Adaptive Reuse Architecture for Heritage & Commercial Spaces
We turn the weight of history into assets for modern business. By weaving new structural steel and natural light into aging frames, we create spaces that honor the past while serving the needs of today's enterprise.
A collage from a feature on our work at the Cinnamon Store, Bangalore. It shows the exterior's preserved colonial charm and the warm, inviting interior where original pillars and a timbered ceiling create a unique atmosphere for the café and boutique.
This video highlights the details of our adaptive reuse project at ICP Brunton Central. It shows how we integrated new steel staircases, open floor plans, and a perforated metal skin with the building's original structure to create a flexible, modern workspace.
A view through the perforated metal screen we designed for a commercial building in Bangalore. The folded, layered skin acts as a veil, reducing glare and creating a dynamic play of light and shadow while offering a modern counterpoint to the surrounding greenery.
Looking up through the building's new skin, the sky is filtered and the reflection of the historic structure next door is captured. This detail shows how our interventions aim to connect the building to its context in new and unexpected ways.
The new steel balconies and walkways are light and transparent, contrasting with the solid mass of the original building. This approach to adaptive reuse architecture adds functionality without overwhelming the existing structure.
A moment where the new structure frames the old tree and the sky. Our design philosophy seeks to preserve and enhance the connection to nature, even in dense urban environments, by creating these carefully considered views.
The interior of a commercial building during its transformation. The raw floor and exposed new structural arches hint at the open, flexible office spaces to come, designed to meet the needs of modern information-driven businesses.
The fluid lines of a new steel staircase during construction. We pay close attention to the details of circulation, designing staircases and railings that are not just functional but also add a sculptural quality to the space.
The elegant curve of a handrail, a small detail that speaks to the overall design intent. Craftsmanship and thoughtful design are evident in every element, from the grand structural changes to the parts people interact with daily.
The original structure of the building, with its robust yellow steel frame, is exposed during the renovation. We chose to celebrate these industrial bones, integrating them into the new design as a nod to the building's past life.
About From Historic Bones to Modern Enterprise
Instead of clearing a site, we map the structural health of historic walls and introduce lightweight steel grids to hold modern loads. This allows us to keep the original soul of the 19th-century architecture while carving out the open floor plates that modern businesses require. We focus on the transition—the point where the old brickwork meets the new steel frame—because that is where the building's new story begins.
Our philosophy is simple: the most sustainable building is the one that is already built. When we take on a project involving historic bones, we don't start with a sledgehammer. We begin by listening to the site.
We look for the load-bearing potential of original stone, brick, or teak, and we design around those constraints. The challenge often lies in modern utility integration—hiding HVAC ducts and cabling within a structure that predates them by a century. We solve this by treating modern insertions as distinct, readable layers. You will often see us use glass or steel staircases that stand separate from the original mass, ensuring the history remains visible and uncompromised.
Whether it is transforming a 19th-century house into a boutique space or retrofitting a warehouse for a data-driven office, our goal remains the same: to create a flexible environment that can adapt to changing commercial needs. We select craftsmen who understand the behaviour of lime plaster and antique joinery, ensuring that our interventions do not just sit on the building, but heal it. This is a slow process of structural re-engineering, where safety and modern functionality are balanced against the preservation of a place's identity.
Mathew and Ghosh
We are a Bangalore-based practice that refuses to hide from the city's chaos. We listen to the stories already embedded in the walls and help them evolve for a new generation of use.
Explore our approach to space
Search our portfolio for inspiration on how we handle specific types of structures.
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