Spread across a sprawling 33-acre campus in a small town outside Guwahati in Assam at the foothills of the Himalayas, the Emami campus is a world-class manufacturing facility and one of the finest examples of this new Workspace. The campus houses the complete range of Emami’s FMCG Manufacturing Facility, an independent Administrative facility, a Welfare facility for the workers and even a traditional temple.

The main production facilities are aligned along a strong north-south axis with ancillary facilities dotting the intersecting nodes. Site planning is focused on clear segregation of the vehicular movement and the worker’s movement through and efficient circulation. The entire campus is friendly for the differently-abled with easy access for wheelchairs and wide elevators in every building. Vast swathes of lush green lawns surround the buildings with designated footpaths for workers’ safety.

The Manufacturing Facility
‘This is a world class, GMP compliant, zero discharge facility which features large span multistoried metal structures with insulated building envelopes for energy saving and reduced heat gain. Large perimeter glazing brings in ample natural light to the shop floor.

The intricate magenta coloured façade of the ‘cosmetics’ building
The intricate magenta coloured façade of the ‘cosmetics’ building seen from the entrance adds cheer

Wide swathes of lush green lawn and large insulated glass
Wide swathes of lush green lawn and large insulated glass at working level allow natural light and views of the greenery, minimizing visual fatigue and increasing workers’ efficiency

EMMAi flooring
Seamless Polyurethane flooring, pre-painted sandwich partitions and stainless steel ceiling panels provide a clean, sanitized and easy to scrub environment – critical for the manufacturing process as well as for the workers health

The Administrative Facility
The administrative building is located at the entrance of this campus. The building faces the intricate magenta coloured façade of the manufacturing building on the front while having a view of green hills on the rear.

The building accommodates a large reception area, state-of-the-art conference facilities, an office for 60 people, and a modern gallery exhibiting the company’s history.

Concept and rationale
SSA came up with a unique idea of two rectangular blocks juxtaposed at 90 degrees to each another.

The projection of the upper floor gave a covered porch to the lower floor
The projection of the upper floor gave a covered porch to the lower floor and the projection of the ground floor generated two open terraces on the first floor.

The projecting upper floor protects the wide glass expanse of the entrance lobby
The projecting upper floor protects the wide glass expanse of the entrance lobby from heavy rains during monsoons

The driveway gradually slopes up to the plinth level of the ground floor
The driveway gradually slopes up to the plinth level of the ground floor giving a seamless feel to the entrance lobby and lounge, and extending beyond its boundaries into the covered porch.

Interior layout and design
The entrance lobby is flanked on one side by a state of the art 40 seater conference room and the Emami exhibition gallery on the other. An open well staircase leads to the first floor, which is the administration hub with a large open plan office with 42 workstations. The bright pin boards on the white furniture complement the bright façade of the facing building seen through the long sweeping window. Peripheral glass cabins lend a feeling of equanimity amongst the admin team. The open terrace on either side gives the much needed breakout space to the staff during leisure time.
Ar. Sabyasachi Sen
Designing the Emami manufacturing facility was like designing a whole new town! Contrary to popular belief, modernistic factories of the future are’nt going to depend solely on robots, rather, they will be a fine balance of machines and human intelligence. A hygienic, safe working environment with plenty of natural day light, clean, fresh air, and lush green surroundings, will co-exist with high yield machines and give a new shape and feel to the workspaces

Ar. Sabyasachi Sen

The Welfare Center
A welcome gesture by the company and a key feature of the campus is the workers’ welfare center. The building is centrally located and houses two large dining halls with a capacity to seat 250 workers, a fully equipped kitchen to serve hot meals for three shifts round the clock. Also located in the center is a well-appointed medical room, a creche, a seminar room, and TV/ Yoga lounge.

The driveway gradually slopes up to the plinth level of the ground floor

The Temple
The Temple
The temple design is based on the traditional Hindu Temple design principles and philosophy’. The four corners of the temple are aligned with the four ‘Vastu Kones’. A traditional Pradakshina Path encircles the entire temple. The octagonal dome with intricate stone corbelling draws its inspiration from the ‘Holy Kamakhya Temple’ of Guwahati.

Fact File

Name of project: Emami Campus, Pacharia, Assam
Built up area: 50,000 sqm (fifty thousand sq.mtr)
Architect firm: Sabyasachi Sen & Associates
Client: Emami Ltd
Design team: Pallavi Sen, Arunashish Mazumdar
Structural design: Arvind Gupta Consultants
MEP Design: Krim Engineering & S N Consultants
Cost of project: ₹150 crores approx.
Year of completion: 2019