The energy of the IPL cricket team, Delhi Daredevils is captured by M:OFA Studios and given a physical form through vibrant strokes of colour, pattern and spatial dynamism.
‘Every design has a soul,’ believe team M:OFA, and the soul of Delhi Daredevils’ new office designed by them, is so full of vibrant energy that it shoots a surge of adrenalin the moment you step into its field.
The team branding happens all through the design quite effortlessly – on the exposed air conditioning ducts, along the swirling cloud installation and on the various surfaces and furnishings.
Manish Gulati, principal architect of the New Delhi based practice M:OFA Studios Pvt. Ltd, says “The space for this Indian Premier League team’s office has been designed to exude the same energy, dynamism and passion as one experiences on a cricket pitch, field or stadium.”
Cricket is a religion in India, and for the ardent followers, Delhi Daredevils – an IPL cricket team – their office is akin to a temple – an epitome of their zeal. The team recently got a new logo, comprising of fluid curves – a connotation of a jam packed stadium and the fluid stroke of a batsman hitting a ball across the boundary for a six.
M:OFA have taken a little of the logo and distilled the vigour, passion, dynamism and team spirit associated with Delhi Daredevils into an architectural language with relative ease and power that leaves us spellbound.
A glass door, with etchings of ‘Delhi Daredevils’ in different languages ushers one into a space infused with a scarlet drama that surrounds a central swirling installation. The spatial aura greeting us is not one of a formal office premise, but one of a full on ‘chill out’ zone.
Explain the M:OFA team, “Keeping the brand image in mind, the office is planned as a youth oriented semi formal open plan with multiple overlaps between work and meeting areas. The idea was to blur the lines between the various functions in order to let the sporting energy vibe spread throughout the office.”
Without doubt, the star player of the spatial dynamics of the office is the swirling cloud installation in the middle that grabs your attention amidst the overall decor composed of colours and memorabilia. Cocooned within this swirl of energy, is the informal discussion space, labelled by the staff as ‘the think tank lounge’.
Points out Manish to us, “It is a true representation of various cricket balls hit by multiple batting strokes in various directions all across a stadium.”
The design team analysed different batting strokes and bowling swings to derive the ‘model of a swirl cloud’ which they then decoded into a physical reality using a slender steel cage covered by planks of recycled waste shipping pallets.
This swirl much like a tornado grips all the spaces around it, and has become the spine of the office. Adds Manish, “The installation provides multiple experiences, both from outside and inside. From outside it emulates the energy of batting strokes whereas from inside it resonates with the collective force of thousands of spectators cheering during a match.”
The entire office is planned around this twirling core, spaces overlap to disparage corporate hierarchy and encourage team spirit. The cabins and main conference hall, zoned to the periphery of the office have glazed panels with bright graphics on them to create the requisite visual barriers.
To further the friendly work ethos, the workstations too, do away with opaque dividers and instead make use of low red acrylic panels.
Balancing the surge of red and amber shades, the colours symbolic of Delhi Daredevils, is the understated neutral grey palette of the floor and surface finishes.
The architects elucidate further, “We added another layer to the experiential depth of the office space, by juxtaposing a fair amount of recycled wood planks and natural MDF panels with bright colours and neutral greys.”
Even the light features do not back out in referencing the quintessence of cricket. Custom designed by Luzlight design studio, the workstation task lights represent the three wickets. In the think tank lounge, linear point lights embody the million flashbulbs going off during a match in a stadium.
“The air conditioning ducts run open throughout the office with the words “Delhi Daredevils” spray painted in 10 different regional languages representing the multi-cultural player profile of the team,” says Manish, as he explains how the services further the team’s aura. Colours and the swirling pattern dominate the spaces, and when we walk into the office, this whirlpool sweeps us along on its never ending energy packed journey. M:OFA studios have given a dynamic soul to the office which just like the thrill of a ‘sixer’ lingers on for a long time.
Text By K Parvathy Menon
Photographs Courtesy Dev Singh
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