Ventilation exaltation. Office interior with a shiny twist.
Office of the construction company "Intercon"
Located in Kyiv, Ukraine
Total area 253 m2
Designer: Oksana Dolgopiatova
Photographer: Andrii Bezuglov
Design Commenced: 2021
Project Realization: 2021-2023
The owners of the company acquired three modest apartments on the ground floor of a new residential complex, near the Dnipro River embankment, to create a unified working space for their rapidly growing company. The company specializes in the renovation and construction of clinics, offices, and commercial spaces. Initially, the plan was to quickly create a typical, stylish, and functional office and relocate promptly. However, something went awry. Here's the backstory.
The company owners, two men and one woman, approached me. While the woman had been my client before, my expertise lay in residential spaces, not offices. When they presented the project for the office, I initially declined. However, due to my warm relationship with the woman, I agreed to meet with the partners to explain why I couldn't take on the project.
During the meeting, the partners were insistent. They knew they didn't want a typical office, as they had been working in the field for a long time. They aimed to create something extremely unconventional, distinct from all previous projects, and unlike the typical construction company office. For this, they decided to choose a designer for whom an office wasn't a typical task.
At the meeting, after discussing all the pros and cons of the space and the project's goals, they asked me what could change my decision. I took a risk and proposed a solution that was incredibly bold and possibly irrational. Considering the relatively low ceilings and limited natural light in the space, I suggested keeping the main background white and having an open ventilation system. The uniqueness of my idea lay in using real brass sheets for all the pipes, not painted to resemble brass, but genuine metal that would change color and texture over time. The entire space would revolve around this combination.
The male partners laughed in response, but the female partner, understanding that I never joke in my creative work, said, "Genius!" The men said it was madness; such ventilation would be astronomically expensive, and they were categorically against it. I replied, "Well then, I'm categorically against taking on your project." The meeting concluded.
However, three days later, they called me: «We had made a preliminary cost estimate for the brass ventilation project. It was four times more expensive than a regular ventilation system. You're a crazy designer. But perhaps, this is exactly what we need. We agree to your terms, let's work!»
The office was intended to be comfortable for employees and partners, reflecting the high craftsmanship of the construction and related works, and it had to be exceptionally unique for my clients. I went further and imbued meaning into some elements, especially after getting to know the partners and the company's work more closely.
For example, the reception area. To avoid the typical approach of attaching the company logo and name, I tried to convey the company's essence through shapes and materials.
At the heart of the reception area is a load-bearing monolithic concrete column symbolizing one of the partners who heads the construction department – the vertical of the company. He is precise, strict, and reliable, capable of withstanding any load. The second form is a robust wooden countertop – the second partner heading the departments of procurement, promotion, and organization. Horizontal strength of a soft material, softened further by the arched shape of the countertop. The brass sphere is the third partner of the company, responsible for the financial department. A round, movable form made of a material embodying the energy of radiance and sunlight. This is how she, the female partner, is – a combination of several energies. Another essential element is the surface of gypsum flutes. These flutes symbolize the company's employees, each one crucial, from the lawyer to the construction worker. Therefore, so much attention was paid to the quality of the space. All primary forms are self-sufficient but securely connected to each other, creating a figure-performance welcoming the visitor-client.
You might ask, where in this composition is the form and material symbolizing the company's clients? It's the chandelier. Flexible light tubes creating a diagram of rises and falls, successful and sometimes problematic solutions, readiness to tackle any task, illuminating everything around. This is how you can imagine the construction process.
You might ask, where in this composition is the form and material symbolizing the company's clients? It's the chandelier. Flexible light tubes creating a diagram of rises and falls, successful and sometimes problematic solutions, readiness to tackle any task, illuminating everything around. This is how you can imagine the construction process.
It was also important to mention the construction process as the company's main activity, literally. Therefore, the decision was made to create a canvas with a comic-style graphic. The composition of the construction process, depicted on the joists, was commissioned from an artist who had been sketching on the actual construction sites of this company before starting the project. The most logical place for this element was the wall in the meeting room.
Despite the unified style of the entire office, some partner offices were deliberately designed in a slightly different style to emphasize each one's individuality.
Despite the unified style of the entire office, some partner offices were deliberately designed in a slightly different style to emphasize each one's individuality.
And of course, the bathrooms. The clients' request was to have two gender-segregated bathrooms without a stylistic difference. However, I decided to play with forms slightly and, in a sense, underline the symbolism.
The abundance of arched forms symbolizes the company's stability, as the arch is one of the load-bearing forms in engineering and construction. The eye above the entrance door, a conditionally inscribed triangle (in the arch), «symbolizes the Great Architect of the Universe, overseeing the labors of free masons».
Interesting facts.
We struggled to find a manufacturer for the brass sphere, as it required additional equipment in production facilities. We accidentally stumbled upon a sphere that is, in fact, a part of the golden dome of an Orthodox church. Specifically, our sphere was defective, having fallen and acquired a small dent. However, we actually needed this dent to attach the sphere to the wooden countertop.
Brass sheets for the ventilation were sought with specific physical properties, prompting us to purchase this material from all over Ukraine.
