On the outskirts of Chennai, a corporate campus is designed to feel less like a conventional office complex and more like an environment built around people, nature and ideas.
As Zoho Corporation marks 30 years of operations, NDTV got a rare glimpse inside the company's 64-acre headquarters - a sprawling campus that combines neo-classical architecture with large workspaces, walking paths and an unusually strong focus on sustainability.
The buildings across the campus are designed to inspire Zoho's teams, with the facility having the capacity to accommodate up to 15,000 people. The architectural vision draws from places including Princeton University in the United States and historic buildings across Europe, where Zoho Co-founder Sridhar Vembu had studied.
For Zoho co-founder and Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu, the design is closely linked to the way people work and think.
"We wanted to create buildings that inspire people as we spend most of the time at work," Mr Vembu says.
The campus also places nature at the heart of its design. It has around 62,000 trees and more than a lakh plants, while extensive walking areas connect different parts of the sprawling property.
Sustainability is built into the campus infrastructure. Zoho says 85 per cent of its energy comes from renewable sources, while 92 per cent of the water is recycled. All wastewater is treated and reused.
One of the campus' distinctive features is a pond that has been preserved and transformed into a campus lake. Besides adding to the landscape, it serves a practical purpose by supporting rainwater harvesting.
The emphasis on conservation extends across the campus, where large and spacious work areas sit alongside greenery and open spaces.
The headquarters, which has largely neo-classical architecture, is currently an integral part of Zoho's working environment. The company is also expected to open the campus to visitors soon, offering outsiders a closer look at the unusual combination of architecture, technology and sustainability.
