Fitch Ratings is headquartered in London. Establishing a new office in Moscow, the company's management prepared a list of basic requirements for its design, which headed the point about maximum restraint of the future interior. And the point here is not only a desire to save money: the responsible work of analysts requires concentration, and nothing should distract specialists from working with information.
The original sketch, made by Sergei Estrin, provided for the transformation of the wall along the meeting rooms into a single glass panel - the architect proposed to apply images of the business capitals of the world on a transparent surface. The silhouettes of the most recognizable buildings were to be illuminated using the thinnest LEDs, and partially superimposed on each other, they would create a complex multidimensional picture symbolizing the involvement of the Moscow office in the global business flow.
Later, this idea was rejected by the customer, and Sergey Estrin began to look for a simpler and at the same time iconic image that would form the basis of the concept of the design project. Since Fitch Ratings specializes in analytics, assessments and ratings, that is, the processing of colossal flows of information, the architect decided to display the data transfer process in the interior design. One of the main advantages of this notion, Estrin himself, calls the ability to depict in very different ways: it can be a creeping line, and a teletype tape, and even Morse code. Where decorative elements had to be minimized, the chosen theme made it possible to decorate the interior with literally one or two unobtrusive and at the same time very accurately conveying the essence of the company's work. A pattern of thin stripes adorned glass partitions and doors, the built-in ceiling lighting was also solved in a similar way, as well as the decorative design of beams and boxes of utilities that could not be transferred.
Another means of creating an expressive interior was its color scheme. At the same time, the architects were only partially guided by the corporate colors of Fitch Ratings - black, gray and red. As Sergey Estrin admits, this triad seemed too contrasting to them, and gray was chosen as the dominant one - it is represented in the interior by many gradations and supplemented by a muted analogue of red - a shade of lilac. The latter appears only in details, literally in strokes, but becomes an important accent of this very calm interior.
The next task that the authors of the interior set themselves was a competent solution to the entrance area. Fitch Ratings is often visited by representatives of the press, so the reception area is in every sense the face of the company, its "embassy" in our country. Fitch Ratings has settled on the sixth floor of the Light House business center, and right opposite the entrance to the agency's office there is a large terrace, which is separated from the working area only by a completely transparent wall. Thanks to this, the entrance area has no shortage of daylight and "air" - the architects tried to preserve this feeling, while at the same time making the center of the whole composition the reception desk with the company logo above it.
The reception area is highlighted with white porcelain stoneware, and thin horizontal lines of red are passed through the counter, thanks to which this element harmoniously combines with the agency's logo, placed on a black background, but does not merge with it. The use of bright colors and the placement of the counter to the left of the main entrance makes it the first thing that anyone sees after entering this bright room. The transparent wall separating the closed part of the office from the terrace is accented with decorative landscaping, bringing a summer mood to the interior even in the most cloudy months of the year. Then the visitor goes a little further into the meeting room area, from where the office work area is visible through glass partitions. The walls of the meeting rooms are also made of glass, decorated with an ornament of matte stripes, with the help of which their inner space is somewhat isolated. These rooms can be combined into one - for example, for holding press conferences - and behind the meeting rooms is the actual open space in which analysts work. The architects deliberately made sure that the work area is partially visible from the entrance itself and becomes more visible as you move through the office - this emphasizes the atmosphere of hard work that distinguishes Fitch Ratings. By the way, the optimal organization of analysts' workplaces demanded mathematical accuracy from architects, since many Fitch Ratings specialists simultaneously conduct their own projects and work in teams.
Intense intellectual work requires systematic switching and unloading, therefore, while developing the project of the agency's office, the architects included a mini-gym with a tennis table and a horizontal bar. It is also interesting that the management offices in terms of the level and "content" of finishing do not differ from the premises of ordinary employees - this symbolizes the company's democracy and its focus not on external attributes, but a high-quality result. The laconic and at the same time comfortable interior created by the architectural studio of Sergey Estrin makes the Moscow office of Fitch Ratings similar to the London one and, most importantly, is in no way inferior to it.
