In conversation with Sapna Khakaria, Principal Architect, The Canvas about designing wellness-driven workspaces for the future.Excerpts“I was recently in the U.S.,” shares Sapna Khakaria, Principal Architect at The Canvas, “and everywhere I went, there was one common concern—employees are just not coming back to work. Companies are trying everything, but they are struggling. That’s when they looked at our work and asked, ‘What are you doing differently in India where people show up to the office every day?’”Her answer lies in a deeply human-centric approach to design—one that puts wellness at the core of spatial planning. “The fundamental question is, how do we make the workspace worth the commute? Especially post-pandemic, when getting people back into physical offices became a challenge, the conversation shifted from just attendance to retention. How do you make people feel like the office space is designed for them—for their mental, physical, and emotional well-being?”According to Sapna, it starts with awareness. “As employers, it’s our responsibility to make employees feel seen. They should know this space is about their wellness—it’s not just about desks and deadlines.”At the heart of wellness-driven design is spatial layout. “How you place departments, how people move through a space, what’s next to what—it all matters. We create ‘neighbourhoods’ within the office, where teams sit together and feel part of a micro-community that is, in turn, part of the larger organization. Circulation planning becomes crucial—where your watering holes or pantry points are, how close or far they are, it’s all part of the strategy.”Beyond layout, air quality and biophilic design play a major role. “We focus on clean air—introducing air filters, fresh air intake systems, and biophilic elements like live plants, which increase oxygen levels and make the space brighter and more relaxing. Some offices are even experimenting with hydroponic gardens. Employees can adopt a plant, care for it, and even eat fresh microgreens from it. It’s a beautiful, nurturing initiative.”Sapna outlines five core pillars of wellness in workspace design—air, water, nutrition, physical wellness, and mental balance.“Water has to be clean—drinking and otherwise. Nutrition is another area where employers are stepping up—offering healthy meals, calorie-counted options, diet planning. And then there’s physical wellness. How do you get employees to move more, stand more? There’s a guideline—sit for 20 minutes, stand for 8, and move for 2 every 30 minutes. So, we design for that.”This includes height-adjustable workstations, standing meeting pods, and high tables scattered throughout office floors. “Even the location of printers and meeting rooms is planned—place them far away so people have to walk. We also use way-finding markers or mile counters to show how much someone’s moved.”Designing for sustained productivity throughout the day means aligning with natural human rhythms. “The rhythm starts at the door,” she explains. “You enter into a public zone—reception, branding, storytelling. Then you pass through a transitional zone—maybe a coffee point, a quick snack area. Only after that do you reach your focused work zones. Just like at home, or even in a hospital or hotel, there’s a spatial hierarchy that naturally helps you transition from one state of mind to another.”Understanding employee energy rhythms is also part of this strategy. “Most employees walk in after battling traffic or packed trains. You can’t expect them to jump into work. We plan spaces where they can decompress—grab tea, settle in, and only then get to work.”The rhythm of the day is mapped in design—from morning catch-ups to post-lunch energy dips. “That slump between 2 and 4 p.m.? We use circadian lighting to tackle that. In the morning, light temperatures start at 4000K, which mimics natural daylight. Post-lunch, we raise it to 6000K—white light that stimulates and wakes you up. It’s a scientifically backed approach to supporting body rhythm and performance.”And then there’s acoustic wellness. “Open-plan offices can get noisy. So we design quiet zones, phone booths, and focused work areas. People need places where they can either escape the buzz or collaborate without disturbing others.”How common are wellness-focused workplaces in India? “Very common now,” says Sapna. “In fact, wellness is the first thing most clients talk about. Earlier, we designed offices to reflect brand identity. Now, we design them to support the people. The focus has shifted to employees—how they feel, how they work, and how they can be retained.”So what lies ahead?“Technology,” she says firmly. “Post-pandemic, the office is no longer bound by four walls. With AI and automation, we are soon going to see robots, virtual employees, and more tech integration. So the next big challenge is this—how do we continue to make workplaces feel human, inclusive, and empowering even as technology becomes more dominant?”That’s the future Sapna Khakaria is designing for: a workplace that works not just for the job, but for the people who do it. A place where lighting, layout, air quality, greenery, and movement all come together to create harmony—not just productivity.
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