Mann+Hummel’s office in Bangalore, designed and built by Space Matrix, brings the organisation’s teams together in a workplace shaped around growth, connection and clarity. Their old Bangalore workplace had served the organization well, but as the business evolved, it began to feel less connected to the way people worked.
After nearly a decade across multiple offices, teams had become physically separated and the workplace had grown increasingly dated and expensive to maintain. Large L-shaped workstations and cubicles created clear boundaries around people and departments. Collaboration was possible, but the space did little to encourage it.
At the same time, Mann+Hummel was about to get much bigger. The Bangalore team was expected to grow from around 100 employees to more than 550, making it clear that simply finding a larger version of the same workplace was not the answer. The new 45,000-square-foot workplace at Brigade Twin Towers became a chance to bring the business back together.
Space Matrix consolidated the Bangalore operations across two floors and reorganised them into department-based neighbourhoods. Instead of every team having its own defined territory, the neighbourhoods are connected through shared spaces, functional adjacencies and areas designed for quick interactions.
Some of the most important spaces are the ones without a formal name or agenda. A spill-over area can become the place for a five-minute conversation. A quick discussion zone can replace a meeting that never needed a room. The flexible cafeteria can shift from a place to eat to a place to meet.
The workplace starts to feel less like a collection of departments and more like one organisation. That sense of togetherness also shaped the visual experience.
Mann+Hummel’s core business is filtration, so the design team looked for a way to translate that into something people could experience rather than simply see in a logo. The Japanese philosophy of Seiso, centred on purity and order, became the conceptual thread.
The workplace moves from an industrial character towards a more pristine one. Green and grey tones shift across the space. Water-ripple-inspired lighting references filtration and flow. A living green wall welcomes people at reception, while graphics inspired by natural terrains soften the technical nature of the brand.
The design also makes room for the people behind the technology. Natural light and biophilic elements bring a stronger connection to nature. Waste segregation is built into the workplace. A dedicated wellness room provides a space to step away. Occupancy sensors and air-quality monitors add a layer of responsiveness, while the project pursues LEED Gold certification. But perhaps the clearest sign of change is what the workplace makes possible.
People who were once working across separate offices now share one environment. Teams have more opportunities to encounter one another. The brand has a physical identity that feels connected to what the company actually does. And the organisation has a workplace designed around the scale it is moving towards.
The project is therefore not really about accommodating 550 people. It is about making sure that, even at five times the size, Mann+Hummel still feels like one company.
Design:
Photography: Space Matrix
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