Flowing “calligraphic forms” of perforated metal panels define this renovation of a 1980s office building in Mumbai, designed by local studio Studio Symbiosis.
       The six-story building originally served as the office of I Dudhwala Real Estate Group at the entrance to the eponymous Dudhwala Complex, an exclusive residential development in South Mumbai.
       For a new project called ID Origins Headquarters, Symbiosis removed the original building, added 12 floors of living quarters, and redesigned the glass and metal outer shell to create a “new urban landmark.”
       “The original structure, built in the 1980s, was a key direction for owners to start their business, hence the name ID Origins,” the practice explains.
       ”The project’s new façade creates the site’s trajectory and serves as a visual entry marker to the entire 12-acre site,” he continued.
       Transmission beams and additional columns have been installed to support the additional floors, which occupy the same floor space as the original building and are finished with matching glass curtain walls.
       This glazed façade surrounds a series of flowing sheet-metal forms that rise up the building, aiming to emphasize its verticality as well as create a strong visual identity.
       These metal forms not only serve as a visual element, but also provide shade and privacy in the offices, while their wider perforated bases taper towards the top of the tower, allowing for an unobstructed view of the city from the apartment’s floors.
       “Given the undulating nature of the façade, it was important to turn it into panels that are easy to build,” Practik said.
       “The geometry of the calligraphic shape is flat in nature with a V-shaped profile to ensure we have a variety of materials and technical options to complete the design,” he added.
       The “Urban Entrance Hall” is on the reconstructed ground floor, accessed through a small landscaped area in front of the base of the tower, with metal cladding forming massive columnar forms on either side of the entrance.
       ”The site’s urban regeneration extends to the urban fabric by re-routing entry and exit to reduce entry congestion,” the statement said.
       “Improving the sidewalks adjacent to the site and removing site boundaries [creates] an urban hall that becomes part of the Mumbai cityscape,” he continued.
       Based in Noida near Delhi, Studio Symbiosis was founded in 2010 by Britta Knobel-Gupta and Amit Gupta.
       The studio’s previous projects include a proposal to build a series of air purification towers in Delhi designed to combat the city’s increasingly dangerous air pollution.
       The studio also recently completed Villa KD45, a villa in Delhi, India, which rises above the picturesque surroundings.
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