VISION

The office is located on a man-made lake within a large steel plant campus. Despite its industrial context, there is a tenderness to its immediate siting.

This encouraged us to question the expression of its architecture. We sought to subvert the predetermined plant office typology and sought deeper clues.

The envelope of the building is inspired by the colonnades of the traditional Bengali haveli. By wearing them on the outside rather than within the courtyard the building acquires an institutional appeal.

The floating canopy mirrors the lightness of the lake and creates a timeless harmony with nature. It also conceals a hidden courtyard with lush tropical vegetation.

DESIGN

The office is imagined as a square planiform building with a wide off-centred courtyard overlooking the placid waters of the lake.
The courtyard gathers within itself a layered tropical vegetation that helps to regulate the internal atmosphere of the building. A simple glazed façade ensures panoramic views for the office and an intimate connection with the immediate surrounding – be it the lake, the temple or the factory sheds.

The featured building material is the terracotta brick tile cladding that harks back to the region’s vernacular palette. Steel finds its way prominently on the façade and canopy. The canopy shades the entire building and supports a vast solar array that generates electricity for the building.