Birla Corporate Office

In its plan and form, the Plaza Tower spreads evenly over its largely square site. The eleven floors of office spaces are complemented by adequate services and parking accommodated within the upper and lower basements. The entrance and exit to the basement is provided by two wide ramps, placed symmetrically at the rear of the building.

A sculptural water body at the entrance accentuates the tapering frontage of the site. This feature further emphasises the entrance to the building and the frontal offices on the ground floor. The concave entrance façade draws the visitor through its revolving glass doors, into a square atrium that rises up to the mezzanine floor. The atrium is crowned with a skylight pyramid. Two service cores, one placed near the atrium and other at the rear of the building, facilitate vertical circulation. The rear portion of the office on the ground floor is covered with a mezzanine that partially overlooks the front offices. A double height health club over the tenth floor is provided with a swimming pool that is sunk into the floor.

The architecture blends classical elegance with contemporary materials. The design has a strong sense of symmetry and number of stylised art deco elements, which affirms classic aura. The concave entrance façade draws the visitor through the glass doors into a square atrium that rises up two floors. The flat ceiling of the mezzanine acts as a podium. The mid-sized office block grows out of a conventional classically referenced 'nineteenth century' podium. This rectilinear tower, with its contemporary language rises up from a concave base with two 'bastions' at the corners, and topped by a pyramid that acts as a skylight in the lobby atrium. The pyramid motif of the lobby atrium is echoed on the roof of the tower. The cornice detailing of the concave facade outlines the 'steps' that have been cut out of the tower providing another classical link to the concave base. The built mass of the tower has stepped comer terraces in higher levels, which create a tapering effect. The building then culminates into a pyramidal form rising towards the sky, thus symbolising a romantic longing of the past. The building with its polished stone surfaces, reflective glass and plated finishes also epitomizes an urbane and global corporate imagery.

The built-up area for the project is 3,00,000sqft. The developer is Alif Enterprises and the design consulting architect is Hafeez Contractor. The project cost is Rs 60 crores (approx.).

photographs : courtesy the architects