Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Commercial Office Rooftop Garden
Some projects begin with a drawing. This one began with a dream.
The client had spent several years working in Saudi Arabia, where rooftop spaces were often used for evening gatherings and office celebrations. When he returned to India, he wanted to create a similar space above his office—a rooftop where people could meet, relax and celebrate together.
During our initial inspection, we found two major challenges. The building had construction joints, and parts of the roof lacked proper grading for rainwater drainage. We advised the client that the upper rooftop should be regraded before landscaping. The recommendation was accepted. On the lower rooftop, however, correcting the slope was not practical because of the existing structural joints.
Rather than promising perfection, we explained the limitations honestly and designed the landscape accordingly. The rooftop included landscaped seating areas, outdoor furniture and, for the first time in one of our projects, a retractable gazebo.
Over time, the rooftop continued teaching us. We observed that outdoor furniture cushions deteriorated when left exposed to the weather, and the retractable gazebo required careful maintenance to prevent rainwater from collecting on the fabric. Eventually, the client replaced it with a permanent roof structure that was better suited to the local climate.
One of the most valuable lessons came not from us, but from the client's own engineer. He suggested reducing the load over a beam located beneath an important construction joint. We revised the layout accordingly, and the concern was resolved.
This project reminded us that the best landscapes are created not by knowing everything, but by listening—to buildings, to climate and to the people who work with us.
Great landscapes are built through collaboration, not assumptions.