Salt to software conglomerate, $100 billion Tata Group on Sunday reopened Bombay House, its global headquarters in Mumbai, marking the 114th birth anniversary of its former chairman, J.R.D. Tata.
Built in 1924 , the 94-year-old heritage building has undergone refurbishment and restoration for the first time in its history.
Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, inaugurated the iconic building in the presence of Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and other Tata employees after a 9-month-long restoration process, said the company in a statement.
The fresh look, both in terms of aesthetics and functionalities, reflects the changing workplace at the Tata Group — open, agile, future-focused and yet deeply connected to its rich heritage, said the statement adding that, the new office space wears a modern look with well-designed common and collaborative spaces to meet the requirements of business today.
Mr. Chandrasekaran said, “It’s a historic occasion and a great tribute to reopen the new Bombay House on J.R.D Tata’s birth anniversary. The renovation has revolved around designing for the employees a more modern, collaborative and informal workplace equipped with the best of technologies and security systems.”
The facade of the building remains unchanged, retaining its Edwardian neo-classical look. “We have built an experience centre in the building that captures the rich heritage, the history, the social good as well as the current and future offerings of the group. The storytelling reflects the journey of the group from inception till today through its strong leadership, their vision and their futuristic thinking. The endeavour behind this is to inspire and remind the future generations and all of us, the values and ethos with which this group was set up and has been functioning for the last 150 years,” he added.
Design of George Wittet
Bombay House was built on the two plots of land bought by Sir Dorabji Tata, the group’s second Chairman and Jamsetji Tata’s elder son, from the Bombay Municipality in 1920. The building was designed by the well-known architect, George Wittet, who was also the architect of the Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum (now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya) and other iconic buildings of Mumbai.
Digital workplaces
The historic boardroom on the fourth floor has been restored to its original beauty with only technology being a new addition, said the statement.
The new technology set up in the building has been designed to create digital workplaces with seamless integration. Each floor has digital meeting rooms with immersive technology to enable seamless collaboration. An app has been developed to bring together all the technology controls through an intuitive and simple interface, the statement added.
Mumbai-based architect and urban conservationist Brinda Somaya oversaw the Bombay House renovation. Somaya, principal architect, Somaya and Kalappa Consultants has four decades of expertise in heritage renovation.
