A wooden pod resembling the woven structure of a bird's nest can be used for meetings at this sales office for a property development in Mumbai by local firm Planet 3 Studios (+ slideshow).
Planet 3 Studios was asked to create a sales area for the Baya Park development in central Mumbai and suggested incorporating it into the building's lobby.
The designers produced a space that meets the practical requirements of a public reception while providing private meeting spaces, including a nest-like structure influenced by the birds after which the client company is named.
"Baya weaver birds make exquisitely complex nests and the brand name and identity borrow from iconographic imagery that is associated with the birds," said the designers. "Our key idea was to build a sculptural, dynamic, fluid form that evokes the Baya nest in an outscaled way."
The nest is constructed from a curving frame of plywood ribs that narrows as it nears the ceiling and is clad in strips of pine salvaged from inside shipping containers.
Its organic form provides a sculptural presence in the lobby, while the woven surface lets daylight from the adjacent windows filter into the interior.
Other references to nature featured in the interior design include a living wall of plants behind the reception desk that reinforces the client's organic branding.
A green back-painted glass wall in a separate meeting room continues the natural motif, and complements dark walnut panelling that is used on nearby walls.
The Baya bird logo appears as transfers on windows, which are also used to create a pattern of leaves on the glass behind the nest.
Photography is by Mrigank Sharma (India Sutra).
Here's some more information from the designers:
BAYA PARK, Mumbai
The sales office for a project is in a sense is a theatrical staging area, informing customers about the brand and what it stands for. The spatial realm in such a case has less to do with the transactional nature of a sale and more with communication in three dimensions to successfully engage, delight and inform. As the only available construct for the customer to validate promise of quality, the space has to hold high standards in design and construction. With customer delight and thoughtful design as expressed mottos, 'Baya Park' as the first project of a young developer will be the proof of the concept. Our mandate amongst other things was to design the sales office and we suggested siting it within the building itself. The lobby with generous ceiling height, easy accessibility from outside and required floor area seemed a natural choice. For the developer, the finished interior space usable as the building lobby meant less sunk costs in a temporary installation.
Baya weaver birds make exquisitely complex nests and the brand name and identity borrow from iconographic imagery that is associated with the birds. Our key idea was to build a sculptural, dynamic, fluid form that evokes the Baya nest in an outscaled way. As a room on the floor plan, it serves the programmatic requirement of meeting space but transcends that by becoming an iconic object that reiterates the brand identity in a compelling fashion. The voluptuous form uses the advantage of a fairly empty floorplan and 15' ceiling height to turn and twist in a way that makes it visually interesting from all around. Constructed out of plywood ribs and recycled pine wood strips repurposed from packing inside shipping containers, this construct allows for light to filter inside creating an interesting play and visual connect with outside.
A live green wall as the backdrop for the reception area reiterates the biophillic nature of the development, offering a small live patch as conversation starter for the larger park to come up within the building. The logo colours are rendered in backpainted glass as cladding and layered panelling in smoked walnut veneer complements the green, cladding large areas leading up to enclosed meeting room. Mid century modern pieces of furniture, solid surface acrylic reception desk, identity makers on building glass... all come together to complete the look. Clean, contemporary and yet mildly whimsical... much like the project and the developer.
Project Credits: Planet 3 Studios Architecture Pvt. Ltd.
Project Team: Kalhan Mattoo, Santha Gour Mattoo, Henal Prajapati