Let's Talk

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 41

However, the new physical-digital complexity

of our societies and the unpredictable, open-

ended futures demand a completely different

approach than the old industrial, material-

focused society that we were educated for

and that we were used to. The emerging

digital, artificial and virtual reality as well as

the human-machine interaction, need the new

type of designers to solve the wicked problems.

These people can imagine and make the

future visible. They represent the leadership of

crowds, they think horizontally

Designers are visual rather than in a linear way, they
storytellers, explorers, are self-organizing, they are
driven by choices, and they

and creative catalysts, are looking for patterns rather
all in all, change than elements. The designers
of futures believe in the
makers par excellence. imagination economy, not the

experience economy, and they

appreciate the lens of diversity

and shared sensemaking. And above all,

from the problem-solving point of view, these

leaders of the new complexity, they practice co-

creation, courage – and collective creativity.

Today, we all agree that cities are the global
powerhouses of economy, innovation and
creativity. Cities produce most of the wealth in
the world, they accommodate most possibilities
for innovation and they cultivate cultural
richness in a creative way. In a recent study
on creativity and city (Serafinelli & Tabellini
2017), they found that “the emergence of
city institutions protecting economic and
political freedoms facilitates the attraction and
production of creative talent”.

42 GPL Design Studio

core characteristics

that enhance the urban creativity
and make the city innovative.

1 Sense of a unique
place and authenticity.

2 Rich layers of culture
experienced as diversity and
personal opportunities.

3 The sense of freedom:
openness, accessibility and high
level of citizen participation.

4 The feeling of vitality:
a vibrant city atmosphere with
flourishing entrepreneurial spirit.

5 The ease of living –
how liveable and lovable
the city is.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 43

Personally, I would like to GPL Design Studio
highlight the importance of
the sense of place through
shared urban narrative and
strategic storytelling. One way
to create the understanding
of the life of the citizens is
through storytelling. Stories
are a kind of pattern device to
understand the world and the
city. Strategic storytelling enables us to understand
and foster the unique characteristics and the heritage
of a place. Stories are the place, like people are
the city. By combining the participatory problem-
solving method to practices of urban anthropology
and strategic storytelling, we can redesign and
strengthen the unique characteristics of any given
neighbourhood and/or place within the city. When
involving local citizens into the co-creation of the
future of the place, we engage and empower them to
take an active, participatory role in the development
of their neighbourhood and the city. In doing so, we
are creating a unique urban user experience for the
residents and the visitors alike by supporting the
Genius Loci – the unique sense of place.

“The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared
purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that
you and your customer are working towards together.
It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver
to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world.
It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having
a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from the
consumer to the co-creator.”* In the same way,
through the strategic urban narrative the citizens will
become the real actors, not just spectators of the city.

*https://hbr.org/2016/03/how-to-build-a-strategic-narrative

44

A city is the place of
availabilities. It is the place
where a small boy, as he walks
through it, may see something
that will tell him what he wants
to do his whole life.

- Louis I. Kahn

If we put all these pivotal elements together; the dynamic,
creative city, the role of designers as creative catalyst,
and the shared urban narrative, we end up with a
people-oriented urbanism – and the humane city. All
these elements together create the urban experience as
a unique, human-centric spirit of the place. Eventually, a
humane city inspires you to become who you are. And
that is the beginning of the human journey.

Dr. Anne Stenros, architect SAFA is a thought leader on strategic
design, creative leadership and strategic foresight, speaking and
lecturing around the world.

Anne Stenros graduated as Master of Architecture from the Univ.
of Oulu and the Univ. of California, Berkeley. She has the doctorate
in technology in the field of architectural theory. She has acted as
a Managing Director of Design Forum Finland between 1995-2004
and the Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre in 2005.
During the years 2005-2015, she was the Design Director at KONE
Corporation, a world leading elevator and escalator company. In 2016,
she was appointed as the first ever chief design officer CDO of the city
of Helsinki. She has been rewarded with The Gold Estlander Medal
(2015) and The Gold Medal of the City of Helsinki (2013). She is a
founding member of Women in Tech Finland.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 45

The Evolving GPL Design Studio
Campus

Vikhroli has always been a vibrant test
bed for entrepreneurship, new visions,
experimentation and innovation. The Trees,
GPL’s flagship development has emerged
as a successful prototype of a new way of
thinking and delivering real estate in India. A
brand new vision is currently underway, built
on the premise of placemaking, identity and
the promise of brighter living.

46

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 47

Believe
into Being

The Cogeneration plants that once converted
excess steam from the soap factories into
electricity were transformed into an experiential
representation of the 'Live, Work, Learn, Play'
premise of the Trees master plan for the customer.

For the full video, visit
https://youtu.be/xI6qhji8cG4

The Workshop is notionally, where
your homes are built. An internal
scaffold wall is the interface to
the 'show apartments' for the
residential development

The Studio is a gallery GPL Design Studio
space where notionally
your life at The Trees is
imagined. Veil-like slatted

interpretations of the
silo form enclose the
office spaces. A silo clad
in brass and suspended
from the ceiling makes

for the AV room

48

The Godrej legacy as The landscape is peppered with
'Past, Present and Future' remnants of the past - silos that
now form seats beneath trees in
represented in the the 'Legacy Park'
'Cabinet of Curiosities'
by Ali Akbar Mehta and The Boiler room café is now home
Vidha Saumya, allowed to the busting Vikhroli Social
for first time visitors to
learn more about Godrej

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 49

Narratives

50 GPL Design Studio

Storytelling

Authentic narratives rooted in our
context have been key to developing

the 'placemaking' strategy for The
Trees master plan through a sustained

collaboration with Godrej Archives.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 51

52 GPL Design Studio

Building
Narratives

The next asset of our evolving campus
involves building up the 'Learn' premise

of the masterplan. Together with our
design partners Studio Lotus, we are
converting an existing shed into a state
of the art R&D facility for our Group’s

consumer products business.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 53

54 GPL Design Studio

The memory of the 'garden of
fragrant flowers', that was the
site for our headquarters building
Godrej One is brought to life as
the forecourt of the 'R&D' building.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 55

60months
Sustainability, for us, is a core
development proposition as well as a
shared value and responsibility. We
have committed to a minimum IGBC
Silver (Indian Green Homes Building
Certification) for all our buildings
and mandated sustainable sourcing
and operational standards from
our partners. As a part of our CSR
goals we established sustainability
as a key priority measured against
our aspirations to become carbon
neutral, water positive and minimize
waste to landfills by 2020. Today,
we are managing to sustain our
business alongside doing the right
thing for the environment.

2ranked nd

developer asia

(GRESB RANKINGs)

56 GPL Design Studio

= 1 Million Square feet

93%

green
certified
portfolio

million square
feet under
development

5ranked TH

developer GLOBAL
(GRESB rankings)

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 57

50

Kg of waste

converted to fuel
briquettes each day

How do you
ensure no more
waste?

As part of our CSR mandate, we set
up a waste management plant in
collaboration with the city of Mumbai
that will convert green horticultural
waste to fuel briquettes.

58 GPL Design Studio

500

metric tons

of waste diverted from
landfill each year

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 59

The Future of Cities
is Child’s Play

- Karla Bookman, Founder & Editor, The Swaddle

Play is underrated in India’s major metros. In an effort to
prepare children for a competitive and fast-changing world,
parents are increasingly investing time and money in didactic
education, whether it be formalized school or a series of
extra-curricular classes. Paradoxically, all that investment may
be accomplishing the opposite result. Not only is play vital for
children’s well-being – the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child declares it a fundamental human right – it’s also the best
way for children to learn.

Research is increasingly showing that children learn best
through exploration and play. Developing brains are not
wired to imbibe facts and figures statistically, through lectures
or tutorials. Instead, we are hard wired to learn by doing;
play fires up the prefrontal cortex, spurring the development
of neural connections in the frontal lobe. This is particularly
important because those changes in the prefrontal cortex
establish a child’s executive function, which is key to regulating
emotions, problem solving, and strategic planning. Too much
formal, structured education at a young age – at the expense
of play – actually hinders the development of this part of the
brain.

Free play is one of the best ways for children to learn until
at least age eight. Children are building resourcefulness,
creativity, the ability to problem solve and work together. Many
of the soft skills that children build through play are skills that
cannot be learned at a desk, and can only be learned through
experience and exploration.

60 GPL Design Studio

Kids who have had
access and freedom to
play are the ones who
know how to explore,
create, empathize,
Unsurprisingly, given how strategize, observe, and
important these skills are imagine as adults.

to adult achievements,
children that have been
given a strong foundation in explorative, creative free play
ultimately do better academically than those children who have
been taught in rigidly academic settings at a young age.

And a particularly important, and frequently overlooked,
aspect of learning through play, is its physicality. Sure, kids
are learning when they are engaged in free play indoors, but
science shows that when accompanied by physical activity,
the educational benefits of free play are further cemented.
Additionally, in an increasingly sedentary modern world, the
sooner outdoor physical play becomes a habit for the next
generation, the healthier they will be as adults. Research is
already showing that higher obesity rates correlate to urban
areas with less access to green spaces. And India’s childhood
obesity rates are rising fast, especially in urban areas.

An investment in outdoor spaces for children is an investment
in the future of our cities. Kids who have had access and
freedom to play are the ones who know how to explore,
create, empathize, strategize, observe, and imagine

as adults. If we want the cities of tomorrow to be hubs for
creativity, innovation, strategic thinking, and collaboration, we
can’t overlook where it all begins: on the playground.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 61

High density

With a population density of
30,000 people per square

kilometer, Mumbai ranks as the
densest city globally.

Neither safe nor secure

With the increasing numbers of cars both
on roads, streets and in parking lots,
there are clear concerns from children
having to negotiate traffic to increased
pollution from vehicular exhausts in most
high-rise developments.

62 GPL Design Studio

Where will
our kids play?

This is a common lament from any parent seeking housing
in an urban context – a safe, secure, place for their children
to explore and enjoy their environment. With most of our
city’s public realm under assault from cars, such spaces are
now smaller and devoid of the plurality, richness of spatial
texture and engagement that characterize human centric
development. We would like to change this.

Activist Interventions 63

In recent years, urban India has seen
nascent activations; movements such as

‘Equal Streets’, ‘Happy Streets’ among
others. In such engagements motorable

thoroughfares are closed to vehicular
traffic on one Sunday a month allowing
for the community to use the space for

engagement, play and interaction.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue

The basement underneath The “Own Street” allows for
the residential building residents to take over their
is ventilated using a

landscaped stepped green street and create a more
form that morphs into kids egalitarian public realm.
play areas, water bodies,

seats / benches and

alcoves for active play courts. At designated

times in the morning and early evening,

operable bollards redirect traffic into the

basements while hinged benches create

nodes for interaction and a place for people

to enjoy their reclaimed space.

64 GPL Design Studio

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 65

The stepped landscape with
integrated playscapes also
act as a ventilation shaft for
the basement underneath

Access controlled entry for GPL Design Studio
community residents

66

Origins Street

Retractable bollards allow for residents
to “Own their street” at designated times
within the day.

Contemplative zone -
toddler’s splash pool +
landscaped steps for elderly

Court markings
integrated into
granite paving

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 67

PLAYGROUND POINTERS
FOR MY DAUGHTERS

There are all sorts of kids playing out there. Some are
friendly, some are bullies, some are shy & some who
may simply ignore you. Be nice to everyone but always

protect yourself from getting hurt.
There maybe boys who don’t let you join in their
game but don’t feel bad. Remember, there isn’t a
single game which girls can’t play as well as boys. So
practice, get good and it’s only a matter of time until
they want you to join them. And before you know it,

you can beat them at their own game.
When you find a tree you like, climb it cautiously. The
lower branches are thicker but they get thinner the
higher you climb and you could fall if you don’t tread
carefully. If there is someone below who needs help
always give a helping hand because at another time

they might be higher than you.
You don’t always have to play the games your friends
want you to. Its OK if you don’t want to join or just want

to be by yourself.
In team games, if the boy captains don’t choose you,
always ask them why. More often than not they won’t
have a good reason and will be forced to think better
the next time. If any of the girls playing know the game

well, ask why they can’t be captain too.
Its not OK to huddle around in a group and make fun
of another kid just because they look or act different.
They may just know new games which are even more
fun. Imagine how boring the garden would be if all the

trees looked the same.
There are many kinds of swings, slides and trees to
explore so be adventurous. Unless you try everything

how will you know what you enjoy the most.
The playground can be your world but someday the

World will also your Playground !
Wrik Basu

68 GPL Design Studio

#PressforProgress
#WomeninDesign

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 69

70 GPL Design Studio

The simple
pleasures of life

When you see the mural for the first time,
you get particularly taken by the simplicity
of it all. The paintings were those of people
reading, writing, cycling, eating, animals
gazing into the sky, plants sitting on a table,

and so on.

Treating the space
like a gallery, the artist
took one large wall
and delineated it into
multiple paintings,
complete with frames
around them. The
frames were also
painted. Some of the
paintings were bent
into corners and wall
edges, which made it
feel a bit surreal.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 71

The pleasure of solitude

72 GPL Design Studio

The company of friends

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 73

74 GPL Design Studio

In early 2017, I took a sabbatical and 75
traveled extensively across South
East Asia painting with gouache
everyday. I was invited to work on a
wall within the workshop building
at the Imagine Studio. In wanting
to keep with the same rhythm
of painting from my sabbatical, I
suggested the idea of expressing the
beauty of simple everyday acts, in
full colour. This seemed appropriate
with the Studio's philosophy and
resonated with the core concept
of the development of The Trees
project. My travelogue from the trip
helped set the vibrant colour palette.

- Sameer Kulavoor

Sameer Kulavoor is a visual artist living and
working in Mumbai, founder/director of Bombay
Duck Designs and co-founder of 100% Zine.
His work lies at the intersection of contemporary
illustration, graphic design and art.

For the full video, visit
http://y2u.be/spHpHnoMuC4

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue

Bespoke - by narrative

76 GPL Design Studio

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 77

78 GPL Design Studio

godrej
origins

THE SHOW APARTMENT

Thoughtfully curated for an
experience to imagine life in the
development, the apartment
was designed for a family of
four with distinct personalities to
bring to life the idea of a home.
The narrative of stepping in as
a visitor just as the family has
stepped out, offered for a unique
experience sparking ones’ own
imagination of what their home
would feel like, at The Trees.
The ensemble furniture was
developed with design partners -
Mangrove Collective.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 79

In our furniture design, the
experiential narrative helped
bring to life the idea of the ‘lost
prototype’ of the Godrej almirah
fictionally developed by the
grandmother's late husband
who worked with the company
as an industrial designer.

80 GPL Design Studio

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 81

10:00 - 11:00 Project meeting
Silvasa quarry visit (full day)
Self - design time

11:00 - 12:00 Launch team meeting
Masterplan review
GoTo meeting - hotel
Cost workshop
Self - design time

12:00 - 13:00 Landscape presentation
14:00 - 15:00 Museum charette
Site walkthrough
Illustration discussion
Self - design time
Monday huddle

15:00 - 16:00 Makers Lab talk
Design Thinking workshop
Nursery visit
Self - design time

16:00 - 17:00 Architecture firm credentials presentation
Photoshoot - Sample apartment
Design coordination workshop
Self - design time

17:00 - 18:00 AV storyboard ideation meeting
Supplier presentation (Kids play equipment)
Self - design time

18:00 - 19:00 Intern presentation #coffee&cake
Self - design time
Team - drinks at Social

82 GPL Design Studio

A day in
the life of...

GPL Design Studio 83

5th Floor, Godrej One,
Pirojshanagar,

Vikhroli East, Mumbai

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue

50:50 gender ratio

50 cdoesmimgnitetresdyears

We are a unique collective of thinkers,
imagineers, builders, urbanists, artists
and design polyglots who deploy the triple

5bottom line of social, environmental and
financial sustainability across industries

9 GPL Design Studio

weddings

4

baby
showers

84

13 accomplished interns

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 85

The future in part, is what we would like it to be.
Specifically for organizations, it can be designed,
not prescriptively but by putting in the right
culture that adapts towards a logical evolution.

Anubhav Gupta
Chief Design Officer, Business Head – Vikhroli,
Head - CSR & Sustainability

The Culture
of Design

The design of culture and the culture of
design may go hand in hand in our era of

disruption and rapid globalization.

For the full video, visit
https://youtu.be/EI6QOyclSXg

86 GPL Design Studio

The Design
of Culture

'Doing the right thing' and not just
'doing things right' is the basis of
Design Thinking for HR practices.

Ruhie Pande
Chief Human Resources Officer

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue 87

Dennis Pieprz
Urban Designer, Principal,
Sasaki Associates

The Sasaki team really appreciated Masakazu Kimura
the process led by the GPL Design Principal,
Studio when we worked together Nikken Sekkei Ltd.
on “The Trees” - an innovative new
district planned for a remarkable
site in Vikhroli. The collaboration
transcended the normal client/
consultant relationship and led to a
wonderful result.

We are thankful for everyone’s
cooperation and support,
and, believe that the Studio's
way of working between
the consultants, design and
operations will be instrumental
to the project’s success.

Bradford Perkins GPL Design Studio
Cofounder & Chairman,
Perkins Eastman

We had a very engaged and rewarding
experience working with the Studio on
the design and product development.
The urban character and the potential
of a community that will thrive on a
sensitive urban approach towards
the built environment, has made this
project a benchmark for all involved in
its conceptualization.

88

Ambrish Arora
Founding partner, Studio Lotus

Working on the Imagine Studio with
the GPL Design Studio presented
the exciting challenge of looking
forward by preserving the past. It
was a privilege as designers to be
part of such a varied and complex
project and in a context where
creative thinking was so actively
encouraged.

Liesl Vivier
Urbanism Director, Studio head,

BDP Rotterdam

We loved the way ideas were
bounced back and forth
between our team and the GPL
Design Studio. The outcome
of this process is a landmark
master plan that also makes
good business sense.

We are excited to be part of this exceptional Dhruvajyoti Ghose
development and the uncommon and intense Managing Director,
collaboration with the GPL Design Studio, Lighting Design Partnership
who have unstintingly devoted attention to (LDP)
prioritize the quality of open space planning
and its visual impact on the nocturnal 89
experience.

Let's Talk - Anniversary issue

ViewSynced model
1:1 Apartment layout
The Imagine Farm
The Mangrove wall
Imagine life in The Trees - ad film
The jigsaw puzzle model
Cabinet of Curiosities - art installation

Adaptive spaces explained
through the flexibility model

The international sales kit prototype
to scale
90
GPL Design Studio