Commercial Building, Pune
" Complementing the Contemporary "
With the number of hours people spend in offices and at their desk jobs, it becomes essential to ensure a healthy relationship between the workforce and the workspace, one that takes into account both the physical and mental wellbeing of its occupants. It is important for the office to become a space that minimizes the effects of the office stress while maximising its work output.
The main aim here therefore was to have a clean, living, generative sense – one that fosters a renewed sense of physical vitality, alertness and creativity for both, the clients visiting and the people working there. There needs to be a calm and refreshing environment to balance the rigorous mental and emotional work of a corporate culture.
This project therefore could be a testament to discredit the misbeliefs that the use of indigenous, locally sourced materials and the slow processes of working with one’s hands is restrictive to private spaces and lower footprint buildings.
Site
The site is located in one of the main suburbs of Pune City. The site enjoys the views of a large garden and is away from the hustle bustle of the main city yet well connected to all the landmarks. There were no obvious clues from the site because of its rather plain location right in between a lot of private residences.
It was apparent, as is seen in most of the urban cities of India today, where people are selling, remodelling and upscaling their private plots into commercial towers to move further away for the quiet private life. The site therefore has the everyday concrete structures that we see around us of private residences and upcoming commercial towers. Therefore it was a good example to showcase how the local, indigenous materials can be used to proliferate and complement a rather urban, commercial, corporate setting as good as any in a site that could very well be found anywhere.
About the process
Our surroundings can have a deep and lasting impact on the human mind. It processes not only the tangible cues but can be affected by the deeper, more nuanced intangible cues of the environment around them as well. As strong enhancers of the way we function, architecture and the quality of our spaces therefore can be used effectively to speak to the user and engage them.
Developing the Built:
For developing the built character which is perhaps one of the most important part of any commercial space, the materials and techniques of construction were stressed on. The foremost parts that interact with the outside passer-by, like a detailed compound wall and making the user stop and take a pause by changing the paving immediately outside the building lead to more effective engagement. Working out these factors help with appealing the public that otherwise would not be coming in contact with the interior of the office space on a day to day basis but only on the outside which then could become inviting for them to come and interact.
A space where people spend the most of their daily time, being productive and creating new avenues, interacting not only physically but also emotionally requires it to be at its optimum best. The plan was kept simple and open. Natural light is the biggest mood booster which helps the user of the building connect with the outdoors through the openings. Providing the user of the space with these views can help with keeping their brains stimulated while working.
Along with this providing open, social areas will encourage collaboration and a sense of community as well as fostering a less formal and more relaxed approach to work with greater work output and mental health.
For a more effective construction in this typology of space, with a more quantitative requirement while keeping in mind the qualitative aspect of it. For this effect moulded brick panels are used, in a modular fashion both on the walls and on the roof. They can be easily assembled on ground by the unskilled labour which are more easily available at such sites.
The use of wooden flooring in a combination with the mosaic also lends a finer nuance to the whole aesthetic. The ends and turning details of these materials can be easily detailed on site with the inputs of the masons by getting their own unique touch to it. Such finer nuances can only be gotten by using the craftsman and letting them work with their skills leading to getting a much more bespoke identity to the whole sche
