4 Gujarat offices to take inspiration from

A Renovated Office for a Four-Generation-Old Family Business, by Utopia Designs and Urbanscape Architects

On Canal Road, one of the arterial thoroughfares of Surat, an eight-storeyed edifice stands tall. It has no columns or singular spaces, only a flexible, dynamic layout that counterbalances the denseness of the surrounding business district. Sangini House, the headquarters of the leading construction company, Sangini Group, is something of a landmark in Surat’s real estate epicentre. “The workplace marks the genesis of a larger residential and commercial habitat that will envelop the existing structure. It is a joint collaboration between Utopia Designs and Urbanscape Architects,” says Dinesh Panwar, principal architect at Urbanscape Architects.
“The design intent was to create a dynamic built volume that would provide a welcoming presence for the visitor. As a result, the structure sports cantilevered floor plates that defy the conventional grid structure, post-tensioned sweeping floors, and exposed concrete walls that are structural in nature,” says Panwar. Stone, with three-dimensional perforations, clads the core of the building, serving as a defiant shield against the harsh southern sunlight. “The entrance is where the inner and outer realms collide. Natural light prevails, toning down the scale of the space by optically trimming away three storeys. What we are left with is a warmer, more approachable and composed space,” explains Panwar

An All Glass Office Designed Like a Vacation Home, by Hiren Patel Architects

Glass boxes—if the first thing you are reminded of is Mies Van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, Hiren Patel of Hiren Patel Architects will not be quick to agree with the likeness. “A home in a glass box is not psychologically comfortable. People are likely to install curtains and never open most of them,” he says. “In my project, the concept works because the space is an office.” Maybe a more likely source of inspiration for Patel would be the home of Philip Johnson. All the boxes are certainly ticked—a walk through greenery from the main gate to the built structure, the extensive exercise in transparency, the display of art and sculpture, a washroom with curved walls and the “wallpaper” of landscaping, as Johnson himself termed it. Whether “Amoeba” carries shades of Mies or Johnson, Patel is certainly in good company here. If Mies is famously credited with the “less is more” epiphany of modern architecture, Johnson cemented his credentials with architecture’s Oscar—The Pritzker. “Set on a plot of 10,000-square-metres, the built structure in Surat has a footprint of only 15% of the site. It’s not very often that we are able to work with this ratio,” says Patel. Dubbed “Amoeba” because of the free-flowing organic shape of the massive roof, the structure is made up of four discrete glass boxes, connected through a central open-to-sky courtyard.

A Gujarat Office Designed like a Rooftop Lounge, by Inclined Studio

Every office should be designed such, that it creates a natural environment that encourages high productivity and a convivial atmosphere. This 600-square-feet workspace for Maruti trading office in Kadi, Gujarat, designed by architect Vidhi Patel of Inclined Studio keeps these very ideas in the forefront. “The clients wanted the office to be spacious and minimal. In order to give that formal and modern touch to the space, materials like wood, glass, metal were introduced. Using bold colours in the upholstery made the space more vibrant and inviting,” she says. Previously, most of the meetings in the office took place in an informal setting, with group discussions taking place on a mattress. Keeping this practice and vibe intact, the new office space was furnished with bold hued, low-height sofas. Vertical wood panelling is another highlight of the design. It not only gives the office a warm, inviting look, but also conceals entry to utility areas like the pantry and store room. The furniture too, is designed in wood to keep the ambience warm and inviting.

An Ahmedabad Office Designed as a Response to Covid-19 Restrictions, by Squelette Design

Post-pandemic architecture not just changed the design world but reformatted user activity and lifestyle. While all of this has been documented by design journals prolifically in residential and office projects, the pandemic has pushed factory owners to accommodate hygiene and health in designing industrial zones that provide a safe work culture for warehouse workers and ensure that production isn’t halted. Varnika Components, a capacitor production cartel in Ahmedabad has been sensitive to this crucial design change. The renovation of this 1,675-square-metres office-cum-factory, located in an industrial park between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, was completed in January 2021 by architect duo Saumil Patel and Prashant Trivedi of Squelette Design. The architects visualised the design in such a way that the architecture and interiors along with all decorative remained exposed to create an abstract archetype of space. A clear, critical image through simple forms favoured by the geometry of interlocking cubes juxtaposed with each other, form better space planning and an elevation to internal space. Structural elements were intentionally kept bare to define the space within. “We tried to maintain the original interlocking forms amalgamating interior spaces along with materials itself, with the idea of masking,” Trivedi says. The office is designed with a very informal approach, unusual for corporate culture yet fulfilling the demand of the space. The spaces visually integrate yet are functionally separated. The interiors are carefully crafted using wood, stone, glass, brass, and grey stucco, giving the whole space an industrial, yet chic feel.