Design Plus

The Marketels Head Office wears its trade on its skin, boasting of being a perfect example of collaboration between high and low tech Indian construction Industry.

It’s the endeavour at Design Plus that every office building that we design should not only provide comfortable working environment to its inhabitants but also enhance the sense of belonging. 

Working Environment: Apart from building the complete available FAR, the client’s brief included - ample natural light in the working areas. The 250 SqM. plot had proportions of 1:2.5 with the narrow 10m being the street facia. This unidimensional plot posted a threat to the both spatial comforts and percolation of any natural light. 

The first constraint was dealt with by splitting an office floor to increase head room for the reception, lobby and partners’ rooms. As for the issues pertaining to natural light – both the narrow facades of the building were proposed to be completely glazed and also a staggering light well was provided at the heart of the building. While the staggering light well provided shelf shading during summers, the completely glazed South-West façade posed serious threats for the same summer months.

Sense of Belonging: Marketels is a renowned travel and hospitality company. The office building would be a chapter in their expanding endeavor. Design Plus wanted to capture this endeavor and the dedication of its patrons towards the travel industry.

Various digital massing models were generated, that were simultaneously draped with variations of a second skin. The skin, in terms of a MS jaali, provided the much needed relief from the harsh summer sun and also carried the world map which symbolizes marketels’ playing field. 

High with Low Tech: Each module of the Jaali comprises of 4’x2’ MS panels hand cut to conform to a precise template generated by an algorithm. On one hand a relatively mature digital algorithm provides accurate 3-dimentional data in terms of turn-lines, bracing locations, mutations, perforation dimensions; on the other hand this data was read by a very low tech fabrication team. 

216 Panels comprising of 103 panel types, were all cut, held, welded, and bolted manually with hand held tools by a team who was thus far only used to fabricating steel railings and gates for modest residences in NCR. This seamless conversation of two worlds, A. digital design generation and B. physical methods of in-situ construction can proudly flaunt the strengths and skills of Indian AEC industry.