People
Abraham John, Alan and Anca’s serene workspace in Mumbai will make you green with envy
JUN 18, 2019 | By Sakshi Rai
Mumbai-based Abraham John Architects’ studio sweeps you at first sight with its swooping white and grey walls and full-size glass windows overlooking a lush green neighbourhood. The senior management of this 1967-established practice includes founder and principal, Abraham John, his son Alan Abraham and daughter-in-law Anca Florescu Abraham.
Off the grid “Believing architecture to be a profession that requires freedom and fluidity,” Alan says, “Our office is a flexible work space without strict demarcations.”
The space is designed into a roomy reception, a studio workstation, a conference room that opens out onto airy terraces, a pantry that also doubles as a brainstorming nook, and Abraham John’s cabin. Alan and Anca’s working style permits equal and interchangeable rotation throughout the studio, with no fixed place to ideate or categorise their work stages.
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Design that defines: The slightly inclined ceilings, the crack-patterned cement flooring and a central skylight are part of the atelier’s design approach that allows room for experimentation. “Both Alan and I love wood and it can be seen in all constituents of the decor — panels, doors, terrace flooring and sleek furniture,” says Anca.
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Books on diverse topics line shelves and cabinets in every corner of the spacious studio and are a testament to their common love for reading. Being new, hands-on parents, the couple converted one of the two terraces into a mini play area, ensuring their work space was a place their kids loved coming to as well.
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