An Architecture Firm’s Dream Office

Meraki Architecture’s petite new space features upcycled and custom furniture and views onto the lush foliage outside

In Pune, India, Meraki Architecture has created a modern new office space that embodies its philosophies, showcases the firm’s work and enhances the productivity of its designers and architects. Nature is at the heart of the office’s design, and even determined the choice of this new location.

Outside of the office stand two big trees, which the team at Meraki decided to make a central focus of the office and interiors. A balcony and window-side workstation help blur the boundaries between the verdant exterior and industrial interiors, and create the sense that one is working outside under the lush foliage. The design team also looked to caves to inspire the cosy and minimalist feel.

The office design is highly flexible, from the storage unit that can be re-arranged, to the display unit used to showcase artwork and models. Once the pivot window is opened, the area becomes a workstation, and the office also features an interactive work area and a model-making space.

A restrained colour and materials palette is employed throughout, with upcycled and recycled local materials figuring prominently, echoing the aesthetic of Pune’s Prabhat Road. Agro wood from packaging boxes and discarded perforated metal sheets were salvaged from around the city, while a stump from a sugarcane juice machine is used as a table support. Refurbished wooden chairs were sourced from the local flea market, while all other furniture was designed by Meraki’s team and made on site with the help of local carpenters and fabricators.

This rustic palette is emphasised by dim yellow ambient lights, and the distinct charcoal grey draws attention to the pivoted window and creates a compact feel. Wooden pallets bring warmth to the space, and the artworks (some made by members of Meraki’s team) offer a bright pop of colour.

Text / Babette Radclyffe-Thomas
Images / Hemant Patil