interiors 51
Text: Sharmila Chakravorty
Images: Suryan//Dang
Drawings: Studio BipolarAdaptive
reuse in the
contemporary
world
By transforming a 60’s era pharmaceutical
warehouse in the Okhla Industrial Area of New
Delhi into a swanky, industrial chic office space
for a creative agency, Studio Bipolar have not
only created a shining example of how a design
intervention can highlight the dormant beauty of
our older buildings, but also made a compelling,
aesthetic case for adaptive reuse of structures
we would otherwise be tempted to demolish and
rebuild upon.O
ften when older structures are past their moment in time, the
dilemma is whether to refurbish and use, or demolish and start
over. While the do-over approach might sound appealing on the
surface, it discounts the cultural context or heritage value. However,
the argument against refurbishing stands to reason that often times
an arbitrary, and unnecessary, value is ascribed to older structures
simply on the basis of their age. How do we then strike a balance?
How do we, as objectively as possible, zero in on the best, most
logical course of action?Also, does all this hold true for buildings that probably do not
have cultural or conservational value? For instance, a 60’s era
pharmaceutical warehouse in the Okhla Industrial Area of New Delhi?
How would we arrive at the value of nostalgia here, if at all? When
Studio Bipolar set out to create a 6000 square feet office and film
studio for WhiteBalance, a creative agency, they perhaps pondered
over such questions. Their approach, however, was to highlight the
hidden beauty of the structure and transform it into a space that
resonates the bustling energy of the creative agency and its employees
who would inhabit the space.WhiteBalance, New Delhi