The Earth Centre by Vista Spaces was designed to reimagine the idea of workplaces, particularly in the tech-related industry. Core principles of biophilia, promoting a strong connection between nature and the built environment, strongly inform the design, fostering employee well-being and productivity. The goal was not just to design a benchmark workspace that is sustainable and harmonised with nature, but also to reimagine ideals of spatial luxury in workspaces.
To create a high-performance, energy-efficient facility, the design process incorporated several simulation studies to understand the impact of aspect, orientation, and radiation. Volumetrically, the program requirements are contained within two linear blocks set perpendicular to one another. Passive design strategies incorporated in the design resulted in the articulation of the very long façades, integrating landscaped terraces all along their length. These outdoor terraces get staggered across the floors, ascending gradually and enable breakout spaces for users and visual connections across multiple floors.
The composition of the façade also results in three distinct climate and material strategies to mitigate solar gains. At the base level, contiguous with the street, the building mass is clad in terracotta tiles, visually humanising its large scale and invoking the idea of ‘earthiness’. Above this base, the fenestrations at the mid-levels are recessed, with laminated clear glass windows that allow for the interior spaces to visually access and blend into the landscaped terraces. The uppermost levels are glazed using high-performance curtain walls to take advantage of the surrounding views and maximise daylighting. Terracotta-clad screens in front of this glazing shade the glass to prevent glare inside the workspaces. The formal strategy to manipulate the building mass and the materiality allows for optimal energy and lighting performance in the building.
The project was intended as a multi-tenant development, and hence, rentable space floorplates would need to be configured incrementally, depending on need. In addition to the office floorplates, the project also had to provide for well-defined vehicular and pedestrian access, with segregated drop-off lobbies, and access to other forms of mobility. Urban amenities like gyms, cafes, retail spaces and others made up the rest of the real estate requirement to service the building’s users. Envisioned as a workspace of the future, the Earth Centre by Vista Spaces aims to be a green building that would comply with the highest possible green building rating system, with a focus on wellness.
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