An office in Juhu | Bricolage Bombay Design | Mumbai
“How to restore and repair an existing property to align to a new program?” Can the use of an all natural material palette + daylight create a good working environment in 2021? These are the questions that we tried to answer when we worked on this office project.
The site was used by Radhakrishna Foodland to run its flagship retail store. Operations at the store were shut 10 years ago after which the property had been lying vacant and needed repairs. The project presented several challenges – dense residential beams, leakage into the walls and ceilings. Our brief was to “Create a Central office for the group’s diversified business – Promoters of the company would sit here and look after the business.” We moved away from the look and feel of corporate offices. We used a natural material palette – wood, stone and lime plaster and custom designed the furniture pieces. Double Glazed soundproof windows cut out all the street noise.
Reception Area
“How to make a space with low height look large ?”
The Receptionists Table has vertical wooden grooves and the top is in stone. The same grooves continue in the reception back wall. We designed a slim and long sofa with wooden back supports. Sensor activated doors lead to the main office area.
The Meeting Room
“Can a soundproof meeting room be accommodated right next to a busy noisy street?”
A small meeting room has been designed at the entry of the space near the reception area. The design of the legs of the table maximises space and seating. The top is mirrored by the false ceiling above it. One side wall of the cabin has fluted glass and one side has wooden paneling.
Working Area
“Does the working area of every office have to look the same?”
The Main working area has wooden tables and has a lot of daylight. We wanted the furniture to fit in with our material palette so we refused to use modular furniture. We designed a planter detail that has horizontal grills – allowing the plants to creep on to them. Eventually these will cut out the harsh sunlight and direct vision from the street. This chair is our ode to the Hiroshima chair by Naoto Fukasawa and designed most of the furniture around it. We designed a Circular table with 3 legs to host meetings and discussions.
Courtyard
“Can we have a space where nothing is planned and several seating arrangements can be tried?”
We designed a setup for accommodating flexible working styles. This was done by having flexible seating – like the Kangaroo Table Chair set up or the Circular Wooden 3 seater table or the Standing Desk with a moving TV. This space has wooden flooring and the ceilings have sound absorbing material – for several meetings to happen simultaneously. We designed a table for standing and working – in the creative area. This table is nestled between 2 rounded columns and has a TV on wheels. We designed a long shelving system that can hold all kinds of objects from books, plants and decor objects. All the corners of the are converted to discussion spaces.
Promoters Cabin
“Design a set of Twin Offices for the Promoters with a lot of daylight in a small space with low heights.”
For the Twin Offices of the Promoters of the Company we used Jaisalmer stone flooring and teakwood partitions with sound proof glass. The amount of daylight is controlled by the blinds plus an additional layer of creepers along the windows. The Promoters tables have been designed for both Standing setup – achieved by an arm extension mounted on the toughened glass table and sitting set up as well. The wooden legs make the table feel elegant and the beams are seen through the large glass top making the room appear large. The external walls of the building were broken to create windows to allow for maximum daylight.
Working Cabins
“Can we replace all artificially created materials by natural materials in a modern office cabin?”
All the Cabins have Tables + Back Credenzas in natural wood + glass table tops and flooring in natural stone. Partitions for the cabins have been designed in natural teak along with stone skirting and a 12 mm groove.
Boardroom
“Can you convert a storage space with large steel sections into a corporate boardroom?”
This Board Room design is difficult because of leakages and the proximity of the Sea. We designed a boardroom table – with 8 legs and spanning 20 feet – with a wooden top. TVs have been housed in wooden panels at one end of the space. The left side wall is a long white board that allows for meeting notes to be written. The boardroom has several lights that allow for different meeting moods.
Cafeteria
“Can an informal space for lunch and games be planned right in the middle of an office space?”
The staff lunch area has been created with picnic tables and cane lights illuminating the space. Fluted glass in industrial aluminum segregates the space from the storage area.
FACT FILE
Project Name : An office in Juhu
Design Firm : Bricolage Bombay Design and Media LLP
Principal Architect/ Designer : Vinit Nikumbh
Design Team : Vinit Nikumbh, Anirudh Nair, Prathamesh Khot, Saksham Chandekar, Sneha Pawar, Prati Jain
Project Location : Juhu, Mumbai
Project Area : 7500 Sq Ft
Project Year : 2021.
Other Credits
Photography Credits : Umang Shah
Project Management : Punarava Consultants
MEP Consultants : Vision MEP
HVAC : The Xperts
Structural Consultant : Mr Uday Tidke
Contractors : Sajid Shaikh and Company
IT Consultant : Neon Link
Landscape Vendor : Shilpa Sagar
Landscape Consultants : Arjun Sharma
