Incorporating local culture for an interactive workplace

For its new 9,500 sq ft office in the heart of Mumbai’s central business district, Booking.com wanted to draw on its surroundings to connect the brand with the local environment. Mumbai is a city of stark contrasts woven into a diverse urban fabric. Our approach was to form distinct themes that represent Mumbai culture and stage them within a spatial context. This created an imaginative user journey inspired by a day in the life of a ‘Mumbaikar’, a reminder of the rich culture thriving within the city.

The workplace is divided into various themed zones inspired by specific Mumbai cultural and social identifiers. The journey begins in the reception, in a typical street market with novelties including an ornamented auto rickshaw and a bespoke cut chai glass chandelier in the cafeteria. Interior spaces use repurposed shipping containers, inspired by the new Mumbai high-rises using them for high-density urban housing. Materials were sourced locally whenever possible, including raw finishes and patinas.

The smaller meeting rooms are furnished with photographs of locations Booking.com employees have visited. Besides adding a personal touch, these design details blur the line between work and passion. Meeting rooms and individual offices draw inspiration from popular holiday destinations, with an emphasis on exploration and adventure. Weaving together this visual tapestry are ‘Grunge’ supergraphics of Bollywood and cricket stars throughout the office. Together, this graphic collage represents Mumbai’s multifaceted culture, including emblems of prominent architectural relics and the Hindi alphabet.

The new Booking.com Mumbai office was designed and constructed in just 60 days. To meet the condensed timeline, we developed a streamlined project management system for timely client approvals at each stage. We also carefully monitored the procurement process for smooth transition from one phase to the next.