Try GOLD - Free
IN THE STILLNESS OF DUST, 'ELEMENTS OF NATURE' BREATHES
Commercial Design
|July 2025
This sunlit marketing office, by Source Architecture in Bengaluru, is a place where walls whisper, shadows dance, and silence becomes the most powerful story; a space not built but born from the land itself
In the sun-seared outskirts of Bengaluru, in a quiet, parched corner of Hoskote, something quietly magnificent rises; not to disrupt but to listen. "We didn't want to create building that shouted," says Sneha Ostawal, Founder of Source Architecture. "We wanted a place that would breathe with the earth." The result? 'Elements of Nature', a marketing and sales office that turns convention on its head, designed by Sneha Ostawal and Manu Gautham as an experiential pause in a world racing ahead.
More than a building, a meditation
This is not your typical sales office. Set on a half-acre stretch along a dusty arterial road, the 8,000 sq ft space is the first encounter with a larger township development. But rather than overwhelming visitors with glossy models and hard-sell tactics, the design gently invites them to slow down, recalibrate, and connect; not just with the product, but with the land itself.
"The client didn't want something transactional," explains Gautham. "They asked us to design something unforgettable, something that people would feel, not just see." With that openness came responsibility; to material, to climate, and most of all, to emotion.
Architecture that emerges from the earth
A monolithic beige wall in micro cement rises from the scorched soil, standing guard like a secret waiting to be revealed. It doesn't announce itself. It waits. Timber fins and bamboo overhangs soften the structure's stoicism, casting textured shadows that move across the ground like whispered invitations.
This story is from the July 2025 edition of Commercial Design.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Commercial Design
Commercial Design
Office space leasing in top Indian cities jumps 28% to nearly 40 mn sq ft
Office space leasing across India's top cities surged 28 percent year-on-year, reaching nearly 40 million sq ft in the first nine months of 2025, reflecting strong momentum in the country's commercial real estate sector.
1 min
November 2025
Commercial Design
House of Hiranandani to invest 500 crore in new commercial project in Andheri, Mumbai
House of Hiranandani has announced plans to invest 500 crore in a premium commercial project in Mumbai's Andheri, marking its return to the city's commercial real estate segment.
1 min
November 2025
Commercial Design
GATEWAYS TO INNOVATION
Niels and Kris Huber discuss how Boon Edam is combining heritage, technology, and design to redefine workplace access in India.
3 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
Adani Realty, Marathon Nextgen Realty join hands for Rs. 3,400 crore project
Adani Realty has partnered with Marathon Nextgen Realty Limited to develop a large-scale real estate project in South Mumbai valued at around Rs 3,400 crore.
1 min
November 2025
Commercial Design
THE NEW AFC FURNITURE SOLUTIONS Rooted in purpose, ready for tomorrow
How an Indian brand is reimagining the future of work with design, purpose, and sustainability
2 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
FROM PRODUCTS TO PURPOSE: HOW WELLNESS IS REDEFINING MATERIAL
As India's workplaces embrace the WELL Building Standard, design, materials, and corporate purpose are converging to create healthier, more human-centric environments.
5 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
FORM FOLLOWS CARE
At AIIMS Guwahati, Creative Designer Architects (CDA) translates the language of care into architecture – creating a medical campus that is sustainable, adaptive, and deeply humane
5 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
THE HIVE UNVEILED
Designed by R+D Studio, the 13-storey student and faculty housing complex at Mahindra University, known as \"The Hive,\" seamlessly integrates architecture with the natural landscape, creating a dynamic, communitycentered living space.
6 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
THE ANALYTICS OF EXPERIENCE
Sanjay Gulati, Co-Managing Director and Principal at Gensler, delves into how data and human insight are converging to shape a new era of workplace design-where measurable experience, adaptability, and innovation drive the future of work.
4 mins
November 2025
Commercial Design
DESIGN VERSUS REALITY
Industry leaders and design experts gathered to explore how global workplace standards can be effectively adapted to India's unique cultural, climatic, and infrastructural landscape.
4 mins
November 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size
