Mobility has completely changed our life all over the world. Increasing movement is not only about traffic but also social relations, information sharing and public space, which is particularly true in India, where the street is the extension of social life. We intend to recreate this experience of Indian mobility through the architecture of the Michelin campus, which we decided to articulate along an internal street.
The main entrance is shaped to invite people to enter the Bibendum plaza shaded by the mega roof from the main road, strolling past the Exhibition Centre and the cafeteria to the lobby, which sinks into the centre of the campus. The internal street and courtyards with the shared common areas are characterised by Indian gardens, which are shaded by the mega roof.
By creating a diagonal in a somewhat orthogonal structural 10x10m grid, the internal street generates a dynamic composition, articulating a lower and an upper ground floor, and defining a gradual progression from public to secure and controlled areas. The street culture associated with mobility has an active collective imagery recall. The internal street is, in fact, not only the functional spine of the campus but a catalyst for social interaction, much like in the corners of the Indian Chowk at the intersection of two streets. The internal road reflects this idea of the Indian public space: it becomes the theatre of working together, a place of discovery, creativity and conviviality.
The Bibendum plaza, the lobby, the internal street and courtyards are designed to celebrate the lively Indian social life, accommodating art installations and any informal activities under the protection of the mega roof. We conceived the mega roof to fulfil a dual role. From an environmental perspective, it harnesses energy from the sun, contributing to thermal regulation of the semi-outdoor spaces. From an architectural point of view, it blurs the boundary between interior and exterior. Similarly, the vertical screens shade the buildings allowing the inside views towards the landscape, while preserving the privacy of the inside activities, like in the typical Indian Jali.
In this project, the people will experience the benefits of having both the Headquarters and the Research & Development Industry in the same place. But the connection between HQ and RDI is not merely a distributional place, but the heart of the project, where people can meet, exchange ideas, share common values in the same space.