As commercial offices are demanding more flexible and interactive interior spaces, designers and suppliers are constantly working on providing the most comfortable and user friendly methods of coping with the same. Airbus, a multinational manufacturer of civil aircrafts, for their India office wished for a similar interior space which overall defined their past, present and future aspirations.
Architect Sanjay Wadhwa and team, professionals in this segment, designed the office to create a vibrant spatial plan and inspiring customisable interiors. They were asked to include the three distinct divisions of the company, while maximising space and visibility. The designs were not limited to architecture and construction alone; various other verticals, including communications, food, media, technology, operations etc. were also collaborated to give the desired output.
The site located on the fifth floor and covering a carpet area of 20,000sqft in an irregular rectangular shape, was well lit with glazing; to which a 1:1 ratio for closed and open areas was adopted to attain the much needed transparency. The central core housed the services like elevators, staircases etc. to allow maximum utilisation of daylight for the administrational spaces of the office. This allowed for a more spread layout of rooms with maximum peripheral vision to connect the exteriors seamlessly.
“The planning is done in a manner in which the monotony of the floor plate is broken, and spaces that are unique in scale and identity were created to endow a sense of place to each space while allowing for customisation and flexibility within a clear framework,” reveals Sanjay Wadhwa, principle architect at SWBI.
White Venatino/ Volacoss Italian stones and walnut veneers installed against stainless steel and glass governs the reception lobby to bestow a timeless appeal; while the brand logo, AV display and AG graphics grace the expanse of space within. The boardroom and its lobby imply an invigorating sense allowing for 18 people in the guarded space. Other than the staff entry, the boardroom can also be accessed directly through the ‘client door’ at the reception, to maintain the privacy of the work floor from visitors. The cabins are divided on the east and north sides; while the lounge, cafe and open collaborative junctions make way for short conclaves. Veneer defines the modern aesthetics of the whole office with fully glazed walls that mark the partition between the corridor and rooms.
Wadhwa explains that, “Thepresident’s room has been planned with the classic corner-office concept, where all the seating faces North/East, thereby maximising the views and daylight penetration. This private office has been laid out based on desk-based and lounge-style working activities.”
The brick-textured walls of the cafeteria house a store, a dispensing zone and the wash area. “The lofty curved ceiling echoes the fluid forms of the aerospace industry and wood finished ceramic floor tiles give elegance, yet being maintenance-friendly,” says Wadhwa.
Carefully designed user-friendly cabins and flexible desks allow for a comfortable and productive work environment. Daylight integrated with task lighting give stress free working condition. Further, an overall international look is achieved through placement of minimalistic but designer furniture.
With surfaces treated with neutral palette dissolving spaces into each other, generative aspects of the plan stimulate activity, enriching the interaction of users. Distinctly defined by clean lines, all objects in the office are detailed to compliment the planar language of the project.
Contrary to the jazzy and opulent designs of many other firms, the stylish and contemporary design of the Airbus office seems to conform well to the needs of the diverse functions of the client brief. The project signifies a thought process that brings contemporary design to represent brand aspirations, thus pushing spatial design to take up a role as corporate branding, while staying adherent to the fundamentals.
Fact file:
Client: Airbus Group
Location: Worldmark 1, Aerocity, New Delhi
Contact Person: Rajan Tyagi, rajan.tyagi@airbus.com
Architects: SWBI Architects
Design Team: Sanjay Wadhwa, Rachita Khanna
Carpet Area – 20,000 Sqft
Photographer: Kapil Kamra