GA design

An Italian firm that manufactures machinery, NORDMECCANICA setup a new India office, to mark its presence permanently. Inhabiting a space in an office building in Elphistone, the site inherited was on the 15th floor. With a clear and functional client brief of a minimalist, collaborative work space for about 6 to 8 people, along with 2 cabins, 2 conference rooms and   a distinct, easy to service areas such as– Filing room, Server rooms, a Spare Parts room, Pantry and 2 bathrooms.

Imbibing the elements from their brand identity, the colour blue manifests itself as an impactful and integrated element. Shifting away from a typically large reception space, the bulk of the space is planned as workspaces, in a manner that exploits the view from the 15th floor. A clean and uncomplicated layout is crafted with a central waiting area in order to create an essentially open and transparent space that endows the feeling of a large, open environment. The requirement of a sound-proof, visually sealed, private cabin space, facilitated its format of lightweight block work and a solid framed door, essentially eliminating all the issues vis-à-vis sound and privacy.

The walled element crafted as a result invented itself as an element that challenges the transparent aesthetic that was a part of the brief. Concrete is therefore adopted as a tactile, fluid material, endowing the volume with a seamless aesthetic, enveloping the walls and the ceiling. White brick, concrete tiles, Italian Satvario marble and a dash of bright blue integrate themselves seamlessly with the palette, augmenting the clean aesthetic. The Blue is integrated in an atypical manner, by adding it to the central portion of the ceiling, in an unfinished guise. In order to diffuse the rather bright, fluorescent blue, a diagonal grid frame of Deodhar wood was crafted and suspended from the ceiling as an archi-tectonic element that augments that visual play of forms. The frame creates a suspended, grid-like screen that hides the open conduits and piping above, while being designed to float between the ceiling and the walls. Discernible as a design highlight, it bequeaths itself to the identity of the brand.

The minimalist concrete and polished white Satvario palette forms the backdrop of the waiting area as well as the brand. An added touch of drama is crafted by the etched vector pattern on the glass partitions that syncs itself with the ceiling design. The conference room is lined with a white brick back drop that optimizes indirect light strategically to highlight its natural texture. Carrying the concrete aesthetic forward to furniture, the conference table becomes a customized concrete slab supported by metal frames. The Directors’ cabins maintain the same industrial look with a beautiful Satuario marble finished table that becomes the highlight of the cabins.
 

The simplicity of the material palette is used to create a harmonious expression of the brand that merges its Italian authenticity with their local Indian presence.