. It was a focal point created for the team to have discussions on or just take a break and relax on the grass under the cloud-like lights making a garden-like vibe.
The other highlight of the project are the monochromatic thinking pods. Each pod has a designated colour to bring out different emotions while using the space.