Located at an evolving business district which was earlier a residential villa zone with early to mid-20^th century homes which got replaced by commercial interests due to the information technology businesses boom in Bengaluru (Bangalore) from the 1980’s. More so because of its proximity to the Central Business District, of Mahatma Gandhi Road and the coming of the Metro station close by. 

When the builder’s spoke of their wish to re-present their property to the rental market, it was a challenge to develop a strategy.

4 decades had passed from the time of making of the original building. Bengaluru has seen much change in the city and offices now work like their global partners with reduced hierarchy, greater individuality and transparency of operations and processes, and with a renewed individual relationship to the elements of nature. Changing closed in buildings for security to buildings that imagine are a threshold between the outdoors and the indoors.

“The most sustainable building is the one that is already built” Carl Elefante*
We proposed to make a creative and responsible design intervention to re-define a contemporary space, re-using much of the old structure. The old RCC structure was recovered by the design proposal with a few strategic moves. The old, space-constrained lobby and vertical movement (the small elevator and the dark and narrower staircase) was expanded to an additional structural bay. The lobby is now seen as a place of meeting, break-out and opening a relationship to the outdoors (Bengaluru is very pleasant for most times of the year through the day).

 This splits the structure into a frontal and a hind zone. The structure was reinforced at the junctions of the larger footprint core to the two zones. From the basement upwards the new core brings the two old RCC parts together like a hinge and a bridge.

The frontal ground floor (for retail / café etc businesses, with street visibility and a street podium) has a bay slab removed, to create a double height space. Other usable areas within the building continue to be the old RCC slabs.

The basement parking had ground water rising form the floor and in the basement walls (originally made of granite stone masonry) have all been further reinforced with a waterproof structural layer of concrete and made turgid.

The retaining wall adjoining the next property (where the ground level of the old house next door is a floor above) is reinforced with a new structural steel cross framework.

The external masonry infill walls of the building were replaced by a mix of fixed and openable glazing. RCC balconies were removed and interchanged with mild steel framed aluminium slat balconies.

The new façade, a folded metal sheet (folded for strength, of the 2 mm thick perforated aluminium coated sheet) attaches itself to the old RCC frame structure, stabilised and optimised by its connections with the new balconies steel framing and the railings. The perforated screen lowers the energy consumption, for the cooling the indoors and provides the view of the trees and the sky.

The design strategy of adaptation / re-use of old structure, reduces new construction, use of new resources, construction debris, saves the trees, shades the façade glazing, reduces energy for cooling, re-uses rainwater etc. A path that is frugal and responsible.

Team:
Architect: Mathew and Ghosh Architects 
Lead Architects: Soumitro Ghosh, Nisha Mathew Ghosh, Sahana M Bhat
Lead Design Architect: Soumitro Ghosh and Nisha Mathew Ghosh
Project architect: Sahana M Bhat
Team: Anusha, Khushboo, Sandeep, Apoorva, Purvi, Omar and others
Landscape Design: Soumitro Ghosh, Sahana M Bhat
Structural Consultant: Cruthi Consultants Consortium (P) Ltd - Dr. A Kinhal and T S Vasudevan
MEP + HVAC Design: Cruthi Consultants Consortium (P) Ltd 
Lighting and signage Concept design: Mathew and Ghosh Architects
Sustainability/ Environmental consultant: En3 Sustainability Solutions
Project co-ordination (for client): Rahil, Vasu, Tarun 
Civil and General Contractor: SV Constructions 
Plumbing and Fire fighting Contractor: SV Constructions 
Electrical Contractor: Minchu
Aluminium facade and fenestration work: Green Facade Solutions
Landscape contractor: Sai Landscapes 
Project Management Consultant: Colliers, Gleeds consulting (India) Pvt Ltd. and Indian City Properties Limited
Photography: Suryan//Dang (after completion), Soumitro Ghosh (old structure)

Material Used:
1. Glass - St. Gobain 
2. Window – Green Facade Solutions
3. Tiles – Kajaria 
4. Sanitary fixture – Kohler
5. Light fixture – Hybec
6. Construction System: Metal, Concrete, Stone
7. Finishes: Aluminum, Glass, Metal