Franklin Templeton’s campus in Hyderabad is a nerve centre for the innovation driven from its India technology centre. The work that the people do here is critical to the global operations of the company. We decided to help the people who help the company.
STATISTICS
Client : Franklin Templeton
Location : Hyderabad
Site area : 15 Acres
Total built up area : 0.7 Million Sq.ft.
Scope of Services : Masterplanning, Building and Interior Design, C/S Engineering, M&E Engineering
An office that makes people walk
As soon as one enters the Franklin Templeton campus in Hyderabad, the sudden change of pace becomes palpable. The bustle of the city and its manic rush is abruptly left behind. What begins is a tranquil daily journey in a focused environment. The entire campus is designed around one large central green landscaped area, at the end of which the cafe is located. As a result most of the employees, walk at a leisurely pace across the landscapes areas more than a few times a day.
The architectural design focused on creating a campus setting for the placement of the program’s discrete functional components. The tight arrangement of office floor-plates around a garden court sets up a symbiotic relationship, where the un-built relies upon the built form to create space and enclosure and thus sustain human activity. Private and public domains are clearly segregated both visually and physically.
Design Direction
The big picture
The campus masterplan is developed in two phases comprising three Office wings each four storeys high and a Cafe/ Recreation facility that look onto a central landscaped court with tensile fabric semi-open seating. A utility block housing mechanical and electrical services is placed to the West. A five acre parcel is reserved on the North-west for future phases of development. The architectural design focused on the creating a campus setting for the placement of the program’s discrete functional components. The tight arrangement of office floor-plates around a garden court sets up a symbiotic relationship, where the un-built relies upon the built form to create space and enclosure and thus sustain human activity. Private and public domains are clearly segregated both visually and physically.
When the client becomes one with consultant
As with most of our other projects, this campus is an example of the close collaboration over several years with the core client team. RSP teams and senior members engaged with senior leadership over years designing and detailing every nook and corner of this campus. As a result, there is plenty of scope for engagement of employees across the office.
The process from design through to realisation has constantly referenced human needs whilst striving to create efficient layouts that provide flexibility to adapt to advances in technology and evolving business processes. The result – a modern workplace, that dispels traditional notions of efficiency and cost effectiveness to deliver a vibrant natural setting for work and recreation.
Organic collaboration, the new buzzword is here to stay
The site organization though tightly defined affords opportunity for informal interaction, within structured and non-structured landscaped settings that flow through the campus – inside and out. The central court functions as a device for integration of the office and cafeteria/ recreation wings as users navigate through the facility.
Keeping vehicles away from pedestrians
The main access to the site is established along the North approach road with secondary access from the South. Vehicular circulation is restricted to peripheral driveways and separate from pedestrian routes within the campus. Designated transport pick-up and drop-off areas are located to the North-west of the cafeteria and shaded by a tensile fabric structure. Parking is provided below office floors and on grade.
Designing for a global financial leader
Franklin Templeton is a widely respected leader in its domain of financial services. The campus could not be just another glass building. A rich medley of materials – granite and glass brings a New York financial district feel, while keeping climate concerns in mind.
Architectural features are formed out of honed Kashmir Gold granite and dark green polished granite accents. The granite clad forms are arranged to balance opacity and transparency of the envelope that is developed as a homogenous screen to regulate thermal gain and reduce energy consumption.
Green, green and some more green
Designed to stringent environmental standards, the office land scape design provides for structured and non-structured outdoor precincts within the campus. The flowing lines and curved forms within the landscape layout contrast with the largely rectilinear layout of the office wings – and soften the junctions where the built-form meets the ground plane. Naturally occurring rock outcrops have been preserved within the central court and plant species selected to merge with the landscape – plant specimens were grown in a nursery on site through the construction period for acclimatisation until ready for transplanting.
Inspired by local culture
The interiors reflected the local cultural flavours including the famous ‘Ikat’ style of art in the region. Carpets and surfaces were carefully custom-designed to bring this flavour alive.