Located at the heart of the Electronic City – Bangalore, Biocon Biologics’ Executive Dining area occupies the fifth-floor right wing of their flagship building Biocon House. Designed to reflect their simplicity, attention to detail and brand ethos, the executive dining area is a blend of bespoke classical and contemporary elements.

Encompassing a little over 6000 sq. ft, the layout features a mix of open and private dining areas along with dedicated service counters, food preparation areas and wash areas. The area under consideration for the project was on the topmost floor of the building, hence Acorp was able to utilise the significant height to the design’s advantage. The simplicity of the dual layer of gypsum ceiling also helped accentuate the same. The brand centric executive lounge was designed to be very welcoming, inviting one to be seated until their table gets ready. Post that, they would be escorted to their designated tables. A mix of seating options ensures that a party of any size can be quickly organized and accommodated in terms of servicing. A centrally located U-shaped service counter that dishes out plated food and beverages, also serves to divide the overall dining area into two halves. The 14-seater private dining lounge is the crown jewel of this particular space. It boasts a dedicated service counter and features a large digital display wall with acoustic wallpaper that enables one to have business related discussions in a calm, elegant yet understated environment.

The theme of this space design was ‘Understated Elegance’ – a blend of art deco elements along with modern materials and textures. Materiality plays a major role here with colonial wainscotting, wicker and textured walls add a sense of charm to the overall space. Movable privacy partitions, resplendent in the nature provide an added sense of privacy to ensure that semi-confidential discussions can take place here.

Discreetly placed biophilic elements along with patterned tile cladding ensures that the modern touch accentuates the overall aura of the space. The warmth, airiness and textured dining space reflects Biocon’s brand identity while demonstrating the unique context and atmosphere that drives them.

The design brief was to create an office that supports its rich history, workplace culture and is aligned with company’s values. However, the need for more diverse work settings was clear from our workplace strategy study. The best solution was to enable an ‘activity-based working (ABW)’ that helps support different types of work.

Spread across three floors, the new office also reflects the company’s passion for brewing great beers and cultivates a unique experience inside the office. The redesign saw 140+ staff move from a traditional office layout to a more flexible one. The employee centric design features an open plan with a central lounge area that allows for employee engagement and interaction along with spaces designed to drive collaboration. Doing away with cabins at the glazing led to more daylight penetration in the floor.

The workplace’s visual identity borrows values from the brand identities and corporate identities of two historical brands and both have been integrated into the design along with Vaastu principles. Vaastu was used to place the various spaces on the floor and to guide the overall palette. Although it is quite minimalist and serene in nature, the colour palette draws upon the dynamism of the brands to ensure that discrete pops of colour have been spread throughout the floor. Sustainability and use of locally manufactured products was of paramount importance to United Breweries Limited.