How Logic Design Build Turned a Generic Office Into The Mortar House
In a world where commercial offices too often default to sterile open-plan layouts, glass partitions, and generic furnishings, one studio in India is proving that the workplace can be something far more meaningful. Logic Design Build, led by architect Anuj Kapoor, has transformed a previously unremarkable commercial office in Gujarat, India, into a thoughtfully crafted workspace known as The Mortar House. The result is an environment described by its creators as "humble and collaborative" — a space that feels genuinely human while remaining highly functional for the teams that inhabit it.
The Challenge: Reinventing a Bland Commercial Space
Commercial office interiors have a long history of prioritising efficiency over experience. Drop ceilings, fluorescent lighting, uniform workstations, and a general absence of material warmth have defined corporate environments for decades. The brief that Logic Design Build received was an opportunity to break from that tradition entirely. The existing space offered little by way of architectural character — a blank slate that demanded both design ingenuity and a clearly defined vision.
Kapoor and his team approached the project not simply as an exercise in aesthetics, but as a statement about how people should feel when they go to work. Their guiding philosophy was rooted in humility — the idea that a well-designed workspace should not impose itself on its occupants but instead support, inspire, and connect them. That philosophy shaped every material choice, spatial decision, and decorative detail that defines The Mortar House today.
Brick Arches as the Architectural Spine
Perhaps the most immediately striking feature of The Mortar House is its series of brick arches that frame views through the interior. Rather than relying on conventional partition walls or glass screens to define zones within the office, Logic Design Build employed arched openings in exposed brick to create a sense of depth, warmth, and visual continuity. The arches draw the eye through the space, generating a rhythm that feels organic rather than imposed.
Brick is a material with deep cultural resonance in the Indian subcontinent, and its use here is far from arbitrary. The rough, tactile quality of exposed brick introduces an honesty to the space — a sense that nothing is being hidden or over-polished. It grounds The Mortar House in a material tradition that is both local and timeless, while simultaneously lending the office a warmth that standard commercial finishes could never achieve. The mortar joints between bricks become part of the visual texture, reminding occupants of craft, patience, and the human hand in construction.
Colourful Glass Panels Inspired by Art
Alongside the brick arches, a series of colourful glass panels brings an unexpected vibrancy to the workspace. These panels were directly informed by one of Anuj Kapoor's favourite artists, adding a layer of personal and cultural meaning to what might otherwise have been a purely functional design element. The exact palette of the glass shifts the interior light throughout the day, casting coloured shadows and creating an environment that subtly changes depending on the time and the angle of sunlight entering the building.
This use of stained or coloured glass is a nod to a centuries-old architectural tradition, reinterpreted here for a contemporary professional context. Rather than feeling nostalgic, however, the glass panels feel fresh and deliberate — a reminder that great design draws freely from history and from art without becoming trapped by either. For employees working within The Mortar House, these panels serve as a daily encounter with beauty, injecting colour and life into the rhythm of the working day.
Designing for Collaboration and Community
The spatial layout of The Mortar House was conceived with collaboration firmly in mind. The interconnected zones created by the brick arches allow teams to move fluidly between areas without the rigid boundaries that so often stifle spontaneous conversation and creative exchange. There is a deliberate absence of hierarchy in the way the space is organised — no single area dominates, and no individual workstation signals greater status than another.
This democratic approach to workspace design is increasingly recognised as essential to high-performing organisations. Research consistently shows that environments which encourage casual interaction and reduce physical and psychological barriers between colleagues lead to better communication, stronger team cohesion, and higher levels of creative output. Logic Design Build has embedded these insights directly into the architecture of The Mortar House, making collaboration not just possible but inevitable.
Material Honesty and Restraint
One of the qualities that sets The Mortar House apart from many contemporary office refurbishments is its commitment to material honesty. There is no effort to conceal the construction or to create surfaces that mimic something they are not. Wood, brick, glass, and mortar are allowed to express their own inherent qualities. This restraint gives the space a quiet confidence — it does not need to shout for attention because its materials speak clearly on their own terms.
This ethos aligns closely with a broader movement in interior design that rejects superficial decoration in favour of spaces that are meaningful because of what they are made from and how those materials are used. In an era of mass-produced office furniture and rapidly applied decorative finishes, The Mortar House stands as an argument for slowing down and allowing materials to do the work.
A New Standard for Workplace Design in India
The Mortar House arrives at a moment when the definition of the workplace is being renegotiated across the world. As organisations reconsider why their teams should come into an office at all, designers like Anuj Kapoor and Logic Design Build are offering a compelling answer: because the office, when designed thoughtfully, can be a place of genuine richness and connection that remote work simply cannot replicate.
By fusing regional material culture with a progressive approach to collaborative space-making, Logic Design Build has created something that feels both deeply rooted and entirely forward-looking. The Mortar House is not just a renovation — it is a redefinition of what an office can aspire to be, and a powerful demonstration that humble, human-centred design remains one of the most potent forces in architecture.