700 FT LONG
TYPE : OFFICE SPACE /
LOCATION : BANGALORE,KA
AREA : 20,000 SQFT
YEAR : 2016
GO-JEK is an Indonesian hyperlocal transport, logistics and payments start-up intended to set up their product development team in Bangalore, India after acquiring two engineering start-ups - C42 Engineering and CodeIgnition in India. An invited design completion was conducted among five architectural firms and we were chosen to build on our design. When we were approached to design an office space for the new engineering team that is being set up, they had rented out an office floor in an existing old building and had a requirement for having a workspace to seat 120 people with meeting rooms and support spaces.
As soon as one walks towards the office from the lift lobby to the reception the curvilinear form of the reception ceiling recesses as an expression to reveal the custom made light fixture above the reception table which is finished in white corian over black granite base. The wall behind the reception table is cladded in exposed birch ply and polished. The flooring is tiled in grey to contrast the white scheme of the other surfaces. A huddle room for visitors attached to the reception. The reception then leads to the open workspace.
The design of the workspace was driven by the informal working style of the company and their tendencies to work/group up in teams. Furthermore Go-Jek was founded mainly as a transportation company using bikes (Ojek). The movement pattern of the bikes which is majorly not became a cue for the circulation within the workstation setup. This led to breaking away from the regular setup of the workstation cubicles and gave rise to a total of 10 workstation tables with varying sizes and non-linear circulation pattern between them becoming the epicentre of the design with other spaces surrounding it.
The workstations are fabricated at site using plywood, painted in white and finished with poly urethane coating to produce a seamless surface which enables the users to write over them. The workstation tables are planned in such a way around the existing circular columns that every team that groups in these workstation have access to glass writing boards for their discussions that are housed within the metal framework around the columns. The workstations are liberated from being regularly arranged cubicles to more dynamic in usage based on the user’s work culture. Though designed for 127 workstations, the design gives the flexibility for seating from 150 to 180 users.
The workstation lights are customized and fabricated at site reflecting the profile of the workstations. The lights fixtures are made with plywood and painted in white in contrast to the dark grey ceiling which is perceived as floating over the workstations. This apart from providing adequate lighting for the work station also acts as a visual guide for the circulation within the workspace. The ceiling was exposed with a conscious expression of the service lines as a response to the low ceiling height of 3.2 meters and to perceive the space larger.
