Archi.ru: Denis, what is meant by a corporate interior today?
D. K.: I think the easiest way to answer this question is this: a corporate interior is an interior designed for comfortable and efficient work of people and at the same time for a visual embodiment of the interests and values of a given company. Our main work is the design of offices and headquarters of firms and corporations. We also often work on the creation of the interiors of shopping malls, commercial medical centers, we are engaged in the design of public areas in multifunctional and commercial buildings. The most typical order for us can be briefly described as follows: the company has decided to move to a new office and is looking for an architect who can develop a project for its interior.
Archi.ru: How does your work begin in this case?
D. K.: First of all, we strive to understand why customers move, how they are pursuing goals. As a rule, a move is started due to the fact that the company outgrows the area of its former office. However, during the crisis, other scenarios became no less common: many companies decided to change offices in order to reduce rents, or, after staff reductions, they were looking for a smaller workplace.
Archi.ru: You mentioned the economic crisis, and in this regard, I cannot but ask: have the interiors themselves and the cost of services for their development also dropped in price?
D. K.: Rather, the number of customers willing to pay for a high-quality corporate interior has decreased. Now the situation is gradually improving, however, I admit that if before the crisis customers more often set priorities in the field of quality and timing, now it is the issue of cost that is a priority for them. By the way, we always start working with the customer with the question: "There are three cornerstones of the project: cost, quality and terms - which two do you choose?" The response we receive helps us understand what the customer's true priorities are. If, say, he wants the work to be done efficiently and quickly, then, most likely, he will overpay. If the main thing for the customer is the timing and low cost of work, then, as a rule, quality suffers. However, I want to make a reservation right away: of course, not a single customer will say that he agrees to poor quality, and we do not provide such services, we are only talking about a certain simplification of work. It is very useful for a common cause that the customer should be aware in advance of what he chooses.
Archi.ru: So, the first stage of creating a corporate interior is a conversation with a customer and getting an answer to the question why he is moving. What's next?
DK: Then a document is prepared, which we call a "task program". This is a detailed list - the employees of the company and its divisions, the required types of workplaces and public areas, the types of work communications that exist in the office. The customer is not always able to independently prepare a task program, to help him, based on our experience, we have developed forms to facilitate this process. Plus, we ourselves are involved in the analysis of the office needs, we ask you not to forget the wardrobes and kitchens, we find out in detail which departments need close proximity, etc. If the customer is a small company, then this is a fairly simple job, if the interior is ordered by a corporation, then drawing up a task program takes a lot of time and requires several approvals.
Next, the architectural concept of the future office is being developed. In fact, this is one drawing - a planning solution with the arrangement of furniture and partitions. It would seem a simple plan, but in fact the basis for all the work ahead. And the comfort and successful functioning of the entire office depend on how well this drawing is made. It is at this stage that such basic things are laid as the already mentioned communication of various departments, the location of the client area, the presence of all the necessary service rooms, etc. We are deeply convinced that this stage requires the utmost attention from us, and we devote the maximum amount of time to it. There can be ten or even twenty joint revisions of the architectural concept with the customer - until both parties agree with satisfaction: here it is, our ideal office.
The next stage is the creation of a design project that answers the question of how the office will look. Of course, it is almost impossible to immediately understand exactly how the customer imagines his future interior. To facilitate this process, we begin the discussion with a discussion of ready-made projects, both ours and those completed by colleagues, including foreign ones. During such design sessions (as a rule, there are 4 - 5 of them), we analyze the client's preferences and expectations, outline the vector for the further development of the project. This allows us to gradually form the concept of the interior - and when we come to the last design session with a finished project, the client perceives it not as something completely unexpected, but as a puzzle that we put together.
Archi.ru: Are there really no customers who say that they want to see ready-made beautiful pictures right away?
D. K.: It happens. Indeed, not all clients are ready to debate, discuss colors, materials and their combinations. In this case, we take a time-out for 2-3 weeks and come back with a finished design project. The only thing we immediately warn the client about is that without intermediate discussions, more changes will have to be made to the project, which means that the total period of work on it will increase.
And, finally, the third stage of work on the project is the production of working documentation. In addition, we provide a range of additional services: pre-lease analysis, consulting, space measurements, architectural supervision. More and more often, customers also ask us to prepare tender documents, in which we prescribe the characteristics of the necessary finishing materials, and the customer, with its help, selects the most suitable manufacturers and suppliers. We also participate in tenders as technical experts, for example, in tenders for the manufacture and supply of furniture.
Archi.ru: That is, when you are developing a design project, you do not know what the furniture will be?
D. K.: This is not entirely true. Firstly, we know for sure all the standard sizes, since we identified them at the very first stage of work on the project. Secondly, we put a specific color of the furniture into the design project and draw it in 3D visualizations. Plus, in almost every office, special designer furniture is used, mainly for public areas: if we talk about upholstered furniture, then this is a finished product, and we usually design individual reception desks.
Archi.ru: Denis, in the minds of the layman, any interior is, first of all, the color and combination of finishing materials. Please tell us how you are looking for a palette for a particular office.
D. K.: Most Western companies have their own corporate colors and clear requirements for the placement of logos, so in their case searches are narrowed down to a few shades. Russian companies are trying to learn from this experience, and we often act as consultants.
In addition, the color scheme of the office largely depends on the building in which it is located, on the direction of the company, on the number of its employees. As an example, I can cite the office of the KPMG company we made: its corporate colors - blue and gray - and that is what we used in interior design. This combination was optimal, since the office area is 14 thousand square meters. Bright designer tiles were used only in the design of the bathrooms, in addition, we made the corporate slogans quite bright, which, together with KPMG, we decided to apply on the walls of the working areas.
Archi.ru: Do I understand you correctly that the larger the office, the more neutral its interior should be?
D. K.: Yes, if we are not talking about advertising agencies or IT companies whose employees need a special atmosphere conducive to creative work. In contrast, consulting, legal, investment companies value rigorous decisions that set them up for a working mood, and we strive to satisfy these requests.
Archi.ru: Is it possible to talk about any stylistic preferences of your customers?
D. K.: ABD Architects works in a modern style, so if clients come to us, then they are not interested in baroque delights and curls in the rococo style. Of course, the same "modern style" implies many interpretations, but first of all, in my opinion, it testifies to the severity, functionality, and noble simplicity. And if we, for example, are talking about lamps, we, as designers, are more concerned with the issues of light temperature, energy efficiency and their impact on the performance of employees.
Archi.ru: In conclusion, I would like to ask about the cost of corporate interiors from ABD Architects. Can we talk about some average price ranges?
D. K.: A budget office starts at $ 700-800 per square meter (excluding VAT, furniture, security systems and IT systems). The middle category is $ 900-1300 per square meter, which, in our opinion, is a reasonable option that allows the use of high-quality materials and high-quality solutions. The highest category has no bar, but, as a rule, not the entire office is decided this way, but only the client area or the management area. On average, we can talk about a framework of 1300-3000 dollars per sq.m.
