The Hindu Business Line : Designing a new image

Call it the globalisation effect. Or call it pampering the employee. But the truth is the IT industry believes that a plush office would enable it to net a good employee.

During the IT boom in the 1990s, all software companies along with their Business Process Reengineering plans went in for a major physical makeover. Like their businesses, their offices had to be hi-tech and futuristic. And when traditional companies started losing their employees to these granite and glass structures, they too joined the `redesign' bandwagon.

And now all companies — big, small, IT, non-IT, government and private — are bitten by the bug. Take the case of Life Insurance Corporation. Till a year ago, one of its branches in a suburb in Bangalore was no different from any other LIC office in the country — dusty files, truly open office with a large hall that housed the clerks and the officers along with rusty steel chairs, tables and almirahs that used to be jammed all the time.

Today it has a different facade altogether. The lounge is large and comfortable. The flooring is granite, the walls and upholstery complement each other and the glaring sunlight is shut out by blinds. Employees are far away from the service counters where policyholders can pay up their premiums. "Now it's like any other MNC office,'' says one of its employees. It's competition and connectivity that has made all the difference.

Other government offices too are getting spruced up. Khanija Bhavan, which houses several government departments, is a far cry from the yellowed walls and paan-stained staircases that sarkari offices are famous for.

When it comes to interior design, most people look for ease of maintenance and an alignment to company image. The concept of internal branding is assuming great importance in business today. And a good office ambience is one of the elements that determine how good an employer a company is.

Says Siraj Hasan of a Bangalore-based firm, Siraj and Renu, "Office interiors revolve around practical, down-to-earth and functional engineering elements.'' Suparna Rajan, a Bangalore-based interior designer points out that modern offices have eliminated the concept of across the table discussions. "Because of the escalating cost of real estate, most companies try to squeeze in maximum number of people in a minimum area." She designed the interiors for an IT company in Bangalore that wanted to seat people in the passages!

There is a basic design theme that everyone follows: glass and granite is heavily used. Systems or knock-down furniture is in. Most of them would like to adhere to company colours when it comes to furnishing: it's either blue or beige and the blinds are always the same in all offices.

So where does the designer's creativity come in? Remarks V. Narasimham, Architect - Principal, Venkataramanan Associates, who was on the panel of architects that designed the Infosys campus in Bangalore, "Yes, there's a danger of all offices looking like Dilbertland, but it's the architect's job to give the distinct touch." He has worked on GE's John F Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore which is one of the most-talked about offices in the city today. GE believes in `boundarylessness' and the architect gave it what it wanted. The research centre comprises nine floors and each floor spreads over one and a half acres (about 60,000 sq. ft) and with no closed cabins at all! "The only closed cabin is the toilet,'' says Narasimhan.

What about colours? The company opted for muted colours because the CEO believes that "the colour in an office should come from its employees and not from its furniture."

In stark contrast is the MTV office in Bangalore which reflects the channel's vibrant image. Whacky posters, paintings of South Indian film stars and a funky look is what it has chosen. Apart from internal branding for employees, companies want to ensure the workplaces reflect the company philosophy.

For instance, Microsoft has opted for closed cabins rather than the seamless open type that IT companies prefer. Says Narasimhan, "Microsoft believes each of its engineers is a rocket scientist and therefore they need privacy and have to be left alone and so be it."

Another new concept that new age companies are welcoming is hotelling. Here employees do not have specific workstations. It's a `plug and play' kind of scenario where an employee can use any workstation. In a paperless office, this works perfectly fine.

In most offices today, Big Brother stuff like automation control the interiors, cabling, networking and security issues determine the layouts, air-conditioning and lighting. "But materials have to be judiciously used," says Siraj. Though there is a proliferate use of glass in the country, it is not really necessary, he feels.

"In Western countries, glass is used to enhance the effect of sunlight. In India it's not necessary." But what the West does, we must. In Bangalore, there are very few IT companies that are not housed in a `glass house.' It's easier for software companies in India to import furniture as they are exempted from paying customs duty. With international brands of office furniture such as Herman Miller and Hayworth already here in India, `world-class material' is easily available.

As for the budget, it varies from Rs. 600 per sq. ft. - inclusive of air conditioning to about Rs 2,500 per sq. ft. The work stations can range from Rs 15,000 to as much as Rs 1.5 lakh.

"For about Rs 20,000 you get a reasonably good quality of work station," he says. Cleanliness is becoming a way of life in most corporate houses. At Infosys, for instance, all employees are expected to keep their desks neat and tidy. "All this is driven by globalisation,'' says Narasimhan.

Many companies ensure that all their offices across the globe look the same. Hewlett Packard has the open office concept and even the CEO sits in an open office. In this Silicon city of India, apart from IT services and IT enabled companies, there is a great comeback of research centres. GE, Daimler Chrysler, Astra Zeneca house scientists where the architect has to provide room for contemplation. "Accoustics is a major factor that we have to keep in mind,'' says Narasimhan.

Architect I. Zachariah, who conceptualised and built the Intel corporate office in Bangalore, talks of the changing times. He was also the architect for `Brookefields,' the corporate headquarters of Brooke Bond India and now Hindustan Lever Ltd. Brookefields is an imposing white building taking inspiration from the Raj era. The pillars and the use of dark wood are in stark contrast to Intel's office, which is steel and glass. "Earlier people preferred the down-to-earth wood look, while now it's the hi-tech look.''

So how does the Bangalore skyline differ from the rest of the country? Zachariah feels Mumbai has woken up a lot after Bangalore. "There it is change for change's sake and in Delhi there is not much difference between one designer and the other.'' In terms of materials available and the knowledge (technology) to use it, Bangalore is far ahead of the rest of the country.

Narasimhan highlights another point. He says in Mumbai, there's no space to build, you can only experiment on the interior design and that's why they have the cutting edge as far as `interiors' is concerned.

There is a great difference in interior design and interior decoration, say architects and designers. The materials used and the presentation depend on the character of the client, more specifically the kind of business the client is in. Zachariah points out that there are "some architects who believe buildings should reflect their individual style. But I believe each building should reflect the client's style and not mine. I'm not designing it for my fancy" He rues that many architects tend to forget this important element in building design. "In any design, use of space should be justified."

An undivided opinion among designers, architects and employees is that a good and comfortable ambience will definitely push up productivity. If a change in interiors can be used as a recruitment tool and a motivating tool, then interior design has surely come out of the woods.

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