DECODING AMAZON'S FRUGAL YET EFFICIENT WORKSPACE DESIGN CULTURE

Vinod Mathews, Director, Global Real Estate & Facilities, APAC at Amazon, expounds on the design principles and pattern of the company's workspaces

- RASHMI NAICKER

A brief glance into the journey of the world's foremost le-tail giant, Amazon, would undoubtedly demonstrate how the company has always been at the forefront of cutting-edge office design and workplace environments. Amazon opened its first office in India in 2013, and we all have witnessed its unprecedented expansion in terms of its footprint here in India. Its planning and design concepts exemplify that no single workplace trend has replaced those that came before; instead, it's the way people work that has continued to evolve, layer, and multiply.

While designing a workplace, a common belief is that the typical notions of an office should not constrain creativity and innovation: be it within the boundaries of a modular workstation unit, the walls, and partitions, cabins, etc. As such, Amazon has been exploring design ideologies beyond the rudimentary - catering to the individualistic needs of its inhabitants that not only encourages engagement but also score high on functionality. This principle has been adopted across Amazon's India offices. The result is a confluence of modern expression that conforms to contemporary design ideologies, representing the company's aspirations while also pushing spatial design to take up a role of corporate identity and staying adherent to the fundamentals of a workplace.