3. Property Observer 77
Smart Office
Gaining Edge
A
n office is a place where an employee spends an equal amount of time
or more than that he/she spends at home. Therefore, it’s necessary that
it provides the same kind of comfort that we feel at home. Today, offices in
India are equipped with hi-tech technologies just as in developed countries.
When we compare the office space with past era we can list out huge differences. In
the past, offices were not usually made as per the needs and comfort of employees
and they had no option but to work in the given space. Today, developers do due
diligence while developing commercial space for retailers and are paying attention to
build such offices which have latest technologies and comfort-zone.
A smart office impresses everyone. Today corporate sectors are moving towards such
offices which truly reflect characteristics of a company. Developers are constructing
sophisticated corporate offices. The aim behind smart office space is to constitute a
space with unique facilities as compared to common office, such as automatic doors,
advanced and hi-tech reception area, workstations, conference hall, dining areas for
staff and managers, food court, fitness centre, spa, beauty salon etc.
Smart offices today are gaining admiration
since there’s an acute shortage of time and
space.
by Rashmi Tiwari
lifestyle Getaways
4. 78 Property Observer
Morphogenesis, a leading architecture firm in India,
has developed several office spaces in Delhi,
NCR and Gurgaon regions. Explaining the need
for smart office, Sonali Rastogi, Founding Partner,
Morphogenesis, says, “In the past, office design
primarily focused on the functionality of ergonomic
design. The once sterile office design of the past,
however, is giving way to higher employee comfort.
With the average employee spending more than 40
hours a week now days at work, it has become all
the more vital to have their work environment feel
like ‘home away from home’. Employees want more
control over how their work environment looks and
functions. Office design trends will continue to meet
the comfort needs of end-users.”
City businesses are getting too elusive and crowded;
most of the firms are looking for such offices which
are reachable and entirely free from the hustle and
bustle of city life. So that people take out some time
from their busy 8 hours office schedule and get
relaxed. “The primary approach is to ensure that
the project sits within the conceptual, functional and
aesthetic framework of international, corporate and
contemporary global design agenda” adds Rastogi.
Rastogi further says, “The traditional office with its
nostalgic Victorian facade or the simplistic decorated
sealed box, whether it be slab or tower, has failed to
adequately respond to the complexity of a socially,
intelligent and environmentally responsive organism,
i.e. the modern office. So far, the office block has itself
represented the discipline of work; its hermetic form
safeguarding its productivity from the outside world.
The future civility of the work place depends on the
insubordination of this idea.”
The aim behind such offices is to construct a space
where an employee feels comfortable and relax.
Speaking about this aspect, Rastogi says, “The space
outside the work-station is seen entirely as a space
for social transactions. The smart office is envisaged
to respond to the phenomenon of the contemporary
working format so as to elicit responses to the flexible
programstypicaloftheIT.era.Throughcolour,materials,
furniture, lighting and space planning, workspaces
are designed to allow flexibility and efficiency, while
incorporating the overall comfort factor.”
Smart offices have high-tech business lounge and
state-of-the-art meeting rooms which provide smart
Morphogenesis is recognized globally as one of the leading Architecture
firms from India. Founded in 1996, the firm is based in New Delhi and
is a collective offering specialized services in Architecture, Interior design,
Masterplanning , Urban design, Landscape design & Environmental design
consultancy. At Morphogenesis, we understand that we are working in an
environmentwithlimitedresources.Hence,designisviewedasaprocessthat
is a resultant of different stimuli, ranging from climatic conditions, financial
and market forces, globalization, local conditions, prevalent traditions and
technologies, and the community. It is this all-inclusive nature of design with
a unique focus on passive and low energy architecture that defines the new
emergent Indian architecture.
lifestyle Getaways
Sonali Rastogi
Founding Partner,
Morphogenesis
5. Property Observer 79
At present one can see numerous big and small offices in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Gurgaon. There are
several offices which have been designed by Morphogenesis including Corporate Offices of Apollo Tyres CO,
Harley Davidson, India Glycols Ltd CO, C&C Constructions and DS Factory.
Morphogenesis
lifestyle Getaways
Name of the Project : Corporate Office for
India Glycols Ltd.
Location : 2B, Sector-126,
Noida
Built-up Area : 391,700 sq. ft.
Year of Completion : 2009
The office design for the corporate office for India
Glycols embodies the issues concerning the
workplace today, and explores the paradigm of
the office space as a social activity.
A stacking system is used to generate a variety of
open spaces; courtyards, verandahs, terraces, green
roofs etc. that help to structure the office spaces.
6. Name of the Project : Corporate Office for
C&C Construction
Location : Plot No. 70,
Sec-32, Gurgaon
Built-up Area : 4,488 sq. m.
Year of Completion : 2007
The office for C&C Construction was
designed with the intent of creating a clean
and minimalist, no-fuss office space which
would be representative of the work ethos of
the construction firm. The site was extremely
tight and the main objective was to bring in the
Green into the working space.
Name of the Project : Corporate Office
for Apollo Tyres
Location : Plot No. 7, Sector
32, Institutional
Area, Gurgaon
Built-up Area : 9,000 sq. m./
100,000 sq. ft.
Year of Completion : 2000
The design of the Apollo Tyres Corporate
Office takes into consideration the importance
and relevance of energy conscious design
within the modern work culture.
lifestyle Getaways
80 Property Observer
7. Property Observer 81
Name of the Project : Harley Davidson
Location : Time Tower, MG Road, Gurgaon
Built-up Area : 7,000 sq. ft.
Year of Completion : 2010
The design of Harley Davidson office sets the atmosphere of a
contemporary workplace that is unique in design and inimitable in
expression while symbolising the advent of innovation in corporate
offices in India.
FEaTURES Of a SMaRT OffIcE
Automatic doors
Thumb impression machine
Motion Sensor Light Switch
Smoke detector
CCTV camera
Hi-tech reception area, board room, conference room etc.
Advanced party room and food court
Fitness centre, beauty salon, spa
An employee-friendly ambience
service for next event or meeting. Meeting rooms are
equipped with WiFi, plasma screens for presentations,
high-tech phones for conference calling, video
conference rooms, motion sensors lights and 24x7
high speed broadband connection. These offices are
very spacious and airy. The technologies used in
smart offices also takes into account an energy
efficiency feature of the building.
Giving in details about the significance of work
place environment, Rastogi says, “Companies
have come to realise the importance of comfort
in the workplace environment, improving on
functional ergonomic elements in order to
retain quality personnel, increase productivity,
and maintain a competitive edge. Today’s
design community is also moving toward being
environmentally friendly, or green-working
towards making spaces truly smart. This focus
strives to create healthier conditions for end-
users and the environment through the use of
recycled materials. As the work force increases
and space becomes less affordable, more offices
will be designed around total space efficiency,
flexibility, and comfort.”
lifestyle Getaways
