Foster + Partners has revealed designs for the headquarters of RMK, one of the world's leading copper producers based in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The 13-story building is designed to complement the company's working style, splitting office spaces into two-story modular units which provide comfortable and flexible work spaces.
The facade of the building features triangular panels of bronze-colored steel, a motif that is inspired by the color and chemical structure of copper. These steel panels also express the modular offices within the building, with each ten by six-meter panel corresponding to a single office module, and regulate the building's temperature by shading the building in the summer but admitting winter sunshine.
Read on after the break for more on the design
Inside the building, Foster + Partners created a dramatic entrance space, with a 12 meter high lobby flanked by visitor lounges and displays of RMK's products. This lobby leads to glazed lifts, which transport employees to the modular "houses for staff" on the upper floors. The interiors of these offices are characterized by tactile materials such as wood, stone and textiles, and a combination of indirect and task lighting to accentuate the domestic feel of the office environment.
Luke Fox, Senior Executive Partner at Foster + Partners, said of the project: "This is a great example of our integrated approach – our architects and our in-house specialist disciplines have worked closely together as a single team to create a truly integrated solution that is both perfectly tailored to RMK’s needs, and provides a powerful new symbol for their organisation."
Architects
Location
Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, RussiaProject Year
2014Photographs
Methanoia Courtesy of Foster + Partners
