At first glance, the work on the new Moscow office of an international communications provider promised to be quite standard for architects: two floors of a modern business center, the usual set of functional areas, a classic openspace with dedicated places for communication and privacy. Restrained, comfortable style for employees of all ages and views, the usual European democracy. The most detailed brand book left little room for experimentation. However, a place for copyright ideas at 5,300 m2 working space was found and the entire internal space of the office acquired a functional, but highly individual character.
For its new office, the management of Orange Business Services has chosen the 10th and 11th floors of the Mercury City Tower in MIBC Moscow City. In plan, each of them vaguely resembles a schematic depiction of a rocket. The resulting spectacular bevels became one of the important elements of the entire interior space, but it was not easy to achieve maximum planning efficiency in such conditions. The architects chose the usual and only possible option: a massive core with all communications is surrounded by a total open space along the entire light front. Since the customer, at the level of the technical assignment, very clearly presented the scheme of interaction between various divisions and departments, they are all lined up in a single chain, so that getting into the office, any task quickly goes through all the necessary stages of solution, moving from department to department. At the same time, each of them remains a completely independent unit with its own internal connections, areas of communication, brainstorming, rest and concentrated work.
But the planned organization of the workflow was hampered by the lack of internal communication between the two floors: a common staircase and loaded elevators of a high-rise building could not provide the necessary level of interaction between departments. “We immediately thought about an additional, personal staircase,” says the chief architect of the project, Polina Voevodina. - Fortunately, there were holes in the ceilings on the floors and we managed to get the consent of the owners to place the stairs. We went through many options and settled on a monolithic concrete object. It was planned to leave the material immediately open, only to cover it with a protective varnish, therefore, great attention was paid to the quality of the concrete itself and the quality of the work. The contractor did not disappoint and everything worked out as it should. As a result, the architects turned the exposed concrete surfaces into an aesthetic technique, adding a wall of micro-cement right behind the reception desk.
Wire mesh railings complete the loft look of the staircase. This technique is also supported in other areas of the office. As a result, the author's object has become a real semantic center of the entire space - it is no coincidence that the main recreation and communication area was organized around it, in which all employees and guests can gather. The kitchen, coffee point and conference room are also located nearby.
Large working areas (in total, the Moscow office of the company employs about 500 people and there is no separate VIP-space for management in the office) demanded special attention to the problems of sound insulation and acoustic comfort. In addition to flooring and furniture screens, the architects made extensive use of fabric-upholstered panels and special furniture. High, protected armchairs and sofas are installed mainly in front of the windows and sitting in them you can completely distance yourself from what is happening in the office.
The corporate orange color and the square of the logo are used naturally in the design of all zones. But they are used unobtrusively: stripes on carpets, matting patterns on partitions, soft furniture panels, doors and storage system boxes, and finally, a special design on the ceiling in the reception area. At the same time, the architects introduced other colors in the recreation areas. Combinations of orange not only with gray, but also with purple, red, pale blue, yellow have also already been spelled out in the company's brand book, but for each zone the architects chose their own limited set of combinations. And the abundance of squares was balanced with a variety of circles. In addition to the staircase, soft rounded shapes have received colored floor coverings, lamps, and pieces of furniture. All this made it possible to revive the too restrained color scheme and rigid orthogonality of solutions.
Another challenge was the tight deadlines for the project. The design & build scheme, which required close cooperation of architects with the general designer and general contractor, Pridex, allowed it to keep within the allotted six months. “Having decided to leave all engineering communications open, we risked to a certain extent in terms of the quality of work,” says Polina Voevodina, “but thanks to our partners for their special attention to the appearance, the location of communications, specific nodes and connections, everything turned out great.”
