1. aec
architecture | engineering | construction
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Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015 Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015
Godrej One, the 118 year old group’s new
corporate headquarters, stands tall as an
answer for questioning professionals to
achieve collaboration across innovative
design, development, execution and
construction processes.
Text: Meghna Mehta
Drawings & Images: courtesy Godrej Properties Pvt. Ltd.
DISTINCTIVE DESIGN
THINKING PRUDENTLY
INTEGRATES
ARCHITECTURE,
ENGINEERING AND
CONSTRUCTION

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Godrej One is located off the eastern express highway in Mumbai, amidst
a sprawling green industrial campus and overlooking the city’s precious
and best surviving mangroves. It is the first delivered commercial block of
a 35 acre mixed used development aptly named ‘The Trees’, which is part
of the Godrej Group’s much larger Vikhroli Campus. The development has
been conceptualized and master planned by the Godrej Properties Design
Studio and Sasaki Associates, with keen interest on all aspects from vision to
delivery by Godrej family members themselves. Pirojsha Godrej, MD and CEO
of Godrej Properties, recalls when this significant journey began-
“Vikhroli, where Godrej One is located, has been integral to the history of the
Godrej Group. Its development into a modern city within a city that offers its
resident an unparalleled quality of life is a critical priority for the Godrej Group.
The name Godrej One itself was chosen to symbolise both the convergence of
many Godrej Group companies under one roof for the first time and of the fact
that this building is step one of our large ambition for Vikhroli’s development.
To ensure our intent is converted into reality, we have partnered with some of
the world’s leading design and construction practitioners. We are extremely
happy to now be working out of Godrej One and planning the next steps of
this exciting project.”
Pelli Clark Pelli, architects of Malaysia’s Petronas Towers among other
international iconic structures are the lead architects of the building. This
happens to be their first building delivered in India. This is also the first
project in India for Diana Balmori of Balmori Associates from New York who
led the landscape design.
Rafael Pelli shares his thoughts on Godrej One -
“Our first project in India has been very exciting and an intense immersion
into both the history and the evolving future of India. For Godrej One, the
history of the site as an industrial use in the midst of mangrove swamps was
fascinating. We closely worked with the client on an overall master plan and
then a design direction for the building that felt appropriate.
Partly inspired by these mangroves and the Godrej Group’s commitment to
preserving and nurturing them, we collaborated with world-class landscape
design and environmental design consultants from the beginning so that
we would integrate landscape and environment concepts from the very first
sketch concepts to the final detailed design”
Godrej One is a robust demonstration of the group’s commitment to design
thinking and an integrated AEC (architecture-engineering construction)
approach to set international benchmarks in India.
“Our endeavor is to become a design led company”, says Anubhav Gupta,
Chief Design Officer and Head of The Trees Project for Godrej Properties.
Gupta also heads the GPL Design Studio. It comprises of urban designers,
architects, landscape designers, interior architects, graphic, branding
and broadcast design experts, environmental planners and horticulturists
tasked with design, innovation, product development & creation of customer
experiences across the group’s real estate portfolio over 12 cities.
The Studio approach is itself atypical of most developers, both in India and
overseas. It works on a co-creation format with diverse design partners on its
projects - SOM, Woods Bagot, Broadway Malyan and Tadao Ando among other
leading international practices.
This engagement has already won the Trees project the international honor
award for thoughtful planning from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.
By deploying this collaborative studio approach for its developments, Godrej
Properties seems to have demonstrated clever disruptive innovation in a
rapidly evolving industry.
FACT FILE:
Project Name : Godrej One
Type : Commercial Building
Location : Vikhroli, Mumbai
Local Authorities : Bombay Municipal Corporation,
Architect : Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Project Management team : Surbana International Consultant Pvt. Ltd.
Project Area : 4 Acres – 7.5Lacks sq.ft. Lease Area +
3.5 lack sqft occupied by Godrej Group.
RCC consultants : WSP Cantor Seinuk
Liasoning consultants : Hemant Bhavsar & Associates
Structural Engineer : WSP Cantor Seinuk
Water & Electrical consultants : WSP Flack & Kurtz
Civil contractors : Larsen & Toubro
Project Estimate : Cost of Construction 370CR.INR +165 CR. INR Interiros
Initiation of Project : 1st July 2011
Completion of project : 31st Jan 2015

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Form and Structure
Godrej One, a class A, platinum rated office tower was envisioned as
a composition of clean simple forms with deep shading elements that
would provide strong accent lines.
Rafael Pelli enthusiastically remarks – “Lushly planted terraces
contrast the contemporary engineered glass exterior. Inside, large
public spaces connect the interior with views out into the surrounding
plazas, gardens and of course the mangroves themselves.”
The designers chose to express the building form as a solid crystalline
mass with cutouts that create public spaces between the office
blocks. The two L- shaped office blocks are organized around a large
central atrium. Skylights and two large windows block direct sun
while allowing in indirect northern light. “This allows many offices
to have perimeter locations with natural light on all sides within a
compact site”, explained Pelli. He adds, “The shape of the building
and the orientation of the public spaces allow for maximum views of
the development’s beautiful surroundings.”
The overall design strategy carefully limits direct sunlight onto the glass
façade to reduce heat gain while allowing indirect and northern light
deep into the workspaces to decrease the need for artificial lighting.
ARCHITECTURE
The Entrance
The large entrance lobby has been envisioned as a space for human
interaction and flow .The glass paneled front visually merges
the indoor retail corridor with the external landscapes. With a
contemporary décor and a cosmopolitan aesthetic, the lobby has
been designed as more of a social space with an interesting mix of
high-end retail stores like Starbucks, BBLUNT and Nature’s Basket.
Central Atrium:
The Central Atrium on the first floor is the meeting point for all
Godrej Group Companies and is the core of the building. Entirely
floored in marble, it opens up to a wide range of public programming;
conference centers with 9 large conference rooms, a 238 seater
auditorium, an Espresso Bar, food-court, a library and open exhibition
spaces. . Various public huddle spaces intersperse the building. There
are large planted terraces on the 4th, 7th and 10th floors. An event
zone with an island bar on the 4th floor extends onto the terrace
landscape
The office-spaces
The floors, total twelve in number with the Godrej group occupying
the first six. Each office space is divided into three kinds of zones-
1. The open office workspace
Axonometric view indicating L-shaped office blocks.
Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015
DROP OFF
ENTRANCE LOBBY
ATRIUM
TERRACE GARDEN
CAFETERIA
AUDITORIUM
EXHIBITION SPACE
WEST SIDE WATER BODY
NORTHWEST LAWN
NORTH GARDEN
DN
UP
A A’
1
2
8
3
4
9
1 4 7 10
2 5 8
3 6 9
10
5
6
7
GROUND FLOOR PLAN SHOWING VARIOUS FUNCTIONS OF THE BUILDING.

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2. The private work space
3. Break out spaces or Huddle spaces –In order to break the monotony
of the workspace zones these spaces play an extremely important
role. These kinds of spaces shall act as stress busters or relaxation
zones for employees to enhance productivity and creative ideas.
These spaces can further be divided into discussion areas, gaming
space, lounge areas and secluded think zones.
Adaptive reuse
Spaces and customized furniture designs have interesting
interpretations of old factory objects which are of heritage value to
the group.
Re-engineered material from demolished factories are used to make
reception tables, coffee tables, bases for conference and meeting
glass tables, company logos and offer an interesting contrast to the
overall modern minimalist aesthetic.
Landscape
The building is inspired and responds poetically to the landscape it
sits within.
Several large, richly planted outdoor spaces are strategically located
to connect the building to the landscape. The entrance lobby and
the central atrium incorporate bamboo groves and water features to
soften the environment.
The glass façade of the building mirrors the landscape, forming a
series of reflections and creating a visage of green.
On two sides sculptural water features frame the building. Additional
large, planted terraces on floors 4, 7 and 10 notionally connect
back to the lush green forecourt of mangroves across the eastern
express highway. A roof garden, also open to the building’s users
for events and celebrations, insulates the building from unwanted
heat gain.
The landscape strategically planned creates a soothing ambience in the exterior simultaneously providing picturesque vistas from within.

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Sustainability
The effective site for Godrej One ensures that passive sustainable
strategies are built in. The building is pre-certified Platinum by the
Indian Green Building Council.
requirements leading to overall energy cost savings by approximately
28 percent
percent
percent in all spaces
are regionally manufactured by cost and overall recycled content is
10 percent of total materials used
for flushing, HVAC water requirement and landscaping gives an
overall water saving of atleast 50 percent
water-cooled centrifugal chiller of COP 6.36
percent of the building’s total energy requirements
EFFICIENT HVAC SYSTEM DESIGN
With hybrid cooling tower and water-
cooled centrifugal chiller of COP 6.36.
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS
The rooftops provide more than 1% of
the building’s total energy requirements.
CHARGING FACILITIES
For electric vehicles and preferred
parking spaces to encourage car
pooling.
GREEN ROOF
High albedo finishes and vegetation on
the terrace reduce Heat Island effect.
GLAZING
For 65% of facade giving natural views
and daylight.
FACT FILE:
Project : Godren One
Location : Vikhroli, Mumbai
Architect : Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Client : GILAC (Godrej Industries limited and associate companies)
Project Area : 4 acres : 7.5 lac sqft leasable area + 3.5 lac sqft occupied
by Godrej Group.
Structural Engineer : WSP Cantor Seinuk
Civil contractors : Larsen & Toubro
Project Estimate : 370 cr. INR + 165 cr. INR Interiors
Initiation of Project : 1st
July 2011
Completion of project : 31st
Jan 2015
potential high energy content
spaces to encourage car pooling
island effect
light public areas
SOLAR ENERGY
Solar Photovoltaic Panels
on the rooftop provide more
than 1% of the buildings total
energy requirements.
GREEN ROOF
Roof garden with access for
occupants provides direct
energy savings.
WATER RETENTION
The rainwater harvested from
the roof will be stored for use
throughout the dry season
by storing it underground in
the cisterns underneath the
buildings.
Skylight in the central atrium space.

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Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015
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CW08
One of the key architectural features of Godrej One is the suspended
glazing framing the atrium. Code named CW08, this has been an
engineering feat. The frameless glazing is 20 meters wide and 38
meters high. In total 90 glass panels, each weighing 450 kg and
2170mm x 3880 mm in size are supported on special alloy rods of
80 mm diameter. Installation of CW08 was one of a kind in India and
it posed fair challenges such as handling and positioning of heavy
weight solid SS rods, balancing aesthetics, structural integrity and
careful handling of the glass which were installed in a very short
time.
Neolith Sunshades on the facade of Godrej One
The sunshades on facade of Godrej One were fabricated using a mild
steel framework and covered on four sides with natural brindle grey
granite. The sourcing of large quantities of uniform quality granite
was difficult; hence it was replaced with a lighter neolith stone
mounted on an aluminum framework. The sunshades lend a pleasant
relief to the all glass façade whilst acting as a shading device for
all floors.
ENGINEERING &
CONSTRUCTION
Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015
SECTION INDICATING DETAILS
ALUMINIUM MULLION
BRACKET
M12X38MM
SS ALEN CSK
(FULL THREADED BOLT)
50X50X2MM
ALUMINIUM TUBE
NEOLITH TILE
DETAIL OF NEOLITH SUNSHADES AT ‘B’
Photo Voltaic Modules
Inclined Metal Rack Mounting
System for PV Panels
Insulation
DETAIL OF SKYLIGHT AT ‘A’
Auditorium
Retail Corridor
A
B
C
LOBBY WALL GLAZING
FALSE CEILING
CENTERLINE COLUMN
DIA 12MM TENSION CABLE
DIA 22MM TENSION CABLE
SPIDER FITTING
(TYPICAL 4 WAY)
DETAIL OF GLAZING AT ‘C’
“The studies into the experience of the building were paralleled by studies into the technical aspects of
its performance. The building incorporates the latest international advances in both the design tools, the
technology to study and model performance, as well as actual building components, in particular exterior
glass wall and climate control systems.”
- Rafael Pelli

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Indian Architect & Builder - August 2015
Entrance lobby while under construction.
Landscape while being contsructed.
Atrium
Wooden Slats mounted on perforated acoustic panels are currently
being installed in the atrium of Godrej One. Designers felt the need
to lend relief to the internal plain glass facade whilst providing much
needed acoustic treatment to the atrium. Different types of wood
were explored and finally ‘yellow sinker meranti’ was chosen for its
uniform grain structure.
Procurement of the selected wood was challenging as the material
was not available locally in a large quantity and therefore the slats
had to be pre-processed (matte polished) to the required shape &
color.
Skylight in the Atrium
Spanning over 21 m, supported on MS truss, the skylight cues in
northern light deep into the workspaces reducing the need for
artificial lighting.
Connected Bridges in the Atrium
A total of 5 bridges on 2,4,6,8,10 levels hang from the roof truss
via SS tension rods from Macalloy, Britian. All bridges have air
conditioning vents.
Round marble columns in the main lobby
To ensure the lobby provides a relatively seamless integrated view of
the external landscapes, the architects wanted the marble columns
to be slender. To achieve this, engineers selected composite columns
instead of the conventional RCC Column. The Cruciform MS column
was suggested which helped in reducing the diameter from 2m to 1.2
m achieving the desired aesthetic and structural capability.
Godrej One presents a fresh perspective through an intelligent
synthesis of concept, design and construction to make the idea of
a ‘building’ a shared endeavor rather than an isolated step-by step
approach.
“At Godrej Properties, we look at design as a business horizontal
and not a business vertical- explains Gupta. “This means that design
is the consistent thread that binds feasibility, vision, development,
delivery and post occupancy usage. In order for this to work, an
integrated approach in architecture and design, engineering and
sustainability is key.”
FACT FILE:
Project : Godrej One
Location : Vikhroli, Mumbai
Architect : Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Engineering Team : WSP
Client : GILAC
Project Area : 4 acres : 7.5L sqft lease able Area + 3.5 lack sqft
occupied by Godrej Group.
Structural Engineer : WSP Cantor Seinuk
Civil contractors : Larsen & Toubro
Carpentry contractors : Various Agencies
Electrical contractors : Godrej & Boyce View of the CW08 under construction.