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    We visited Rahul Shankhwalker’s industrial styled office in Delhi

    MAR 2, 2020 | By Sonia Dutt and Sakshi Rai
    The studio space houses multiple parallelly aligned work stations that create an interactive environment

    Sometimes just a single visit to a place is enough for you to lose your heart to it. And such was the vibe of a former educational institute at South Delhi’s Mathura Road, which Rahul Shankhwalker, Founding Partner of Studio HBA, stumbled across in 2016. The creative, then on a lookout for a new office for a growing team, was bowled over by the high ceilings, tall windows and ample natural light that the space offered. “The moment I walked in, I could visualise this as our next workplace,” shares Shankhwalker.

    Rahul Shankhwalker in his Delhi office; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

    MIXED TAPE
    Set in a bustling neighbourhood, the 3,015 sq ft ground floor studio exudes a raw, industrial aesthetic. Bathed in warm tones of beige, it opens into a wood cloaked quaint reception offset by red floral patterned floor tiles. A little further, the corridor branches out, leading to Shankhwalker’s private office on the right and the conference room on the left, before culminating into a spacious design studio and pantry at the far end. “The workspace has an open and collaborative environment,” adds Shankhwalker, who shuttles between his office in the capital and in Singapore.

    Shankhwalker’s cabin is backed by a custom made bookshelf and decked with numerous potted plants, that surround around his work desk; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    A shot of Shankhwalker’s desk with a wood carved flower pot that doubles as a pen stand; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    Shankhwalker’s glasses and a fountain pen, which he uses for sketching on site plans and layouts; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    A vintage brass car shaped paan box placed atop design tomes; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    A cast concrete table accessory that serves as a planter and a pen stand; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    The reception table features leftover uncut marble stone; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

     

    Photographs taken from Shankhwalker’s travels line the walls of the conference room; Produced by Sonia Dutt; Photographs by Tanuj Ahuja

    ECO CRAFTED
    Shankhwalker’s cabin, like the rest of the place, is an eclectic assortment filled with extravagant silver chairs, a series of artworks and drawings, photographs, handwritten notes as well as clips of interesting articles pinned to a softboard. His favourite piece of art, he shares, is the “lady in a saree riding a Harley”. Stepping away from the usual and, “in a conscious effort to maximise the recycling of materials”, the studio features ingenious variations of typical decor. Plumbing pipes make table bases, while electric cables with tungsten bulbs are fashioned as pendant lights for the conference rooms. “Reusing and reimagining products in lesser explored styles is an exemplary method to reducing our carbon footprint,” feels the architect.