Institutional and Commercial Architecture
We design buildings that balance civic presence with human-scale interaction, creating spaces that serve both their users and the broader urban fabric.
The Figured Ground, our University Sports Arena in Hubbali, exemplifies our approach to institutional design. The building integrates with its surroundings, balancing a strong urban presence with a sensitive connection to the campus.
This film by Niveditaa Gupta captures the dynamic experience of the University Sports Arena. It showcases the interplay of light, form, and human activity within the 4,500 square meter complex.
A construction view of the University Sports Center, showing how the structure is nestled into the ground. The design connects to the campus through a series of terraced plazas and steps.
Our 'Hoverspace' project is an office extension that floats above an existing building. The design, a space created between two full-height trusses, establishes a new identity for the organization and acts as a portal to the campus.
The terrace of the 'Hoverspace' office creates an interstitial event space between the old and new structures. A sculptural spiral staircase connects the levels, offering views across the adjacent sports ground.
A throwback to an office campus we completed in 2010. The design juxtaposes two linear office buildings connected by glass bridges, with courtyards and water bodies acting as interstitial spaces.
The landscape of the 2010 office campus has matured beautifully over the years. A temple tree grows from an island in a lily pond, demonstrating our long-term approach to integrating architecture and nature.
About this collection
When we approach an institutional commission, our first step is often to look at the ground itself. For our University Sports Arena, we chose to submerge large functional volumes below the site's natural gradient. This allowed the building to merge with the campus landscape rather than dominate it, ensuring the outdoor plazas and terraced entryways remained the primary points of social engagement.
Our approach to institutional and commercial architecture is rooted in the belief that buildings should act as connective tissue within an urban environment. We avoid the urge to create static, singular objects. Instead, we look for ways to weave structures into the existing patterns of a site, whether it is a university campus or a dense city street.
The Thinking Hand in Practice
Architecture at this scale requires balancing complex functional requirements with the subtle, lived experience of the user. In our projects, such as the KLE Technological University Sports Arena, we treated the architecture as a landscape intervention. By articulating landforms as entry plazas, we created spaces that invite people to gather, rest, and interact, effectively extending the public realm into the private campus.
Mixed-Use and Adaptive Logic
Commercial projects, like our 'Hoverspace' office extension, demand a different logic. Here, we prioritized the interstitial spaces—the verandahs and terraces—that shield interiors from harsh conditions while creating breakout zones. We believe that an office building should not just contain work; it should offer a distinct identity to the organization and act as a portal for the campus or neighborhood.
Our Process
We start with deep contextual analysis. We document how sunlight moves, how wind flows, and how people naturally congregate. We then use physical models and diagrams to test spatial strategies, ensuring that every design decision serves a clear purpose. Our work is not about applying a pre-determined aesthetic; it is about teasing out the organic growth of a site and designing for the long term. If you have an institutional or commercial project that requires a sensitive, context-driven approach, we would welcome the conversation.
Thirdspace
We are Praveen and Namrata. At Thirdspace, we spend our days sketching under trees in Koregaon Park and Hindwadi, trying to figure out how buildings can better hold people. We do not believe in architecture that imposes; we believe in design that quietly negotiates its place within the existing social and urban landscape.
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