Facelift for India Inc.

By Rajesh Kulkarni

Photography: Courtesy Z Z Architects

“Spaces that inspire rather than soothe” is the operating mantra as corporate India gears up to compete on the global platform feels Ar. Krupa Zubin. 

Mumbai-based architectural and interior design practice, ZZ Architects’ Ar. Krupa Zubin has always believed that ‘change is constant in design’; a belief that is now finding increasing resonance in the fast changing interiors of corporate India.

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“There is an obvious resurgence in the scale of private offices and also personal cabin spaces in the country,” she cites the major reasons for this change. “Offices increasingly house large private art collections of the owners. Large corporate houses are now investing in recreational amenities, landscaping to diminish work stress and increase productivity. As most businesses are global, the emphasis lies on fit and finish of projects.”

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So what are the reasons behind a prominent shift in corporate interior design and décor in say the last five years? “Clearly, the exposure to an international palette,” feels Krupa. “At the same time the Indian design market has opened up,” she elaborates. Products and finishes from across the globe can be sourced easily.  New technology; cost of property; and density of workforce have increasingly put pressure on making the new office a constantly changing paradigm.”

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As cities morph and an industrial landscape gives way to a corporate one, redesigning existing structures incorporating both, green building codes and strong corporate branding are a common need. According to Krupa, the branding exercise seems to loom large, simultaneously conveying company ethics and ethnicity. “The furniture in our Nirmal Bang office is derived from the company logo. Functional elements like the fluctuating graph - the mark of the trading floor is the inspiration behind the ceiling design; whereas the largest denomination currency is graphically fragmented over the entire length of the work area, also visible from the reception,” she explains. Such archetypes constitute the conceptual development requisite to accomplish a visual vocabulary attuned to the function of the organization. 

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With several projects, whether by Z.Z. Architects or others, showcasing the paradigm shift in corporate interiors per se, ‘work environment’ is fast merging into ‘wholesome interaction’ and the interiors thus being created aver to this element of nurturing rather than a hierarchical setup. 

   

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