The economic hotspot around the NH8 neighbourhood in the fast-evolving Gurugram has been witnessing a wave of commercialisation. Premium hotels, IT Parks, office campuses and recreational arenas collectively exhibit this rapid progress. Amidst this, WoCO, the World of Cool Offices, introduces a refreshed way of planning a work environment by centring the aspirations of an evolved workforce. Located in a verdant, commercially thriving neighbourhood around the NH-8 intersection in Gurugram, WoCO One reimagines the workplace design through the values of inclusivity, flexibility and sustainability. The site enjoys proximity to the National Highway, marquee hotels, transit connection nodes, and popular commercial centres—all within a 15-minute distance on foot. Leveraging this unique position, WoCO One is conceptualised on the Walk-to-Work model—a transit-oriented development model that works for reduced dependence on vehicular transit. Provisioned with these principles, WoCo Vault—a facility housing sustainable mobility solutions like smart bicycles and EV charging stations—aligns well with the aspirations of the next generation of eco-conscious professionals.

Right from the entry, the master plan favours the concept of Walk-to-Work by establishing a direct pedestrian connection to the subway system. With less than 650 meters of distance to the nodal IFFCO Chowk Metro Station, the site opens onto the arterial road—ensuring a seamless on-foot commute for everyday office-goers. This intervention furthers the passive sustainability intent of the overall scheme. At the same time, the design also ensures privacy by lacing the tower with strategic landscaping: a multi-layered plantation that varies in height and foliage spread. This buffer, a varied line-up of plants and trees, retains a visual connection to the outside while also blanketing the office tower.

WoCO One tower rises to nine floors and a terrace above ground and extends to a spacious triple-level basement structure below ground. Spread over a 2-lakh sq. ft. area, WoCO One advocates ‘passive sustainability’ and new-age workplace design to concretise its standing in the fast-evolving city of Gurugram. A strategic mix of active and passive sustainability measures grants the design an IGBC Platinum certification.

Shaping a Future rooted in sustainability

Packing 5 acres of area across nine floors, the programmatic segregation of the building is done in three segments. The Greens are single-height spaces from floors 1 to 4, including open, uninterrupted expanses as dedicated workspaces. The Woods, the triple-volume workspaces from floors 5 to 7, are designed with a similar vocabulary as The Greens.

The Woods and The Greens spill over into balconies on the southwest facade. The vertical fins abutting the open terrace are designed as shading devices that filter the harsh sunlight. With trellis-guarded projections, the southwest facade allows filtered permanence of breeze into thez double volumes of the workspace. The transparent veil of the insulated glass promises a clear connection to the outside and infuses the internal workspace atrium with natural light without heat gain. It is designed to mitigate excessive glare. With this, the LPD Index—a yardstick to gauge the electrical load per square unit—is also lowered by 32%. Through the controlled lighting layout, technical cut-sheet, intelligent lighting fixtures and tactical HVAC design, the overall planning could facilitate a sustainable, post-construction life-cycle of the building.

The terraces on the eighth and the ninth floors are grand double-volume, landscaped workspaces. The light-infused interior halls could boast of maximised energy efficiency. The workspaces are designed as expansive, un-partitioned spaces for maximised collaboration. The semi-covered Sky Garden above the ninth floor becomes a community space with landscaped terraces and collaborative placemaking designed for relaxation. Equipped to collect and re-circulate 100% of the rainwater, the design smartly integrates the requirements of the terraces with the buildings’ passive sustainability interests.

A Workspace Beyond Work

The pandemic-recovered world has adapted to a renewed way of working, and an environment conducive to this is the need of the hour. The floorplates are designed with optimal floor efficiency. This 17,000 sq. Ft. built up of open floor expanse allows flexibility in internal configurations. The double-volume cut-outs transform the floor into duplexes or triplexes. With deep spill-out terraces on most floors and an unconventionally expansive balcony space protruding 24 feet, the design seamlessly transitions from the workspace to a relaxed zone. Decentralised service blocks, cornered towards the extremes, allow a clean floor plate with minimal interference from the structural elements. This facilitates high flexibility in furniture layout, allowing for a refreshed configuration whenever necessary.

The concept of ease of working is integrated into the veins of the building. For instance, to ease the rush-hour internal commute, streamlined Vertical Circulation—DCLs or Destination-Controlled-Lifts are used to reduce the waiting times by providing stoppages on each floor. A set of eight elevator clusters adds to the convenience.

The aspect of play or leisure, too, is an integral component. The break-out spaces, including the Sky Garden on the top floor, are woven into the design incidentally to create a common space for collaboration. The layout of the recreational spaces follows a vocabulary of unfolding spaces, imbuing the element of discovery—an experience often amiss in conventional work environments. Additionally, the bar, roof-top cafe, and lounge areas set the building up for an evening unwind.

Reduction of the Urban Heat Island Effect

The 352 sq. m. of landscaped area on the ground floor is lined with native shrubs. The hierarchically layered plantation of the grass turfs, shrubs, and then trees helps in preventing soil erosion in the targeted patch. About 95% (1247 sq. m. of 1305 sq. m.) of the total exposed roof area is finished in high-SRI paint and vegetation cover, which contributes to the lowering of the heat-Island effect significantly. The rainwater harvesting systems allow the roof to maintain itself.

With a 100% rainwater collection, many building maintenance processes become circular, proclaiming it a self-sustaining structure.

WoCO One in Gurugram challenges a conventional workplace’s time-tested but worn-down approaches. The post-pandemic world demands eased boundaries between ‘Work’ and ‘Recreation’. The planning of WoCO, right from the open-plan layout to amenities like the WoCO Vault or WoCO terrace, confirms the reimagined approach to work life.

With spaces like the WoCO Canvas or Restolounge, the design reinforces its philosophy to blend work with life and leisure. The master plan prides itself on delivering a transcendental experience as great architecture is articulated to unfold smoothly and impactfully. The element of walkability only bolsters the concept of ‘Passive Sustainability’. WoCO, or the World of Cool Offices, is a guide to planning the reimagined environment in which we work.