Designed by DSP Design, I-Flex Solutions, Corporate Office, Bangalore, is a classic example of full justice with the client's desire for an iconic building. In lieu of accommodating 1500 employees and creating a building that would reflect the values of the company, the team took the brief one step further, setting a benchmark for the entire city.

Spreading across an area of 200,000 square feet, the fluidity between the built and landscape portray extensions of one another, reflecting the architect’s holistic approach. Dividing the park into two blocks, the Development and Corporate blocks, linked by a common entrance and reception area was a deliberate attempt to retain the connectivity yet respecting the required disconnect among the two.

Designed with their own distinctive features, the clear glass facades retain the harmony of the built, allowing the landscaped exteriors to become an extension of the interior spaces, so that one is constantly in visual contact with nature. A water body wrapping around the buildings is the connecting element that ties them together to form a cohesive whole. There is also a natural lake adjacent to the campus, which along with the water body enhances the concept of transparency and blends the natural surroundings with the built forms.

With the stay-cable technology used in the Corporate block, it has become a structural icon, complemented by the three-sided building, unique glass facade of point fixed glazing, left exposed on the exterior and supported on slender, spaced out castellated columns, which further enhance the feeling of openness of the Development block.

The reception block, with its front and rear facades in double-height clear glass, also allows one to enjoy a view of the landscaped courtyard, with a waterfall acting as the backdrop along with the glass floor with water flowing underneath making the interior and exterior hold their values in unison. The six storied curvilinear façade, in the plan as well as in elevation, is complemented by the system of glazing adopted from the skin's structure with an expanding floor plate, evoking the profile of a ship. 

A central service core in RCC becomes the fulcrum from which 50-foot long floor plates are cantilevered to form the main usable office area. These floor plates, starting at the third level are suspended from the core with tension cables. Concrete boxes on the third, fifth and seventh floors are formed using vierendeel girders, which are held by cables on the fourth, sixth and the terrace levels. Thus by virtue of its design, three floors in this block have a cross-shaped plan and the two intermediate floors have circular floor plates.

Landscaped terraces on these floors open up the interiors and continue the design theme of blending the interior and the exterior spaces. This unique design element has eliminated the need for columns inside the building, thereby ensuring more space within the interiors and maximizing the usable space ratio of the building. The circulation areas have been placed along the periphery so that the view outside is unrestricted.

Iflex Park exemplary triumph is a bold attempt of the architect and its team using the powerful tool of architecture to create a statement.

Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Project Work Status: Completed Projects
Area: 320,000 Sq.Ft.

All images © Vinesh Gandhi & DSP Design

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