Name of the Project: Administrative office of JSW steel coated products ltd, Vasind plant
Typology: Commercial: Plant office
Location: Vasind, Maharashtra
Built Up Area: 55000 sq. ft.
Site Area: 175000 sq. ft. (4 acres)

Sustainable and Dynamic Workspaces
The transformation of the JSW’s Administrative Office at Vasind works plant, Vasind was driven by the need to replace old and outdated, leakage-prone offices buildings in various parts of the plant. The new administrative complex, set in the northwest parcel of the 110-acre plant would bring together the plant administrative offices, housing 150 employees at one location, providing better infrastructure, a conducive working environment reflecting JSW brand as a sensitive, sustainable and dynamic establishment.

The site abuts the Mumbai Nashik Highway. The prevalent 125 m highway setbacks from its centre defined the primary zone of the development. The setback area served as a vital foreground for the development. The earmarked parcel was largely clear, except for tree cover in certain areas and a small old unused structure at the east corner of the parcel.

The design reflects our response of preserving the green cover, minimizing foot print, organizing spaces as per the functional needs & crafting the form in response to the climate. The arrival pavilion, pedestrian walk, the wedge shaped arrival foyer, the connecting corridor to the café and the cafe with utility block beyond is conceived as a series of robust experiences set in landscape. The spaces engage with the landscape through shaded walkways and veranda’s. The built form vocabulary is articulated in local stone and exposed concrete, with glazing at suitable areas, forming the unifying base of the complex. The distinctly crafted linear bars of the workspaces and shared facility’s sit above this unifying base.

Workspaces largely in an insulated glazed cover, overlook views and are well shaded by deep overhangs and localized external screens. The spatial planning strategy along with the light filled spaces and engagement with nature fosters collaboration and interaction among employees. Materials used in the construction of the complex were aligned to the sustainability goals and responsibly consumed, with keeping the wastage factor to a minimum. The material palette comprises of ordinary local materials like Black basalt, Kota, granite, executed with extraordinary quality.
The project has set a benchmark for other plant offices, shaping the work experience and company culture at JSW. Despite pandemic challenges, the project achieved a thriving landscape and a positive, productive work environment. It continues to set new standards in sustainable and dynamic workspace design, aligning with the company’s tagline, “Better Every Day.”

10-point write-up highlighting Sustainable aspects of design:

Need of the project: The transformation of the JSW’s Administrative Office at Vasind works plant, Vasind was driven by the need to replace old and outdated, leakage-prone offices buildings in various parts of the plant. The new administrative complex, set in the open northwest parcel of the plant would bring together the various plant administrative offices at one location, providing better infrastructure, a conducive working environment and reflecting JSW’s brand as a sensitive, sustainable, young, and dynamic establishment. The old structures were cleared for landscaped green areas.

Responsible planning: The prevalent highway setbacks defines the primary zone of the development. The parcel was largely clear, except for tree cover in certain areas. The arrival pavilion, the pedestrian walk, the arrival foyer, the café with its outdoors and the utility block beyond is conceived as a series of robust experiences set in landscape. The compact foot print of the development ensured no damage to the existing trees and minimal disruption to the top soil. This base is articulated in local stone and exposed concrete, with glazing at suitable areas, forming the unifying base of the complex. The distinctly crafted linear bars housing the workspaces and shared functions rest above this unifying base

Form follows climate: The building’s orientation is strategically planned to optimise natural light and ventilation, reducing the need for artificial lighting and mechanical cooling, thereby enhancing energy efficiency. Workspaces largely in an insulated glazed cover, overlook views and are well shaded by deep overhangs and localized external screens.

Interior planning: We spend over a third of our daily life at work. It is essential that the work spaces are thoughtfully designed and conducive for our wellbeing, enabling engagement, being adaptive, getting motivated and creating meaningful work. The key drivers for this are glare free natural light, planning of personal and communal space with optimal density, connecting with nature and expanse, acoustics, ergonomics & adaptive nature. The design attempts to address these needs.

Engaging craft and skill: It was important how the development enables engagement of artisans and celebrates skilled workmanship and craft. We sought to celebrate the extraordinary execution of ordinary materials. This was planned in critical transition and communal areas which would be a showcase to the users and visitors to the office. A few notably were the tight joint local basalt dressed wall leading to the central foyer, terrazzo work in central foyer, skilfully done staircase railing by metal craftsman, sourcing of block print kalamkari fabrics for furnishings from NGO’s working with weaver communities etc

Materiality: The use of locally sourced materials such as Kota stone, granite, and basalt stone minimises transportation emissions and supports the local economy. These materials are chosen for their durability and low environmental impact. The workspaces extensively use JSW’s steel and cement products, showcasing the company’s commitment to utilising its own sustainable materials while ensuring the structure’s longevity and strength.

Responsible consumption: Offices consume a lot of energy and resources. One of the primary aims towards sustainable development is to address how to reduce energy consumption and resources or rather do responsible consumption. We aimed to achieve this through the following ways.

Glazed façades were restricted to areas requiring natural light. Low e double glazing with superior performance criteria was used. It was further shaded by suitable shading devices.
The building roof was thermally insulated externally to reduce the heat gains.
Low consumption LED light fixtures are planned in the building.
Low water consumption fixtures were used in toilets and pantry areas. The waste water was centrally treated in the plant and used for horticulture and make up water for cooling tower.
Efficient water cooled chillers have been planned for the air conditioning of the premises. Most of the transition areas are naturally ventilated, reducing the overall load on the air-conditioning.
Wastage in usage of materials like stone was kept to a very minimum (under 5%) by planning their application in the available sizes.
Paved areas were restricted to minimum as possible and soft-scapes were designed for percolation enabling ground water recharge.
Use of recyclable products and no consumption of plastics in daily use.

Responsible landscape design: Excessive hardscaping around building perimeter causes heat island effect, resulting in heat gains, glare and visual discomfort. The design consciously attempts to minimize hardscape and maximise softscape and tree cover.
Treated water from central plant STP is used to maintain the green cover with carefully planned drip and sprinkler system.

Optimising Life cycle cost: Through adoption of sustainable practices the construction costs of the project were largely optimised. Through sensitive planning the life cycle operational costs of the development are also reduced.

Internal branding ethos: It is well known that the client are patrons of art. The Journey of Vasind works began in 1982. We saw the passion of the plant team who considered the organisation as their family. This led to our proposal of showcasing the overlaps between Self and Work resulting in this beautiful family and which would be more meaningful to the users rather than formal art. This was built through the narratives of Heroes of Vasind (Larger than life photos of blue collar workers), Act of work (capturing people at work), Language of love (quotes in native language and script), Lifelines of Vasind (profile line work of key employees), Tools of Joy (Use commonplace objects from the factory to create interesting arrangements) & Name. Place. People. Things (Anecdote, Achievements, Accolades of people spread out chronologically)