Built Authority: How Space Shapes Power in the Commissioner’s Office, Mumbai
Architecture of governance often communicates power not only through symbols and function, but through how it is experienced by the human body. The Commissioner’s Office in Mumbai presents a rare opportunity to study this phenomenon through two contrasting buildings that exist side by side the historic colonial era Commissioner’s Office and the new administrative building. Though both serve the same institutional purpose, their architectural languages and spatial experiences differ significantly. Through a phenomenological framework focusing on atmosphere, bodily perception, movement, and sensory experience the contrast between the two buildings reveals how architecture shapes authority in different ways across time.
The old Commissioner’s Office is located in South Mumbai, built in 1896 (by John Adams) within the historic administrative and colonial core of the city. It forms part of a larger network of colonial government buildings that shaped Mumbai’s political and urban identity. Though surrounded by dense urban activity, the building maintains a clear physical and psychological separation from the city through boundaries, gates, and setbacks. This separation immediately establishes a sense of distance from everyday life. The new Commissioner’s Office, constructed in 2015 adjacent to the original building, responds to the demands of contemporary policing and administration. It houses modern control rooms, technological infrastructure, and expanded workspaces, reflecting a shift in institutional functioning.
Approaching the old Commissioner’s Office, the experience begins well before entering the building. Moving from the noisy streets into the site, there is an immediate shift in atmosphere. The body responds instinctively as pace slows, posture straightens, and awareness heightens. This transition reflects Peter Zumthor’s idea of atmosphere as the immediate emotional response to space. The architecture prepares the visitor for authority not through signage, but through spatial cues. Boundaries and controlled entry create a pause, marking a threshold that separates the ordinary from the institutional. As you enter the building the consciousness increases as being a non-staff person.