Labyrinths of Creativity

The interior design of "Yandex" HQ: Atrium's good old and time-tested trademark techniques coupled with new interesting approaches to creating an unconventional workspace.

Written by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

04 August 2015

Object

Architect:

Firm:

ATRIUM http://atrium.ru/

It was "Atrium" architectural bureau that once defined the image of Yandex offices - easily recognizable today by their combination of flash and efficiency. It all started back in 2005 from designing the interior in an abandoned red-brick workshop on the Samokatnaya Street. Then there was the space at the Stanislavsky Street. In 2010, the company moved to the Leo Tolstoy Street, into a new facility in the business quarter "Krasnaya Roza 1875". And again it was Atrium that did the interior design, this time around for whole seven new floors: their main feature is the tree-like inside blocks with their lath-covered meeting rooms alternating with occasional "living" grass walls.

This consecutive, "Yandex"'s fifth interior designed by Atrium and implemented but recently is a new part of the office in the same business center. However, this time around, the bureau, along with a few other Moscow's established architectural companies, took part in the closed tender for designing the space for conducting external conferences. The prize - the right to design the second stage of the interiors with a total area of twelve thousand square meters - Atrium won in flying colors proving that over the years of cooperation it has learned to understand like no other company its customer's needs and, on top of that, anticipate the direction of the customer's further development. The image of the new interior turned out to be maximally natural and refreshing at the same time.

zooming — Yandex HQ on Leo Tolstoy Street (second stage). Entrance group © "Atrium" Architectural Bureau

The new five floors are situated in the recessed glass building of "Morozov". The first floor has in it a spacious lobby: the guests waiting area with a corian clam shell, living plants, and the reception desk with the inevitable Yandex logo on it. Soft backlight. Bright multicolored furniture.

Besides the entrance group that leads to the sculptural volume of the stairway and the accompanying wall of green plants, this floor also includes the administrative block and the premises for the public events. Higher up, there are three floors that include nothing but the workspace. And above all this, the fifth and the last floor belonging to the company has in it the conference hall and the sports and entertainment center. The work tables are placed along the glazed perimeter of the offices' outer walls, while the studies, the meeting rooms, and the coffee points are gathered in the center where the ambient light is less required. The architects tested this technique of organizing the workspace in their previous "Yandex" project, and, over the years of operation, it proved its efficiency one hundred percent.

However, the main "hero", or, better yet, the main "core" of each of the work floors is the bright and agile passageway: it runs through the space at an optimal trajectory saving people from getting lost in the labyrinth of desks and chairs. It also has the capsules with meeting rooms, kitchens, and smoking rooms strung upon it. In a way, it can be likened to a corridor, only not of the usual type but intermittent and discontinuous like a corpuscle of light - because the open and the tunnels fragments alternate at rhythmic intervals. At some points, it is only the color band on the floor that saves you from losing your way - but the ensuing closed fragment with the facets of walls and ceiling makes a strong impression indeed. The complex geometry of the passages changes the efficiently planned office floor not only facilitating its navigation but also saturating its interior with human emotions - life-affirming, akin to the kind that people experience in an amusement park. What the architects ultimately got is a curious hybrid of open space and the classic "corridor-type" office - which in itself is not really a rarity but Atrium is capable of turning, time after time, the logistic nucleus of the workspace into an artistically justified and effort-efficient amusement ride. In the previous Yandex office, the passages were of a sophisticated multi-fragment shape, while here they are planned as being shorter and more efficient.

What is important is the fact that each such "corridor" is bound by its unique color, common for each specific floor. On the second floor, it is yellow, on the third - green, on the fourth - orange, and on the fifth it is dark blue. This "rainbow" navigation is supported by the bright red accent that echoes the trademark letter "Я" in the entrance lobby.

The second important difference from the earlier part of the office lies in the fact that in the former case the verticals of the almost-identical "capsule" blocks would run through the suspended ceiling, as if growing into, very much like trees, into the next floor. In the new office, the architects deliberately tear each block away from the ceiling - physically and with the help of the backlight. These blocks are very different; no two blocks on one floor are exactly alike: the eight types of finishes create images as dramatic as easily recognizable - for example, the capsules with unevenly drawn "bull's eyes" of windows wrapped into dark-gray shaggy carpet fabric. Others are surrounded by vertical carved wooden planks. Still others are covered with textured pixel-like pattern of horizontal wooden bars through which the glass lining and the inner rooms show through. One of the shell options is really functional: the capsule consists of deep shelves that the employees are free to fill in at their discretion. But the most striking impression is produced by the green hill that is covered from top to bottom with scramblers - the lounges that are inside of it look the coziest of all. It will only be fair to mention that in this project a fancy shell always conceals a space that is rational and efficient, where the very last little door is rationally justified. Besides, the diversity of the capsules, as we remember, is part of the navigation system: emotional, visual, and territorial.

Every last little detail here shows some brilliant design idea. Probably, for this very reason, as you get inside, the last thing on your mind is that you are in the office of a huge corporation, the richest one, according to Forbes, in the Russian segment of the Internet, with thousands of employees. It has long been known that an upbeat creative workspace is one of the ground requirements of this famous IT company, and one that allows for it to attract new young talented employees with great conditions for creative work. As was already mentioned, Atrium has repeatedly been able to fulfill this mission - because its style with its combination of unexpected "sculptural-ness", diverse textures and brings colors best meets the expectations of the young creative minds.

Every detail shows that the authors did not for a minute forget whom exactly they were working for. The glass entrances to the oases of the meeting rooms are executed in the shape of the cursor of Yandex search engine. The merry-sounding plaques on the doors continue and support this simulation of a merry traffic light: on Orange Floor, the plaques read "Orange Mood" and "Orange Necktie" (two cool Russian rock-n-roll evergreens - translator's note). On Yellow Floor - "Yellow Tulips", "Yellow Pants", and "Yellow Shoes", all this being not the architects' but the customers' initiative. The company's employees actively joined the game - which was a sure sign that they "accepted" their new home. So, Atrium has hit the mark yet again.

Architect:

Firm:

ATRIUM http://atrium.ru/

04 August 2015

Headlines now

Review

Living in the Architecture of One’s Own Making

Do architects design houses for themselves? You bet! In this article, we are examining a new book by TATLIN publishing house. This book – unprecedented for Russia – features 52 private homes designed and built by contemporary architects for themselves. It includes houses that are famous, even iconic, as well as lesser-known ones; large and small, stylish and eccentric. To some extent, the book reflects the history of Russian architecture over the past 30 years.

Object

A City Block Isoline

Another competition project for a residential complex on the banks of the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod has been prepared by Studio 44. A team of architects led by Ivan Kozhin concluded that using a regular block layout in such a location would be inappropriate and developed a “custom design” approach: a chain of parceled multi-section buildings stretching along the entire embankment. Let’s explore the features and advantages of this unconventional method.

Report

Competition: The Price of Creativity?

Any day now, we’re expecting the results of a competition held by the “Samolet” development group for a plot in Kommunarka. In the meantime, we share the impressions of Editor-in-Chief Julia Tarabarina, who managed to conduct a public talk. Though technically focused on the interaction between developers and architects, the public talk turned into a discussion about the pros and cons of architectural competitions.

Object

Terraced Design

The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.

A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments

We continue our coverage of the competition projects for the residential district that the development company GloraX plans to build along the embankment of the Rowing Channel in Nizhny Novgorod. ASADOV Architects approached the concept through a deep dive into local identity, using storytelling to pinpoint a central idea for the design: the master plan and composition are imagined as if a meteorite had struck a “proto-Kremlin”. Sounds weird? Find more details below!

Contest Results

The Volga Regatta

GloraX plans to develop a residential complex spanning 14 hectares along the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod. The winning design in a closed-door competition, created by GORA Architects, features housing typologies ranging from townhouses to terraced high-rise slabs, a balance of functions, diverse ways of engaging with the water, and even a dedicated island (no less!) for the city residents.

Object

A New Track

We took a thorough look at D_Station, a railcar repair depot dating back to 1906, recently reconstructed while preserving its century-old industrial structure, upon the project by Sergey Trukhanov and T+T Architects. Though work on the interiors – set to house restaurants and public spaces – is still underway, the building’s exterior already offers plenty to see. Visitors can explore the blend of old and new brickwork, appreciate the architect’s unique interpretation of ruin aesthetics, and enjoy the newly built pedestrian route that connects the Citydel Business Center’s arches to Kazakova Street.

Report

Four Different Surveys

The “Explore the City” competition, organized this year by the Genplan Institute of Moscow, stands out as a pretty unconventional one for the architectural field but aligns perfectly well with the character of urban planning work. The winning project analyzed contemporary residential complexes, combining urban planning insights with a realtor’s perspective to propose a hybrid approach. Other entries explored public centers, motivations for car ownership, and housing vacancy rates. A fifth participant withdrew. Here’s a closer look at the four completed works.

Report

Scheduled Evolution

ASADOV Architects unveiled the EvyCenter pavilion, a microcultural hub for fostering personal growth, organizing workshops, and doing gymnastics. Additionally, this pavilion serves as a prototype for a scalable country house, drawing inspiration from the “Loskutok” project, and constructed from CLT panels in a factory. This marks the beginning of a developer project initiated by the architectural firm (sic!), which is seeking partners to expand both small Evy settlements and even larger Evy cities, which are, according to Andrey Asadov, aimed at fostering the “evolutionary” development of the people who will inhabit them.

Object

The Golden Crown

The concept for a dental clinic in Yekaterinburg, developed by CNTR Studio, revolves around the idea of a “mouth full of gold”: pristine white porcelain stoneware walls are complemented by matte brass details. To avoid an overly literal interpretation, the architects focused on the building’s proportions, skillfully navigating between sunlight requirements and fire safety regulations.

News

Flexibility and Integration

Not long ago, we covered the project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential complex, designed by APEX. Now, we’ve been shown different fence concepts they developed to enclose the complex’s private courtyards, incorporating a variety of public functions. We believe that the sheer fact that the complex’s architects were involved in such a detail as fencing speaks volumes.

Object

A Step Forward

The HIDE residential complex represents a major milestone for ADM architects and their leaders Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova in their quest for a fresh high-rise aesthetic – one that is flexible and layered, capable of bringing vibrancy to mass and silhouette while shaping form. Over recent years, this approach has become ADM’s “signature style”, with the golden HIDE tower playing a pivotal role in its evolution. Here, we delve into the project’s story, explore the details of the complex’s design, and uncover its core essence.

Object

Gold in the Sands

A new office for a transcontinental company specializing in resource extraction and processing has opened in Dubai. Designed by T+T Architects, masters of creating spaces that are contemporary, diverse, flexible, and original, this project exemplifies their expertise. On the executive floor, a massive brass-clad partition dominates, while layered textures of compressed earth create a contextually resonant backdrop.

Object

Layers and Levels of Flight

This project goes way back – Reserve Union won this architectural competition at the end of 2011, and the building was completed in 2018, so it’s practically “archival”. However, despite being relatively unknown, the building can hardly be considered “dated” and remains a prime example of architectural expression, particularly in the headquarters genre. And it’s especially fitting for an aviation company office. In some ways, it resembles the Aeroflot headquarters at Sheremetyevo but with its own unique identity, following the signature style of Vladimir Plotkin. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in the Moscow agglomeration town of Zhukovsky, supplemented by recent photographs from Alexey Naroditsky – a shoot that became only recently possible due to the fact that improvements were finally made in the surrounding area.

Object

Light and Shadow

In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.

View

Casus Novae

A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.

Report

Treasure Hunting

The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.

Object

Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water

In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.

Object

Fir Tree Dynamics

The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.

Object

A Brick Shell

In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.

Report

Word Forms

ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.

Object

Flexibility and Acuteness of Modernity

Luxurious, fluid, large “kokoshniks” and spiral barrel columns, as if made from colorful chewing gum: there seem to be no other mansion like this in Moscow, designed in the “Neo-Russian-Modern” style. And the “Teremok” on Malaya Kaluzhskaya, previously somewhat obscure, has “come alive with new colors” and gained visibility after its restoration for the office of the “architectural ecosystem” as the architects love to call themselves. It’s evident that Julius Borisov and the architects at UNK put their hearts into finding this new office and bringing it up to date. Let’s delve into the paradoxes of this mansion’s history and its plasticity. Spoiler: two versions of modernity meet here, both balancing on the razor’s edge of “what’s current”.

Interview

Yuri Vissarionov: “A modular house does not belong to the land”

It belongs to space, or to the air... It turns out that 3D printing is more effective when combined with a modular approach: the house is built in a workshop and then adapted to the site, including on uneven terrain. Yuri Vissarionov shares his latest experience in designing tourist complexes, both in central Russia and in the south. These include houseboats, homes printed from lightweight concrete using a 3D printer, and, of course, frame houses.

Object

Moscow’s First

“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.

Object

Looking at the Water

The site of Villa Sonata stretches from the road to the water’s edge, offering its own shoreline, pier, and a picturesque river panorama. To reveal these sweeping views, Roman Leonidov “cut” the façade diagonally parallel to the river, thus getting two main axes for the house and, consequently, “two heads”. The internal core – two double-height spaces, a living room and a conservatory, with a “bridge” above them – makes the house both “transparent” and filled with light.

Object

The White Wing

Well, it’s not exactly white. It’s more of a beige, white-stone structure that plays with the color of limestone – smoother surfaces are lighter, while rougher ones are darker. This wing unites various elements: it absorbs and interprets the surrounding themes. It responds to everything, yet maintains a cohesive expression – a challenging task! – while also incorporating recognizable features of its own, such as the dynamic cuts at the bottom, top, and middle.

Object

Urban Dunes

The XSA Ramps team designed and built a three-part sports hub for a park in Rostov-on-Don, welcoming people of all ages and fitness levels. The skate plaza, pump track, and playground are all meticulously crafted with details that attract a diverse range of visitors. The technical execution of the shapes and slopes transforms this space into a kind of sculptural composition.

Object

Proportional Growth

The project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential area has been announced. The buildings are situated on an elongated plot – almost a “ray” that shoots out from the center of the area towards the river. Their layout reflects both a response to Moscow’s architectural preferences over the past 15 years, shifting “from blocks to towers”, and an interpretation of the neighboring business park designed by SOM. Additionally, the best apartments here are not located at the very top but closer to the middle, forming a glowing “waistline”.

Object

The “Staircase” Building

In designing the “Details” residential complex in New Moscow, Rais Baishev spiced up the now-popular Moscow theme of a “courtyard” building with an idea drawn from the surrealist drawings by Maurits Escher. He envisioned the stepped silhouettes and descending slopes as a metaphysical mega-staircase, creating a key void within the courtyard that gave the project an internal “spine”. This concept is felt both in the building’s silhouette and on its façades.

Object

Projection of the Quarter

No one doubted that the building that Vladimir Plotkin designed as part of the “Garden Quarters” would be the most modernist of all. And it turned out just that way: while adhering to the common design code, the building successfully combines brick and white stone, rhythmically responding to the neighboring building designed by Ostozhenka, yet tactfully and persistently making a few statements of its own. This includes the projection of the ideal urban development composition “14–9–6”, which can be found right next door, mathematical calculations, including those for various types of terraces (and perhaps the only reminder of the Soviet past of the Kauchuk rubber factory!), and the white “cross-stitch” pattern of the façade grid.