studio bipolar converts a 60s era warehouse in new dehli into an industrial dream office

in the okhla industrial area of new delhi, studio bipolar has reimagined a former 60s era pharmaceutical warehouse into a new 6000 square feet office and film studio for a creative agency named ‘whitebalance’. the new space provides the functions necessary for all the work stages — from creating to production — with modern design solutions.

the company branding on the building façade acts as a landmark for the surrounding offices and mills

a large mezzanine of the existing structure covered almost two-thirds of the area which was demolished entirely to showcase the towering trusses overhead. another smaller one was built intelligently to provide for maximum viewing angles while not acting as an obstruction. an existing 2-inch thick wall divided the space even further and was removed to connect the space horizontally as well as vertically. adjacent halls were interconnected through arched entries to create a workspace for the editing team. a sleeping nook was created above the private editing suite for the team that likes to work late hours into the night.

the large hall is a multifunctional space

the conference room follows the same ‘one space’ principle — tucked away under one-half of the mezzanine, its doors were made of mild steel angles and glass which could slide out thus making the space larger while providing acoustic privacy if needed. emphasis was given on providing as much natural light as possible and tall 15-foot-high brick arched windows were made on one side of the workspace to allow for the same. the mezzanine continued from one hall to the other via another arched opening thus overlooking the large multifunctional studio space, which would be used for screenings, product shoots or even a secondary workspace.

the new mezzanine has a conference room below fronted by sliding french windows

the mezzanine itself was used by the executives and thus were treated to the clerestory windows of the sawtooth roof, a part of which was made from scratch but followed the same design language as the existing ones. bespoke pallet wood tables were fabricated to the highest detail to go with the industrial aesthetic and aluminum-back arm chairs were made to stand out in the executive mezzanine.

a custom light installation adds some excitement to the workspace

a cozy seating area in the executive workspace

flexible desks in the multifunctional hall allow for on the go meetings with vendors as well as a quiet work space away from the main hall

the arched windows specially created to allow for maximum natural light to enter

a private editing suite with a sleeping space on top for the editing team

a round window lets in sunlight into the main hall

the concept for the entire design was to create ‘one space’ that unified all the teams under one roof and allowed for greater collaboration

the entrance from the main road

custom artwork handpainted on the walls lends some character to the workspace for the graphics team

project info:

name: whitebalance

architects: studio bipolar

location: new dehli, india

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom