When Embassy Group assigned RSP the responsibility of designing Flipkart’s flagship campus, the brief from Mukesh Bansal, who was leading the design efforts on this project at that stage was clear – ‘The experience should be retail-like, and not the typical commercial office’.
STATISTICS
Client : Embassy Group / Flipkart India
Location :Bangalore
Site area : 14.57 Acres
Total built up area : 2 Million Sq.ft.
Scope of Services : Masterplanning, Building Design, C/S Engineering, M&E Engineering, Interior Design
A mini-European city in the middle of Bengaluru
Flipkart is in many ways the true trail blazer of Indian online retail. There are so many firsts to the company that comes from their ‘culture of experimentation’ that is core to everyone in the company. We realised that being in a state of experimentation is a state of mind which could be catalysed by the environment that one is in.
Thus was born the strategy of providing an ‘unstructured, variety of experiences’ core to Flipkart’s operation zone – retail. The entire campus has been designed like one mini-European city that contains vivid experiences. People will get to walk, talk, interact and work on the roads and streets of the office campus.
Design Direction
Balancing two worlds
On one hand, Flipkart was the occupant and wanted an experience that was completely different from the conventional office-design system. Yet, Embassy Business Parks, the developer wanted flexibility in the space going forward. We set out to accommodate both parties’ interests through some design-thinking.
More mall than office? Buzz is the word
One of the key design concepts was to have a multitude of facades within the campus, in order to give buildings individual identities. This made the campus look like a buzzing mall with different retail experiences. The experience of movement from one building to the other with various interjections in open spaces creates an environment that is busy & happening.
Where the streets have no name
Much like U2’s famous song, Flipkart’s campus life is designed around the street-side. The spaces are created to help catalyse collaboration, innovation and the occasional brilliant idea during casual ‘on-the-street’ meetings.
An experience at each level
While the lower levels are designated for experiences and recreational activities, the upper levels are kept for workplaces. However, almost everyone is likely to get a view of the buzzing street from their work desk.
Amenities from a European street
There are several amenities packed into this campus. From smaller, creative collaboration spaces to active sports and food zones and to the surprising shop-like experiences, there is always something for everyone, in any nook and corner of the campus.