Offices
GSK Pharma Chennai
A culturally-rooted GSK workplace in Chennai that weaves Tamil heritage — Kolam motifs, Bharatanatyam murals, jaali screens and Athangudi tiles — into a modern pharma office of conference rooms, breakout zones, cabins and play areas.
The Brief
GSK needed a Chennai office that felt distinctly local rather than a generic corporate template — a workplace that celebrated South Indian craft and identity while supporting focused work, meetings, collaboration and informal breakouts for a global pharma team.
Design Response
FMDL shaped the office as a journey through Tamil culture: a sloped-tile Chettinad-inspired lounge with a Bharatanatyam mural, a vibrant cafeteria with Kathakali artwork and Athangudi-pattern flooring, a games and breakout zone with hanging XO cubes and foosball, glass-fronted cabins set against carved wooden jaali walls, and a clean conference room marked by signature Kolam-motif blinds.
Materials & Approach
Reclaimed clay roof tiles, hand-carved teak jaalis, Athangudi-style cement tiles in red-yellow-black, exposed services painted in deep tones, Edison bulb clusters, white quartz counters, black metal framing, brand-orange graphics and Kolam-inspired window films.
Outcome
The Chennai GSK office reads as a contemporary pharma workplace that is unmistakably Tamil — a recruiting and brand asset that supports daily work, large meetings, informal play and quiet reflection within one cohesive cultural narrative.
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