There is so much beauty in witnessing a business grow over time; and for Zetwerk, that growth has occurred at an exponential pace. Over the course of just three years, we’ve transitioned from working out of a 500 sq. ft. office space with a team just 20 members-strong, to an entire floor and now, an entire five-story building in one of the country’s prime commercial districts. As vaccination picks up pace and offices slowly re-open; as more of us opt to work from office after months of work-from-home being the norm; as our identity continues to evolve, it is only fitting that our workspace is reflective of who we are today — a forward looking, bold and disruptive organization, that’s as restless as it is young; a manufacturing force to be reckoned with.
Engineering is where technology meets magic, and it is at the core of everything we do at Zetwerk. So, it was only natural that when designing an office space, we chose an interior design style that showcases elements of engineering and mechanics, while paying homage to the factories and warehouses that gave birth to the aesthetic. The industrial design of Zetwerk’s new office borrows from the aesthetic of our current workspace; this is visible through the juxtaposition of vintage-inspired wood textures and more modern metal fixtures. The open floor plan caters to the organization’s horizontal working structure and collaborative spirit. As we level-up, the idea remains to intentionally retain the team-oriented culture that helped get us to where we are today.
With more space, comes more opportunities to showcase our products and personality. In a quiet corner on the first floor of the building, dedicated to Zetwerk’s Apparel and Fashion division, is a quaint product showroom designed to display curated collections of knits, denims and woven garments in rotation. The showroom also incorporates a few vintage elements, such as a memorable rotary dial telephone put on display, lending a unique creative energy to the space. We wanted each and every corner of the new office space to be utilized effectively to spark visual interest. This is what inspired us to create dedicated gallery walls throughout the working space. Instead of putting up branded posters or “inspiring” quotes, we wanted to keep the space true to what we do and will therefore showcase photos from real projects we’ve done, across sectors. In addition to Zetwerk’s project photos, we’re even including posters of pages from engineering textbooks, as a nod to those who came before us, and to the advancement of knowledge and technology that drives us. In keeping with this spirit, we’ve chosen to name all our conference rooms after remarkable Indian scientists whose inventions changed the world as we knew it. In this small way, we wanted to honour Ramanujam, Kalam, Bose, S. Chandrashekar and Venkatraman Radhakrishnan who, with their relentless thirst for knowledge, pushed the boundaries of what we thought possible.
What really ties a space together is dedication to details; when every element of the room is thought out and put in place with intention. Splashes of greenery in the form of air-purifying plants are placed throughout the workspace, lending a warmth to the whole area. Glass doors and windows provide an open, unobstructed view of the buzz and energy in the building. The cafeteria is an area to unwind and de-stress, with comfortable seating, diffused sunlight through strategically placed windows and a number of indoor plants.
The effectiveness of a workspace lies in keeping a people-first approach. It lies in creating the most conducive environment for the person who spends the most time there. The average working professional spends almost a third of their life in the office, so it becomes necessary to create the best possible environment to heighten efficiency, while leaving room to breathe, relax and let ideas flow.
The views expressed in this post are those of Amrit Acharya, CEO, ZETWERK
