Blend of vintage and eclectic design for Delhi office
New Delhi-based Architecture Discipline has designed the Common Room, which was to conceptualize a co-working space for entrepreneurs to learn, work, and network by encouraging a progressive and innovative spirit.
The Common Room is an adaptive reuse project located at the once-abandoned Dhan Mills Compound. Teams can lease the space for pitch-making or to attend seminars and lectures. The project reflects its resource-conserving and historic value systems at a conceptual and functional level through its adaptive reuse.
The industrial shed is clad in a steel façade that extends to its interiors as well. Dark tones in material and roof make the starting points convert the institution into a friendly workplace. Brass runs perpendicular to the shed, acting as vertical joints on all partitions symbolizing the marriage of the past with the new ideas of the present.
The absence of any major structural intervention led to an open floor plan, which promotes a subtle rhythmic flow of spaces. Coconut wood cladding, hand-worked storage spaces, and customized furniture make up the interior material palette. The entrance is enhanced by a white Italian marble-topped table.
Situated perpendicular to the waiting area, the workspaces are segregated yet connected. A quote from the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high,’ is inscribed on the wooden cladding in the long, rectangular space.
Warm brass tones are used in the long circulation corridor, lending a vintage vibe reminiscent of its past. The library and the main conference space are located past a café and small conference room. The collaborative areas are an eclectic mix of custom-made furniture, elegant décor, and abstract artwork. A punctured skylight, representing the spreading leafage of a frangipani tree, illuminates the library and a parallel corridor.
A long rectangular table and wooden storage are accentuated with formal lighting in the main conference room. The auditorium is furnished with benches, engaging users with a back-to-school experience.
