Corporates Design
'Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.'
- Albert Einstein (German born American, 1879-1955)
From hackneyed to inventive… design is working hard to rearrange the very concept of Office Space and turn them into pods of inspired efficiency. An endeavouring experience, a platform, to inform and inspire the AEC Industry on how the daily grind is being redefined through the labour of design interventions!
Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, London, Dubai, Shanghai and other cities. The firm was founded by Art Gensler, Jim Follett, and Drue Gensler in 1965 originally focusing on corporate interiors. Gensler is credited for establishing the profession of corporate office design as distinct from the practice of architecture and interior decoration. Today, Gensler is the largest architecture firm in the United States and in the world. The firm specialises in multiple practices including: Commercial Office Buildings, Workplace, Retail, Airports, Hospitality, Education, Mixed-use & entertainment, planning and urban design, brand strategy, Mission Critical facilities and others. Their work reflects an enduring commitment to sustainability and the belief that design is one of the most powerful strategic tools for securing lasting competitive advantage.
Art Gensler, currently its Chairman, founded the firm in 1965. An architect, he is widely credited with elevating the practice of interior design to professional standing. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and of the International Interior Design Association, and a professional member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He graduated from Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning and is a member of its Advisory Council. A charter member of Interior Design magazine's Hall of Fame and a recipient of IIDA's Star Award, he has also received Ernst & Young LLP's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Inspiration combines a team of architects, planners, infrastructure engineers, structural engineers, construction management personnel, interior and product designers, horticulturists, trained artisans and technicians – all under one roof. With over 18 years of experience in the field of nature friendly designs and constructions, Inspiration today enjoys a niche clientele in the field – ranging from individuals, business houses / corporates, Government departments and NGOs – who aspire for environmentally sensitive habitats/ development. Having completed over 400 projects, they have received state, national and international recognition for their concepts in decentralised urban planning; and have won national and international awards in ecology sensitive building design competitions.
Influenced by works and writing of Frank Lloyd Wright, and in depth personal interactions with architect Laurie Baker during under graduate days, Jaigopal G Rao (Principal Designer & Managing Director) is an architect by training, chose the less traveled path of trying to evolve through actual field experience, an architecture and aesthetics based on the ecological, social, cultural and economic reality of India; and make it the basis of Inspiration's practice.
Committed to meticulousness, Latha Raman Jaigopal (Partner & Director for Project Implementation) directs field level execution of Inspiration's various projects. With a passion for energy efficiency and water conservation in the built environment, Latha has also been instrumental in co-ordinating and detailing concepts of total water management, decentralised solid and liquid waste management and relevant renewable energy applications in Inspiration's projects in a pursuit to explore architecture and built environment in its holistic entirety.
Via Design is a leading interior design consultancy firm, based in Delhi, offering services to corporate, retail and hospitality sectors. Apart from New Delhi, India, they have implemented projects in sixteen states across India, ranging from corporate office interiors, software development centres to retail and restaurant chains. Founded by Ram Joshi and Priya Bishnoi, the firm has the experience and ability to design and deliver world class interior fit outs for projects ranging in size from 5000 sq.ft to upwards of 100,000 sq.ft
After seven years of experience in the industry, Ram Joshi established Via Design in 1999 and since then has designed and executed a wide spectrum of projects as reflected in the profile of Via Design today. Ram is an instinctive designer with interests in graphic design, computer graphics & evolving technologies. He brings his multifaceted skills along with considerable management abilities to the design table.
Since November 2002, Priya Bishnoi has brought on board her considerable talents as the creative head of the Via Design Team. In her fourteen years of professional tenure, Priya has designed many of the landmark projects in New Delhi’s corporate workspace, settings trends that have been widely emulated in the industry. Her designs are clearly visualised, meticulously detailed and unerringly refined
UNStudio is an international architectural practice, situated in Amsterdam since 1988, with extensive experience in the fields of urbanism, infrastructure, public, private and utility buildings on different scale levels. The name, UNStudio, stands for United Studio referring to the collaborative nature of the practice. At the basis of UNStudio are a number of long-term goals, which are intended to define and guide the quality of our performance in the architectural field. They strive to make a significant contribution to the discipline of architecture, to continue to develop our qualities with respect to design, technology, knowledge and management and to be a specialist in public network projects. The Practice sees as mutually sustaining the environment, market demands and client wishes that enable their work, and they aim for results in which their goals and their client’s goals overlap. The office is composed of individuals from all over the world with backgrounds and technical training in numerous fields. As a network practice, a highly flexible methodological approach has been developed which incorporates parametric designing and collaborations with leading specialists in other disciplines. Drawing on the knowledge found in related fields facilitates the exploration of comprehensive strategies which combine programmatic requirements, construction and movement studies into an integrated design. Based in Amsterdam, the office has worked internationally since its inception and has produced a wide range of work ranging from public buildings, infrastructure, offices, residential, products, to urban master plans.Co-founder Ben van Berkel studied architecture at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at the Architectural Association in London, receiving the AA Diploma with Honours in 1987. His first projects were built almost immediately after founding Van Berkel & Bos Architectuur Bureau. Recent projects, which reflect his longstanding interest in the integration of construction and architecture, are: the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and Arnhem Central. Ben van Berkel has co-authored a significant number of essays and monographs.Caroline Bos studied History of Art at Birkbeck College of the University of London. After co-founding Van Berkel & Bos Architectuur Bureau in 1988 she stopped working as journalist to focus on being the internal critic for the practice, writing everything from employment contracts to essays and descriptions of projects that were yet to be designed. In 1999 Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos founded UNStudio; a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. As an analyst she has been involved in all UNStudio projects. Her observations and synthesis on different programmatic issues has become integral with the work of the different project teams. With Ben van Berkel, she was editor of Forum (1985-86) and the ANY publication ‘Diagram Works’ (1998).
Architect and designer, Bernard Tschumi studied in Paris and at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, from which he received his degree in 1969. First known as a theorist, he began his teaching career at the Architectural Association in London (1970-79) and continued it at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York (1976), Princeton University (1976 and 1980) and The Cooper Union (1981-83). He first became known for his conceptual work, most notably the exhibition and publication The Manhattan Transcripts (1981). In 1983, he won the prestigious competition to design the Parc de la Villette, a 125-acre public park containing dramatic buildings, walkways, bridges and gardens, located at the North-East edge of Paris. He established his Paris office in 1983 and his main office in New York in 1988.
From 1988 to 2003, Bernard Tschumi was Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University in New York. He is the author of ten books (including the Event Cities series and Architecture and Disjunction, a compilation of essays published in 1994 by MIT Press) and numerous articles. He is a member of the College International de Philosophie in France and has received many honours, including the Legion d’Honneur, the Ordre des Arts et Lettres and the Royal Victoria Medal. He has been awarded France’s Grand Prix National d’Architecture and the AIA New York Gold Medal of Honour. He is an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Bernard Tschumi Architects has established a world reputation for its aesthetic excellence, conceptual ingenuity and strategic solutions for public and private communities. Besides the celebrated Parc de la Villette, completed projects by the firm include an 8,000-person Concert Hall and Exhibition Complex in Rouen, France (2001); Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts in Tourcoing, France (1997); Columbia University’s Lerner Hall Student Centre in New York (1999); Marne-La-Vallee School of Architecture in Paris (1999); the Interface Flon, a bus, train and subway station and bridge in Lausanne, Switzerland (2001); Florida International University School of Architecture in Miami, Florida (2003); the Vacheron-Constantin Headquarters and Manufacturing Complex in Geneva (2004); the Richard E. Lindner Athletics Centre at the University of Cincinnati (2006); and a 6,000-seat Concert Hall in Limoges, France (2007).
KINZO, three young architects with a distinctive futuristic signature style and a client list ranging from the likes of Adidas, Audi to L’Oreal and Yahoo!, have been known for a long time only to insiders and are now becoming figureheads of the Berlin design scene. KINZO’s very first step into series production with their office furniture program “KINZO AIR” has wowed design critics ever since its official launch in May, followed by the prestigious “red dot design award” in June – and now topped off by the nomination for Germany’s most discriminating State Award for Design. Nicknamed as “Award of the Awards” in design it is not possible to apply actively for the award. Nominees are chosen by a committee consisting of representatives of the venerable “Rat fur Formgebung” (Design Council), the Ministries of Economics of the German States as well as the Federal State Ministry of Economics and Technology. Participation is furthermore restricted to products, which have been awarded by an international or national design award beforehand. The laureates of the award will be presented in November.
KINZO is led by the multi-talented designer trio comprising Martin Jacobs, Karim El-Ishmawi and Christopher W. Middleton. KINZO has received international acclaim for their bespoke interior designs more than one.
Founded in 1993 by Gayathri Shetty & Namith Varma, GNA is an award-winning practice incorporated in Bengaluru with branches in Delhi and Hyderabad. GNA, a team of 75 architects, engineers and multi-disciplinary professionals and has a wide range of design capabilities spanning from traditional structures to cutting edge technology. GNA has been designing and executing projects across India that include corporate offices, designer private residences, large scale industrial projects, interior fit outs, apartments, housing, malls, software tech parks, institutional buildings, super specialty hospitals, resorts and hotels. Its many accolades include the J.K Architect of the Year Commendation for Recycling Heritage, the Inside Outside Designer of the Year award for Eco-Friendly Architecture and IIID-MK Award for large Corporate Office amongst many other felicitations.
GNA has always believed in responding to briefs with a context-specific solution taking into consideration factors like client disposition, climate, locally available materials and technology. The firm also lays strong emphasis on building lasting relationships with all people associated with it, covering the entire spectrum of clients, consultants, contractors and colleagues.
GNA is now venturing into projects on an international scale with commissions confirmed in the USA and the Middle East. The Practice has now undertaken large scale expansion to add value to its existing client base and also to widen their expertise to incorporate a large variety of projects. As a part of its long term strategy, it aims to establish a training institution that will provide post graduate courses for architects and engineers along with R & D opportunities especially in the fields of Vaastushastra and Energy Conservation.
Founded in 1980, the Practice of Kramm + Strigl has always regarded architecture as a relationship between structure, history and society - a holistic layout that is always in context, even if they are only working on the layout for a single building. Integrating the established organic flow of rooms from the exterior to the interior, and from the interior to the exterior is one of our central themes. Precisely understood simplicity paves the way for clear layout concepts that focus on the essentials. Their architecture has always sought to be independent and contemporary without losing its right to sensuality, and intends to always serve the people. Kramm + Strigl have always regarded architecture as an expression of a society's cultural performance. They do however see the ever growing influence of a medium in which hyperlinks are more important than spatial matters. The transformation of the structure evolves into a sensitive interface between enclosed space and the surrounding environment. The nature of buildings and particularly their surfaces take on a central role if they can remain relevant in global standardisation. The Practice also see an opportunity for the humanisation of life spheres through the use of digital technology, alternative energies and conscious building materials. They believe that thought and operating processes based on cybernetic principles make it possible to render the increasing complexity of incidents and/or events foreseeable or avoidable. The Practice of Kramm + Strigl has been responsible for numerous commercial, housing, administrative and retail buildings, including the Zeilgalerie shopping complex in Frankfurt.
Sonali Bhagwati did her B.Arch from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (C.E.P.T), Ahmedabad in 1986 and is the Executive Member, Conservation Society, New Delhi. In 1983, she trained with Architect Bernard Kohn, as recipient of scholarship from Institute Francaise D'Architecture, worked on projects such as cooperative Housing and Maison du Culture. She did her Research Thesis - 'An inquiry into Urban Metamorphosis'in 1984-85 and a study of the sociological and urban evolution of an inner city area. She was a Consulting Editor for Habitat Section of The Times of India news publication in 1985-86 and a partner in ATELIER 2001, New Delhi. Since 1985, she has been a partner in SPAZZIO, New Delhi and since 1993, is now its Director.
SPAZZIO, an architecture and interior design firm, is a 'team' motivated by the desire to provide comprehensive design solutions and to develop a client - architect relationship based on good design practices and sensitive solutions. True to its name meaning 'space', the firm's design ideology is efficient space management, clean lines, modern systems and a multi-disciplinary approach to work. Expertise in the field of both architecture and interior design enables the firm in delivering comprehensive and holistic solutions to varying challenges. Efficient integration of design with engineering services in order to optimise on resources, time and quality forms the backbone of the firm's philosophy.
SPAZZIO believes that good design not only meets the aesthetic and functional needs of a client, but is also an effective marketing tool. It is their endeavour to develop relationships based on integrity, commitment and quality.
An award-winning London-based architecture and design practice, Jump Studios believes real innovation comes from breaking down barriers between creative disciplines.
Established in January 2001 by Shaun Fernandes and Simon Jordan, Jump has completed several award-winning projects to date for a diverse range of high-profile clients including Nike, Innocent Smoothies, Red Bull, Adidas, Wieden + Kennedy and Honda. Jump Studios is currently working on projects for Bloomberg, Langland and Adidas. The Studio is built on a diverse mix of cultural and creative talent, fuelling an approach that thinks beyond routinely applied solutions. Based in London, Jump Studios reaches beyond the core team to collaborate with international innovators from fashion, art, anthropology and the academic world in an ongoing quest to challenge expectations and redefine boundaries.
This has led to a broad spectrum of design projects tackled including architecture, interiors, product, graphic and packaging design.
