Set within the dense urban fabric of Vadodara, Studio RobustNeev reimagines a four-storey residential structure as a hybrid work environment combining corporate workspaces and housing. Occupying a compact 2410 sq ft plot, the project negotiates tight spatial and structural constraints through a strategy of precise reorganization rather than extensive reconstruction, retaining the integrity of the original framed system.
The design organizes the program for greater efficiency and clarity. The ground floor accommodates parking and storage. The first and fourth floors house the corporate offices. The intermediate floors retain their residential function. Each level follows three clear systems: services, circulation, and occupied spaces. Existing service ducts support plumbing and HVAC, while electrical systems run through integrated vertical shafts.
Originally configured as two separate apartments connected by a narrow passage, each floor presented a fragmented entry experience. This constraint was resolved by introducing a new deck slab that unifies the two units into one continuous open plan. The existing column-beam grid then guides the spatial flow. This approach makes circulation clearer and more spacious. It also creates a more seamless connection between the different areas.
A Vadodara Residence Reimagined as a Hybrid Work Environment | Robust Neev
Climatic responsiveness plays a defining role in shaping the building envelope. The south-facing facade responds to intense solar heat through a layered system. A lightweight secondary skin protects the original plane while adding depth and shade. Composed of a stainless-steel subframe, AAC panels, and stone veneer sheets, the assembly minimizes additional structural load while enhancing thermal performance. The material palette featuring red Agra stone and black slate, creates a restrained yet tactile identity, balancing durability with visual depth.
Stone veneer is an ultra-thin layer of actual natural stone, allowing the facade to retain the richness and texture of real stone without the weight and cost associated with conventional stone cladding. Its lightweight nature reduces structural load, making it both cost-effective and practical for the Indian market. Beyond its visual depth and tactile quality, the material also carries a comparatively very low carbon footprint, offering a more sustainable alternative while maintaining the timeless character of natural stone.
Internally, the design accommodates generational diversity within a unified organizational ethos. The first floor creates a traditional corporate setting, while the fourth floor takes on a more contemporary workplace character. Both spaces share a consistent palette of neutral tones, oak wood, and subtle accents. Workspaces line the eastern façade to make the most of natural daylight. Service areas remain consolidated along the western side. Controlled openings and deep overhangs on the south ensure visual comfort and thermal moderation.
A targeted structural intervention addresses the challenge of insufficient daylight in the north-facing workspace. An existing masonry wall is selectively opened to create space for a custom metal frame. This allows a 26-foot corner window to bring in more light and openness without compromising structural stability.
USC House ultimately demonstrates a pragmatic approach to adaptive reuse- balancing climatic sensitivity, structural restraint and evolving functional demands to produce a coherent and enduring built environment.
In the context of rapidly densifying Indian cities – where domestic and professional boundaries increasingly overlap – USC India by Studio Robust.Neev explores an alternative to rebuilding: working with what already exists. Located in Vadodara, a growing Tier-2 city, the project reimagines a four-storey residential structure as a hybrid environment that accommodates both workspace and living.
The building occupies a compact 2410 sq ft plot within a dense urban neighbourhood. The renewed facade complements a more organized interior layout. Each floor originally contained two separate apartments connected by a narrow passageway. This created restricted movement and a disconnected sense of arrival. The challenge was not only to introduce a new programme but also to uncover spatial coherence within an inherited condition.
Now the project unfolds through a careful process of calibration rather than reconstruction. Services sit along the western edge, while circulation moves efficiently around the existing core. This frees up the remaining floor area for flexible work and living zones. The simple planning reduces spatial friction while keeping the building adaptable over time.
The programme is distributed vertically, negotiating varying degrees of privacy and accessibility. Parking and storage occupy the ground floor, while the first and fourth levels house corporate workspaces. Between them, residential floors maintain the building’s domestic character. The office environments themselves reflect different working cultures within the same organisation. The first floor embodies a more formal and traditional workplace, while the fourth floor adopts a lighter and more contemporary atmosphere. Despite these distinctions, a consistent architectural language binds the building together.
Materially, the interiors are restrained and tactile. Oak wood surfaces and muted tones create a calm backdrop for everyday activity, while carefully placed accents introduce moments of visual warmth and contrast. The planning responds closely to climate and orientation. Workspaces are positioned along the eastern facade to benefit from natural daylight, while service zones occupy the west. Enclosed functions such as conference rooms and director cabins line the southern edge, where controlled openings and deep overhangs temper solar heat gain.
One of the project’s most significant interventions addresses a fundamental deficiency within the existing structure: the absence of daylight in the north-facing workspace. Instead of relying on artificial illumination, the architects carefully opened a section of the existing masonry wall. Executed incrementally with temporary structural supports, the intervention created a 26-foot-long corner opening that dramatically altered the quality of the interior. A metal frame was inserted to stabilise the structure while preserving its integrity, allowing light to penetrate deep into the floor plate and transforming the perception of space.
USC India demonstrates how adaptive reuse can move beyond preservation to become an active design methodology – one capable of responding to changing patterns of work, urban growth, and resource consciousness. In an era when transformation often implies replacement, the project suggests that meaningful change can also arise through careful observation, precise intervention and a willingness to work with what already exists.
Fact File
Designed by: Robust Neev
Project Type: Office Architecture Design
Project Name: USC House: Adaptive Reuse
Location: Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Year Built: February, 2026
Project Size: 5100 Sq.ft
Principal Architects: Ar. Mrugini Pandya Gandevikar, Ar. Mandar Gandevikar
Project Handler: Ar. Mahek Desai, ID. Radhesh Damo
Photograph Courtesy: Manan Surti
Firm’s Instagram Link: Robust Neev
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