Iksoi Studio turns Indian factory into own architecture studio

Indian office Iksoi Studio has remodelled a former factory in the western state of Gujarat into its new HQ, drawing on "memories, familiar forms and emotional attachments of the past".

Called Mana, the architectural studio and workshop is a retrofit project in an industrial area of Ahmedabad by sibling architect duo Dhawal and Mansi Mistry, both of whom worked at the time for Iksoi Studio.

The compound had been passed down through the Mistry family, and was used by their father as a unit to manufacturer spare parts for power looms, before it was shut down in 2009.

Deciding to bring it back into use as a 186-metre-square workspace for Iksoi, the Mistry siblings kept the original site footprint, which is enclosed by tall walls and has two distinct blocks.

A smaller building which runs along the boundary wall has now become the architecture studio, while the larger central space that once housed the factory's machines is in use as a warehouse.

While the layout is the same, the studio decided to raise the ground level in the middle courtyard. This creates the "unexpected effect" of the refurbished buildings sitting partially sunken into the earth.

What once were the doors to the factory hall are now windows for Mana's workspaces, retaining a connection with the campus' industrial past.

"The design inspiration is drawn from memories, familiar forms, and emotional attachments of the past," said Mansi Mistry, who has since left Iksoi Studio and is now a partner at Studio Saransh.

The building is named after the family's pet dog Mana who is buried under one of the compound's trees.

Another key intervention is the introduction of colour. The grey factory walls, which over time had become flecked with dark patches, have been lime-plastered and painted in muted pink.

"We decided to retain the material but give it a very contrasting warm colour," said Mansi Mistry. "And that is how these blocks became pink, finished with a mix of cement and lime."

The architects also introduced a series of arches to transform an otherwise long and narrow building into a series of work cubicles.

The principal architect's office occupies the quiet end of the corridor looking out over a concealed courtyard.

Bringing in more references to local history, Dhawal Mistry sourced original mid-century Danish chairs from Alang – Gujarat's ship-breaking yard, while playful gargoyles, were scattered around the site to "add to Mana's mystique".

The building uses granite stone indoor sand cobbled lime stones outdoors, partly as they were being processed and sold in the workshop right next door.

Mana completed construction in 2024, and was one of the Dhawal Mistry's last projects completed before his untimely death at the age of 40 last year.

"The project continues this journey of carrying nostalgia by holding Dhawal's presence; not in a literal sense, but through atmosphere," said Mansi Mistry, who is still working on three more projects designed by the Iksoi Studio founder.

Other projects by Iksoi Studio include a PPE factory on the site of an old textile mill, also in Ahmedabad, designed with a rigid concrete grid on its exterior walls.

Also in Ahmedabad Balkrishna Doshi's granddaughter has added a black box theatre to his Kanoria Centre for Arts and Studio Saransh has similarly designed itself a studio that escapes the "chaos of the city".

The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.

The post Iksoi Studio turns Indian factory into own architecture studio appeared first on Dezeen.