Office - Design Brief

DESIGN OF A OFFICE BUILDING
Introduction to Office Design
Office spaces are an environment in which people spend a large part of their day for productive work.
The entire work space should bring out the best in people, in addition to being easily accessible to all,
self-sustaining and efficient in energy and water use. Safety is another issue that needs to be taken care
of.
An office building must have flexible and technologically-advanced working environments that are safe,
healthy, comfortable, durable, aesthetically-pleasing, and accessible. It must be able to accommodate
the specific space and equipment needs of the tenant. Special attention should be made to the selection
of interior finishes and art installations, particularly in entry spaces, conference rooms and other areas
with public access.
Design Objectives
 To understand the implications of designing a multistory building and explore ideas on office
design, implementing novel technology, materials, programs, aesthetics and spatial organization
in the context of globalization, flexibility, adaptability and digital revolution
 To create an awareness on advances in technology, integration of sustainable systems in office
buildings
There are 3 important aspects to office spaces that the students are expected to understand and apply in their
respective designs
1. Planning
2. Structure
3. Skin of the building
Planning:
Planning is the most important aspect of any office building. The planning of the building has to function
around a main core and the service core and the thereafter the other aspects of to be looked upon
depending on the functionality of the built form- i.e. spatial configuration in and around the core
The core acts as the back bone to any office building and has to be designed keeping in mind the
standards pertaining to the number of people working in the office. A good design can be developed if
the core is very efficient and located at proximities to the other spatial configurations.
Structure:
Structure forms the basis of any office design and the students are advised and expected to understand
the idea of structure in office buildings, in relation to the planning aspects which will act as a layer to the
design process. The structure also decides the form of the building and the students are expected to
work simultaneously on the planning and structure both hand-in- hand to develop the design for the
same. It is a two way process where the students have to learn the idea of structures and what kind of
design implementations can be made for the design to evolve a good and stable structure for the office.
Skin of the building:
In the recent times, office buildings have developed a salient feature to skin the building with different
materials which act as a boon to the interior environment of the office space. Apart from the planning
and structure of the building it is the skin of the building which gives the building an aesthetic quality.
Looking at the current trends, there are various options available to the designer to explore new
methods of skinning the buildings (covering up) which enhances the ‘quality’ of the interior environment
allowing more daylight (natural) and better façades. In a controlled environment when the building is
usually cut off from the exterior how does the skin of the building affect the interior of the office space?
The student is expected to understand these aspects theoretically and an understanding has to be
developed as to how the office environment has changed over the times and as one goes higher how it
impacts the user and in what ways.
Brief History:
Office spaces turned to controlled environments cutting off natural ventilation because of the issues of
wind as the structure moved higher and the cubicles developed around a central core. Today , the same
building has many companies working together, hence understanding of crowd control and security
measure have been modified with biometric systems getting incorporated in the design process.
Even the workstations in the recent office buildings have been modified to suit the appropriate time
where offices are using desktop computers and all the data storage have been digitized to save more
space on physical storage giving more options to the designers. Architects today have challenges with
the form of the multi-storey and aspects such sustainable and smart features need to be equipped with
the design. It is the overall understanding of all these ideas together, which will end up in a good and
productive design and all these issues have to understood and inter related to each other for achieving a
good design for the users.
Design Requirements
The design of office building adaptable for multiple users. The building would accommodate
approximately 2000 users.
Total Built up area: 20,000 sq.m (Approximately )
1. Exclusive Office Spaces (Modules in combinations ) 12800 sq.m

2. Ancillary Spaces (Conference, Business Centers, 1000 sq.m
Exhibition/ Product Display)
3. Support Services 175-200 sq.m.
(Security (20 sq.m.), Fire Control Room (10 sq.m.), B.M.S (40 sq.m.),
Maintenance room (25 sq.m.), Transformer & Electrical room (40 sq.m.),
Pump Room (30 sq.m.), Generator (30 sq.m.), AC Plant Room)
4. Food Court (Restaurants, Dining areas, Kitchen, store etc.)
& Ancillary Facilities (Club, Gym etc.) 2000 sq.m.
4. Service Core + Circulation Spaces to be restricted to around 15% only (max. 3000
sq.m)
Design Scope
Flexibility
The high-performance office must easily and economically accommodate frequent renovation and
alteration. These modifications may be due to management reorganization, personnel shifts, changes in
business models, or the advent of technological innovation, but the office infrastructure, interior
systems, and furnishings must be up to the challenge.
Productive environments:
Worker Satisfaction, Health, and Comfort of employees in a high-performance office are of paramount
concern. They can be achieved through the following strategies.
 Utilize strategies such as increased fresh air ventilation rates, the specification of nontoxic and
low-polluting materials and systems, and indoor air quality monitoring.
 Provide individualized climate control that permits users to set their own, localized
temperature, ventilation rate, and air movement preferences.
 Access to windows and view, opportunities for interaction and control of one's immediate
environment are some of the factors that contribute to improved workplace satisfaction.
 Natural light is important to the health and psychological well-being of office workers.
Barrier free Environment
 The acoustical environment of the office must be designed and integrated with the other
architectural systems and furnishings of the office.
 To accommodate the persons with disabilities and elderly, each building and its site should be
planned and designed as an integral unit from the very beginning of the design process.
Building services
 Intelligent building systems – to include building automation systems and more effective
management of building services.
The specific aspects to be focused on in the design include:
 Bye Laws and regulations relating to multistory buildings

 Architectural design – impact of the digital age on office design; issues related to workflow in a
multistory context
 Efficient use of space - social and psychological aspects of office layouts
 Building envelope roofing systems which address climatic issues.
 Energy efficiency
 Sustainable practices and Environmental responsibilities of these types of buildings
 Structural Systems
 Services
 Parking

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DESIGN OF A OFFICE BUILDING

Introduction to Office Design

Total Built up area: 20,000 sq.m (Approximately )

1. Exclusive Office Spaces (Modules in combinations ) 12800 sq.m

Barrier free Environment

The specific aspects to be focused on in the design include:

 Bye Laws and regulations relating to multistory buildings

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