DNA of Spaces – Light & the Workplace

By Marina Correa

Photography: Sebastian Zachariah; courtesy the designer

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Light takes on a metaphorical quality for growth at Mumbai-based KIFS Securities office, designed by principal designer Amee Vora of Fourth Dimension…

Located at Lotus Business Park in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, the 5,000 sq ft office is divided into parts: executive floor and arbitrage or trading floor, each with independent access; and areas common to both, such as restrooms, pantry, dining etc.

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The reception, office administration, senior management and executive cabins, meeting rooms and MD’s office are located on the executive floor with access controlled entry, while the arbitrage floor features workstations and limited storage drawer pedestals as the nature of business is mainly online.

 

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The major challenge here lay in the site’s disadvantageous south-facing orientation, and the solution lay in filtering the quantum and intensity of light into the workplace. The architect has used jaali screens to ensure a charming aesthetic and has applied silhouette blinds to keep off harsh sunlight from entering the office through interplay of materials and light.  

 

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Throughout the day, with the shifting incidence of the sun, chiaroscuro elements play out, animating different spaces and inspiring users to newer and greater heights. Energy is conserved as natural light is discerningly harnessed and juxtaposed with artificial fill light for a heightened aesthetic that bestows the ambience with a feel-good, enriched ambience, augmenting the brand image and the fundamentally-necessary goodwill and trust, so important for a Securities company.

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Whether it is the design of the glass and CMC-cut leather sandwiched partition in the reception, inspired by amoeba - a symbol of organic growth; or the design of the meeting rooms, which embody within them a Zen-like calm (because a calm mind propels the body with an infinite energy towards growth) – the architect has intricately woven symbolisms of ‘growth’ into the DNA of spaces, where ‘light’ becomes the medium for the message.