One Vision, Two Teams: The Design and Build Story of Porcupine Prickly Manor

Location: 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore

Design: Creative Geometry

Construction: Baldota Brothers

Client: Mr. Akshar Halgali

Timeline: 60 to 90 days

Capacity: 190 to 200 seats

The Brief

Indiranagar does not forgive average. Every new hospitality space here competes for attention from day one, and the margin for error is almost nonexistent.

The brief for Porcupine Prickly Manor was clear: a two-floor pub and kitchen that had to feel genuinely different at every level, deliver 190 to 200 seats across indoor and outdoor zones, integrate a full kitchen, and open within 90 days. Baldota Brothers, working alongside Creative Geometry, took this project on as a fully integrated design and build engagement.

The Design Language

Creative Geometry built the visual identity of the space around a deliberate contrast between raw and refined. Exposed brick against aged plaster. Dark timber against green marble. Industrial metal against warm rattan.

The facade treatment set the tone before a guest even stepped inside. The exposed brick-plaster wall, green timber joinery, and feature staircase were all visible from the street, designed to stop passerby traffic and draw guests in.

The ground floor was designed for energy, anchored by a large bar counter, a centrally positioned DJ console, and an open plan that encouraged movement. The mezzanine was designed for a different pace: formal dining, a projector for events, and an outdoor terrace with bar-height seating looking out over Indiranagar.

The Bar Counter

The bar counter was designed as the centerpiece of the ground floor. A green marble top, warm wooden cabinetry, craft beer taps, and a wall of barrel displays created a space that was as much visual as it was functional. The patterned tile floor under the bar zone contrasted with the timber flooring of the dining area, clearly defining the bar as its own destination within the floor.

The Record Space

One of the most distinctive elements of the ground floor was the dedicated record space, a floor-to-ceiling display of vinyl records and album covers, backlit and shelved with careful attention to the grid. This was not decoration. It was a design decision that gave the space a cultural identity and a visual anchor point at the far end of the floor plan.

The Staircase and Alfresco Zone

The mild steel staircase, fabricated using 150mm x 150mm box sections and a stringer beam at 5.2mm wall thickness, was positioned as a feature element against the brick-plaster facade wall. Getting the railing angles and tread details right required back and forth between the site team, head office, structural consultant, and fabrication team. The result was a staircase that reads as both a structural necessity and a design statement.

The alfresco zones on both floors extended the experience outdoors, with rattan seating, tropical planting, and pendant lighting that worked with Bangalore's climate rather than against it.

The Execution

The site was an existing structure and required a full structural audit and complete rehaul before any new work could begin. Pre-construction planning covered structural sequencing, vendor briefings, fabrication tolerances, drain coordination, and MEP routing.

On a 90 day commercial timeline, there is no room for decisions to be made late. The coordination between Baldota Brothers and Creative Geometry ensured that design intent and construction execution remained aligned throughout, from the first structural assessment to the final fit-out.

The Outcome

The completed space reads exactly as the brief intended: two floors with distinct atmospheres, connected by a feature staircase and unified by a consistent material palette. The 190 to 200 seat capacity is distributed across indoor bar seating, ground floor dining, alfresco tables, and the mezzanine, each zone operating at its own energy level simultaneously.

For commercial clients and developers considering a hospitality project in Bangalore, Porcupine Prickly Manor is a clear example of what becomes possible when design ambition and construction discipline operate under a single, coordinated framework from day one.

Construction by Baldota Brothers | Design by Creative Geometry | Indiranagar, Bangalore