a brutalist concrete office building in india punctuated by corten steel, by groupDCA

the communique marketing solutions office, gurugram, india, creates a modern and egalitarian workspace in an effort to foster creativity, collaboration, and conversation. its spatial planning emerges as a direct result of this intent — an open-plan office format is chosen that is symbolic of transparency. disregarding traditional notions of professional hierarchy, this configuration instead encourages democratic engagement within the workforce. the architectural design developed by groupDCA, as a result, reflects the company’s guiding philosophy, which is predicated on establishing parity across the board to enhance employee experience, productivity, and well-being.

the architectural vocabulary is unmistakably brutalist: the façades are an expanse of exposed concrete punctuated by the measured use of corten steel

the office is housed in a three-story building that crafts a distinctive identity for itself within its immediate urban context. groupDCA’s architectural vocabulary is unmistakably brutalist — the façades are an expanse of exposed concrete punctuated by the measured use of corten steel. on the ground floor, a short porch leads the visitors to the entrance foyer. the upper floors house the workspaces within a seamless two-floor volume, accommodating a diverse mix of functions.

in order to optimize penetration of glare-free daylight into this volume, its northern and southern edges are designed to be porous; the fenestration scheme was arrived at through a metric-based daylight analysis. to reduce the ingress of heat into the building, the western edge – which forms its primary façade – is completely blocked with a massive wall and an added layer of insulation.

the office is designed as an egalitarian workspace that celebrates transparency, free thoughts, and collaboration

the majority of the office space is planned in the bullpen configuration with communal tables in a nod to communique’s ethos of equality and cooperation. the highlight of the volume is a mezzanine conference room that floats above an amphitheater-style, multipurpose event area. the fact that the heart of the volume is occupied by collaborative and flexible spaces as opposed to a director’s room reflects groupDCA’s intent to do away with physical metaphors of authoritarianism. the larger design strategy – biophilia – endeavors to enhance human engagement with nature in order to craft working spaces that promote happiness, good health, and well-being.

exposed wall and ceiling surfaces, and unconcealed air-conditioning ducts lend a raw and industrial look of the space

large windows, lined with planters, are designed along the northern and southern edges of the floor-plates — they open to beautiful views of the surrounding greens, while their careful placement and sizing ensure adequate daylight ingress. this strategy ties in with the attempt to optimize the building’s thermal performance as well. in order to ensure the reduction in the building’s energy consumption and its use of resources, a thoughtful, scientific approach is adopted. all of the windows are double-glazed, while glass wool is used as an insulating material on the western façade.

a seamless two-floor volume accommodates a diverse mix of functions

the interior spaces are a celebration of brutal materiality. the wall and ceiling surfaces – concrete, brick, and corten steel – are left exposed in their natural, unfinished states. the furniture is carved out of birch plywood, while the flooring is largely done in locally procured, multi-hued limestone. these material choices help bring down maintenance costs significantly, while simultaneously enhancing user experience of the spaces. 

an open-plan office format is chosen that is symbolic of transparency

the design provides a semblance of privacy, while the placement of levels and spaces within the larger, singular volume helps sustain the visual connection

vertical green walls run along the entire two-floor length of the volume along its eastern and western walls

informal, semi-open meeting areas are conceptualized at both ends of the volume to provide intimate spaces for discussions and conversations

the flexible amphitheater-style multipurpose event area acts as the heart of the volume

cross section

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edited by: maria erman | designboom