BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTRE

Project Brief
Help small sizestartups businesses to develop by providing them mentorship, coworking space, networking, and funding avenues.
Its a community representing the whole startup ecosystem. It brings startups, angel
investors, mentors, and service providers (legal, accounting, management) all under
one roof.
With the occupancy of around 180-200 people, Incubator will cater to 25-30 startups
based on ideas from manufacturing sector. Membership will be on short-term contracts
with program ranging from 10-12 months.

Figure 1: STARTUP LIFE CYCLE.

Aims and objectives

Aims Enhancing links between universities, research institutions and the business
community
Creation of sustainable and innovative startups / support system for their growth and
development
ObjectivesTo increase the successful development of new businesses and generate employment
in respective sectors
To help the entrepreneur to conduct their feasibility study, project appraisal, market
research and economic study
To help the units to train their employees to improve their technical and management
skills

Scope of work
To understand the requirements of small businesses
Identifying and studying relevant spaces and support facilities
Inter relation of different spaces and their connectivity
Study spaces which are adaptable and flexible in nature
Use studies and observations for area programming

Proposed Client
Project will be funded under a public/private partnership (PPP) between the Govt. of
West Bengal, three of leading academic institutes (IIM-C, IIT KGP & WBNUJS) and the
private sector.
IIM assistance related to Business
IIT assistance related to Technology
NUJS assistance related to Intellectual property

Proposed Site
Location Kolkata
Landmark near IIM Calcutta
Area 12,000 sqm

Spaces
Primary spaces

Co-working space
Manufacturing labs/workshop
Meeting Room
Seminar Hall
Data Center
Library

Auxiliary spaces

Administration block
Mentors rooms
Cafeteria
Informal interaction spaces
Outdoor/indoor recreational zones
Smoking zone

Literature review

1. Business incubation and related services

2. Design considerations for Workspace
3. Adaptable Architecture

1. Business incubation and related services

Incubation program ensures that an individual seeking to start or promote the growth
of their enterprise has easy access to the knowledge, experience in management, and
financial resources. Invariably business incubators will provide a variety of resources or
resourcefulness which may include the following:

Shared Premises
Business Advice
Business Services
Networking
Mentoring

Incubators differ from research and technology

parks in their dedication to startup and early-stage
companies. Research and technology parks, tend to
be large-scale projects that house everything from corporate, government or
university labs to very small companies.

ADVISORY SERVICES
Incubator staff serve as advisors to all client companies holding regular as well as
informal meetings with each client to address strategic and tactical needs. They work
with the client company to identify areas of need and to identify expertise and
resources to address them.
Finances & Accounting
Areas of Assistance - Assistance with budgeting, tax and reporting issues,
capital needs, possible sources for obtaining capital, and timeframe
will be discussed by the company, Incubator management, and the Advisory Board.

Intellectual Property
Strategy Assessment - Incubator management, the Mentoring Team and
other business service providers will review intellectual property strategy.

Legal Assistance
Legal Guidance - The Incubator maintains relationships with a number of law
firms that provide legal assistance at reduced rates for Incubator clients.

Office Operations
Individual Services -The Business Incubation Program provides all clients with a
business address, mail service, Internet connection, and conference/meeting rooms
Shared Services
The following services are offered:
Shared office equipment (fax, laser printer, copier)
Audio-visual equipment
Other miscellaneous equipment

Public Relations & Marketing

Strategy Assessment - Incubator management, the Mentoring Team and
other business service providers will review quarterly marketing strategies
and communicate with thepublicand media.

Sales Assistance
Sales Strategies and Referrals - assist clients in developing sales strategies
and understanding the sales process. If necessary, referrals will be made
to professional service providers who can further assist in developing
and implementing effective sales strategies.

In recent years, incubators have greatly expanded the variety of office services they
provide. For example, some of the other services are:
Telephone equipment
FAX service
Postal service
Overnight courier service
Notary services
Photocopier
TV equipment
There
Audio-visual
equipment
is an essential
question of which services will be offered in-house and outhouse
Printingand
services
their cost recovery. Several services are typically included as a standard
feature
Furniture
rental
in a tenants rental agreement. Other services, such as clerical assistance,
laboratory
Laser printing/graphics
access are charged back to the company on an at-cost or cost-plus basis.
Commuting services

2. Design considerations for Workspace

Design of workspace goes a long way toward establishing the work environment,
managing member moods and attitudes, and creating opportunities for conversation
and collaboration.

Consider a mix of open plan temporary hotdesks, permanent desks, brainstorming

spots, private team spaces, and quiet spaces where people can get away from the
floor and do their strategic thinking.

Common pitfalls when designing a collaborative space with diverse workspace types
are:
The wrong lighting. Exposure to natural light, or the brightness settings of artificial
lighting, manipulates the mood and convey the goal of a given space. Dim the lights
for a softer or more thoughtful mood. Flood the space with natural light for a more
open, collaborative, energetic mood.

Meeting rooms too far away from the front desk/entrance. Meeting rooms
Putting
in the to
space.Avoid
bathrooms
in the
space
at all costs
should bebathrooms
in close proximity
the front desk
and the foot
traffic
shouldnt
be to avoid
interference
issues
with people
trying
work
or meet. Keep bathrooms in the
disruptive to of
more
focused
work areas
into
the
space.
common area where the buildings management company has to deal with them.

Putting the meeting rooms on the perimeter.In collaborative/open plan spaces,

you likely want to give a variety of workspaces access to the natural light and keep
meeting rooms/refuge rooms, kitchens, etc. in the middle of the space.

Interior Design.The first thing that prospective users notice when entering your
working space is essentially the interior design and furnishings. It is critical for the fit
out to reflect the spaces core principles and target markets values.

Not enough power outlets.Collaborative spaces need easy, flexible access to power
in every nook of the space. Include power outlets in the center of the space, not just on
the perimeter. Get in the floor, thats the best design solution, but that can be difficult
depending on your building and codes.

Bad acoustics.Make sure your office/meeting room walls have a sound-proofing

element. Consider factors such as sound deadening floor coverings, ceiling treatments,
sound clouds, wall panels, individual work areas and varying ceiling and wall surface
angles.

Thermal Comfort Considerations

Window-to-wall ratio should be between
0.30 and 0.40.
Window glazing: Sealed double glass
windows with high efficiency high VLT
(visual light transmittance) & low u
value (heat transmittance) glass
Lighting Requirements

Source: Neuferts

A minimum of 100-150 LUX of diffused

indirect natural light is desirable.
Openings on two opposite sides will give
greater uniformity of internal daylight
illumination,provided their sills are raised
by 300 mm to 600 mm above the working
plane.
Source: Neuferts

3. Adaptable Architecture

The term adaptable architecture describes an architecture from which specific

components can be changed in response to external stimuli, for example the users or
environment.
This change could be executed by the building system itself, transformed manually or
could be any other ability to transform by an external force.
Figure 2 presents the levels of adaptation based on the level of sophistication, which
increases from left to right. The definition of the different terms of adaptation is
explained below.

Figure 2 Levels of adaptation in order of

sophistication

Flexible. The first step in adaptable architecture is flexibility. With flexible

architecture the possibility of adjustments on specific components of the building is
aimed. The components of the building are changeable, with an external force.
As an example the facade change by the user with sliding shutters.

Active. An active building component will give a set reaction on a specific change; the
action must be undertaken by the user or environment. An example of active
components is a light switch. The building component responds on an action of the
environment/ users with a specific reaction. Active adaptation requires electricity as
basic technique

Dynamic. Dynamic architecture has the possibility to give different output on a

certain input. For dynamic adaptation computer technology is essential. An example of
dynamic architecture is change of image on faade of UNStudio. The lighting intensity
and colour effects are digitally controlled and choreographed adding another layer of
fluidity to the buildings skin.

Interactive. Building component has ability to have a two way conversation with the
users and/or its environment. A dialogue is set up between the user and system. An
integrated system is needed for interactive relations. An example is lighting display
for the Uniqa tower in Vienna. 'Twists and Turns' is a playful work that responds to the
implied structure of the building its 'situated upon. Interactive adaptation needs digital
sensors.

Case Studies
1.

2.

Dormant
i.
ii.
iii.

Case Study (online)

Airbnb office, London
Life Edited Consultants, NY
Engineering Innovation Centre, Texas

Active Case Study (personally visited and documented)

iv. Nasscom, Kolkata
v. Makersloft, Kolkata

i.

Airbnb office, London

The internationaloffice of
Airbnb are all intended to
reflect the online rental
company's 'belong
anywhere' ethos, and each
office layout has been
createdin collaboration
withlocal design studios
Architect - Threefold
Architects
Project area: 6500 sqm
Location: London, UK

Design Concept
The concept took typical
components of historic
British settlements the
farm, the green, the
market, the library, the
terrace and distilled
their key spatial and social
characteristics to create a
microcosm of such a
community

Design Concept

Involving community spaces like green village in

the form of a workspace in the office

Roof form is inspired from civic structures of

village, supported through wooden timber truss

The Pavilion area is the

largest private meeting
space in the office
Threefold based the
aesthetic of the kitchen
area on a traditional
farmhouse
A Library area provides a
quiet working space for
staff and is surrounded by
a series of individual
seating booths
Kitchen space act as
dinning cum interaction
space virtually separated
by change in flooring
material

The main area

features
a combination of
workspaces and
desks
The village green
can be used for
purposes ranging
from informal
working to
presentations
Booths offer staff
privacy when
making calls or
working alone

The informal meeting area features

bleacher-style seating integratedinto the
workspace witha reading nook, bar
seating and a "clubhouse" at the bottom

Seating inside the main workspace

continues through to the building's
balcony

ii. Life Edited Consultants, NY

Life Edited are consultants to architecture and construction firms for adaptive spaces.
A 2012 study by Life Edited , finds that60% of todays assigned offices and cubicles sit
empty during a typical day.
Study 1
A furniture that expands and contracts with any given days workforce population, can
be used as a work station or conference table when pulled out. When stowed, it makes
the space into a presentation or event space.

Study 2
Inspired by the micro living units in Hong Kong, the space is populated with a series of
track mounted plywood bookcases which serve as storage, display units and also as
dividers. When filled, they form an eclectic and vibrant backdrop to the activity they
enclose. Custom desk panels have been design to nestle into rebates in the shelves,
creating capacity for increased desk capacity during peak project load periods.

The walls moves on rails and double as storage and furniture that tucks and folds
away.
The space is divided in half. One half is the work floor which has fixed stations for
their team. The other half is The Transformer.

Study 3
The main space useshot desks (i.e. unassigned desks) on casters that can be
configured to meet the days various needs, making office smaller and have much
lower operational overhead.
Conference room with an electro-chromatic windowed wall that tints over when
needed, creating separation between the two workspaces.

Study 4
Top flips over to convert into a single bed. The table/bed, which features a bunch of
storage, could also be used as large work surfaces or for people who have teams, good
dining table.

Inside the cube is a surface that can raised and

lowered to be used as sofa, conventional
desk or standing desk.

Features a single bed underneath a desk top, includes a place for a computer
monitor/tv and the head of the desk/bed opens to provide ventilation.

iii. Engineering Innovation Centre, Texas

Location : Texas
A&M University,
USA
Facilities include:
Fabrication Center
&
Prototyping
Design Workspace
Engineering
Analysis Lab,
Manufacturing
tool:
Conference Rooms
Automated
CNC
Offices
3D Printing& Circuit Board
Laser Cutter
Woodworking

Fabrication Center & Prototyping

6600 sq. ft. facility with supervised access
for 30 peoples at a time
Manual Machine Shop
HASS TL2 CNC lathe
Drill press/band saws
Shop Bot Auto Router
Woodworking equipment
Sanding and grinding/Bead Blaster
Arc, Gas, MIG welding
CNC Milling
Three Axis Techno Router
48x96 10 HP Vaccum Bed
Three HP Colombo Spindle

Fabrication Center & Prototyping

Laser Cutting
48 x 48 Vytek FB 100 Watt Laser
18 X 32 Universal Laser 60 Watts
Purex Fume extraction
Rapid Prototyping
Z450 Zcorp Printer
Z4 Waxer
ZP150 Powder
12x18x3 Thermo-former
Area provided per person : 220 sq. ft.

Workspace
7000 sq.ft. area for 150 students
53 project work benches and tables with power and wired Ethernet
42 project storage units
Access to parts store - MSC computerized parts vendor
Weights and measuring station
2 wooden work benches with vises for assembly and sanding
112 drawer miscellaneous parts cabinets
Area provided per person :

Conference Rooms
60" LED screen
White boards
Three rooms with capability to seat 14-20 people a room
Webex capability
Advanced Engineering Analysis Lab
12 high-end workstations - 32GB
Nvidia K6000 video
27" touchscreen monitors
Information Desk
Technician available for immediate assistance
Classroom Spaces
Lecture Room 1 - 25 people, full multimedia computer with 60" HD monitor
Lecture Area 2 - class or special events for up to 50 people, full multimedia
computer with two slaved 70" monitors, webcam

iv. Nasscom, Kolkata

Project area: 2500 sqm
Office is on 7th floor of
a mixed use building
Total occupancy of 250
people
Facilities include:
Workspace
Seminar hall
Administrative
office
Mentors office
Meeting room
Storage

Workspace
Working space is designed
in linear layout
Desks are arranged around
the window for natural light
Provision of different kind of
sitting preferences, group
/individual
Power sockets across the
workspace
Swing chairs are present
across workspace for relaxing

Workspace
Meeting room with a
capacity of 12 seats
Full length windows used for
the purpose of maximum
natural lights
Workspace of 300 sqm for
the purpose of future
expansion
Currently used as a brain
storming space and
accommodates coffee maker

 Water sprinkler spread

across the office space
Mentors cabin with
occupancy of 2 guests
Seminar room with full
length glazing

Inferences
Ample of natural light reduces shared power cost
Fire sprinklers are spread in a grid of 2.5*2.5m
No visual privacy at workplace
Lack of measures to reduce noise
Arrangement of furniture is very rigid
Shortage of meeting room
Lack of some basic in house facilities, for e.g. Xerox, scanner

v.

MakersLoft, Kolkata

Project area: 900 sqm

Total occupancy of 30 people
Facilities include:
3D printing
Laser Cutting
Hardware modeling
Wooden workshop
Training area
Textile printing
Exhibition space
Robotics

Laser cutting & wooden

workshop are given in
separate space to avoid
noise and dust.

Laser cutting room

3D printing

Wooden
workshop

Area for:
Laser cutting space : 30
sqm
Wooden workshop : 42
sqm
3D Printing : 24 sqm

Textile printing

Office space is also used

as audio-visual space

Office space
Robotix

Hardware
modeling

Area for:
Hardware modeling : 24
sqm
Training workshop : 60
sqm

Training
workshop

Signage made from respective

tools

Exhibition of 3D printed
products

Wooden artifacts

Area programming
Building zone

Functions

Co-working space
Meeting Room
Seminar Hall
Primary spaces
Data Center
Library
Prototyping Space
Administration
block
Mentors rooms
Cafeteria
Informal
Auxiliary spaces interaction spaces
Outdoor/indoor
recreational zones
Smoking zone
Store
Lobby

Method of
calculation
12sqm per
person
12x8
15x9
2.5 sqm per
person
200

380

25

5X4
.9 sqm per
person
.9 sqm per
person

25

500

200

180

30

81

30

1500

20

32

100
200

Number
1
8
2
1
1

2
3
1
2
2
1

.8 sqm per
person
10X10
-

Capacity

Area(sq
m)

500

6000

100
-

768
270
600

100

250

800

References
Neuferts
Time Savers
NBC SP7 2005
Business world- Indias young entrepreneur
https://www.enterprises.com
https://www.businessworld.com
https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Office_Space_Standards38440.pdf
https://www.dezeen.com/
http://lifeedited.com/
https://engineering.tamu.edu/

Thank You