Natural light and 150 plants breathe new life into this 2,100-square-foot Pune office

Unfazed, Kothawade decided to use this as an opportunity to create a design element, using perforated metal screens in an assemblage of rectangles, through which the floor is blanketed with changing shadows through the day – creating much drama in the process. Bearing a strong geometrical pattern, the screens slide out of the way when the sun is done with flexing its muscle. In the conference area, black out blinds at the window dim the space, which would otherwise be like a microwave.”

Variations of the rectangular pattern of the screen permeate the Pune office, visible on shutters and shelving; the largest canvas for this geometry is the ceiling. “The wiring and the lights have been installed in a strict four-foot and eight-foot grid. This grid has actually dictated the assignment of spaces at ground level,” explains Kothawade. However, the office has an open plan, including the directors’ cabins which have a large sliding door. “As architects, our profession is very much about ourselves,” quips Kothawade. “We decided to make this office about the city. There are no photographs or models of our work on display.” In keeping with this thought, a small inconspicuous nameplate at the entrance identifies the office. Certainly, no hubris here. Within, a collage of photographs depicts festivals in Pune as well as the ones Kothawade’s camera captured on a heritage walk. The rest of the art is an accumulation from the travels of the couple, collected over several years.