Booking, an online travel platform owned by The Priceline Group, that helps people find the best hotel deals, recently reached out to workplace design firm M Moser Associates to design their new office in Mumbai, India.
“Considering Booking.com’s core design objectives for this project and the desired experience for end users and industry partners with expanded metal mesh ceilings, M Moser was tasked with designing and building an engaging space for the work force and industry partners that would capture the essence of the local culture and encourage social interaction in the workplace. Booking.com’s new 9,500 sq ft office in the heart of central Mumbai’s business district is sub-divided into various themed zones that address specific cultural and social identifiers, defined by Mumbai. A sequential journey begins from the common areas of the reception, which showcases a typical street market highlighted by authentic novelties such as an ornamented auto rickshaw and a bespoke cut chai glass chandelier in the cafeteria.
Towards the expanded metal mesh interior, the hard spaces utilise re-purposed shipping containers, inspired by the new Mumbai high-rises using these containers to resolve high-density population housing in the city. Materials have been localised wherever possible, presenting raw finishes and a tactile patina. The smaller meeting rooms are furnished with magnified photographs highlighting the destinations visited by Booking.com’s employees. These unique features add a personal touch to the space, as well as blurring the line between work and passion. The built-up areas around the open office including the meeting rooms and individual offices draw inspiration from popular holiday destinations, echoing the spirit of exploration and adventure.
Weaving together this visual tapestry, are the impactful ‘”Grunge” super graphics of Bollywood and cricket stars are dispersed throughout the office to resonate “larger than life”, a phrase commonly associated with movie and sports celebrities in India. The graphics also tie together an organic collage that represents the multifaceted culture of Mumbai, using emblems such as prominent architectural relics and the Hindi alphabet as an art form. The new Booking.com Mumbai office took just 60 days to design and construct. To maintain the short timeline, M Moser’s strategy was to form a streamlined project management system, fine-tuning milestones and ensuring timely client approvals at each stage. We also vigilantly monitored the procurement process to enable smooth transition from one phase to the next. Booking.com’s new Mumbai office is a reflection of the brand’s global aspirations – a workspace that facilitates employee productivity, while aligning with the local culture and the city they call home. M Moser successfully achieved this by incorporating elements inspired by the quintessential Mumbai city life and artfully creating a visual journey throughout the space,” said M Moser Associates
