Arseniy Leonovich: “A coworking space is a universal cluster for the growth of business and exchange of ideas”.

The head of the architectural firm PANACOM shares about the Moscow area coworking spaces “Start” that were designed and built by his company over the last year and a half, as well as about how the world is changing, what spa-working is all about, and what the future of the development of business spaces looks like.

Interviewed by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

12 March 2018

Interview

Architect:

Firm:

PANACOM http://pana.com.ru/

– The topic of coworking spaces is extremely relevant and interesting. How did it start for you?

– The first coworking spaces opened at ArtPlay about five years ago; there was also a coworking space in the format of a library combined with a meeting room, with literature addressed to architects and designers, with coffee points and a Wi-Fi hotspot. But these places weren’t much of a success – probably because they did not meet the needs of those whom they were originally designed for, they were not specifically targeted. At the same time, however, in the western countries coworking spaces were created as a place where a person could at once develop his startup project and enjoy the “club” atmosphere which is attractive to people who have similar goals. You discuss Ideas over a cup of coffee, you hear alternative opinions, and this brings about some sort of synergy: I do, I work, we work. All is based on the idea that like-minded people get together at one place.

At the same time, Internet technologies were developing, startup as a business model grew ever more popular, and coworking spaces began to draw crowds of young people who needed a super-fast internet connection and 10 square meters to start up their own business. The market formed the demand for that.

zooming — Coworking spaces START. Balashikha © PANACOM

– When and how did designing coworking spaces become a professional task for PANACOM?

– For PANACOM, the topic of coworking spaces came up in 2016 when I met the leaders of RE Group. There was a competition for the coworking spaces named “Start”, which were to be built in the Moscow area. PANACOM was ultimately chosen because we already had experience in designing interiors of various formats; we are not just architects but we are also graphic designers, industrial designers, and we were very quick to come up with the concept for the competition. Within four months we developed a cost-efficient solution for 5000 square meters at ten locations. Our client had quite ambitious plans for developing his chain in the Moscow area cities, and then going national with a franchise. They had a support from the Ministry of Innovation and Development, from the local communities, and the suitable venues were also quick to appear. The first five coworking spaces “Start” opened in 2016, as eary as in 2017 they opened the four coworking spaces designed by PANACOM, and in February and March six more new spaces will open. The coworking spaces got a name of “Start” because it is resonant with the term “startup”, like the beginning of the ascent, and its logo essentially looks like an arrow pointing upwards. In addition, the name is symbolic of achievements in business and sports. Oh, and by the way, each of the coworking spaces provides a place for active recreation, like fitness equipment, body builders, billiards, and air hockey. In the interior design, we used symbols connected with the business theme – bitcoins, rubles, dollars, fragments of graphs and analytic reports. What makes the coworking spaces “Start” different from their foreign and domestic analogues is the fact that they have a clear target audience: it is communities of people who want do develop and grow professionally.

– What were the specifics and challenges of working on this project?

– We had a formidable task of coming up with one single solution which could be extrapolated to various locations. What the interiors of the coworking spaces have in common is the mobility and flexibility (from small offices to large open space zones), and the necessary full-in setup: an auditorium, a large kitchen with a coffee point, a print point, an idea pin board, and modular furniture.

We took only the best, casting away everything we didn’t need, in order to meet the budget constraints: the maxi investments were the walls and the infrastructure. We designed furniture that was made by the Russian company Z-Office.pro. This is a kind of furniture of the middle price segment, but the order itself turned out to be so big (1000 tables) that the client got it on very favorable terms. What we also did was develop the animated graphics and the navigation system with a recognizable style and language. This is what sets our solution apart from the ones that came before us in 2016.

– What is the difference between a coworking space and a regular office, from the standpoint of the author that is designing it?

– The main difference lies in the fact that an office is designed in accordance with the needs of this or that specific company that is going to be quartered here. A coworking space is different – it is created for a conditional client who will be coming here at his desire, and our job is to make sure that he does develop such a desire.

Unlike the office situation where everyone is working more or less on one and the same task, a coworking space is a place where people with different ideas and projects meet. The proverbial cup of coffee is shared by the people who may be into developing space technology, writing stories for children, doing a biology research, and whatnot. This is a cluster, and it simply has to be versatile, accessible and simple to understand.

Then you have to balance out the proportions of the zones: less open space, more cubicles. This has to do with the fact that open spaces with hot desks are visited only occasionally, from time to time, and a coworking space is interested in business residents who prefer mini offices. Here, in addition to the square footage and the Internet, the users are getting other services, such as legal, accounting, and consulting. Our “Start” lecture halls are equipped with all the necessary presentation electronics and they house up to 70 people. These places are visited by “advanced” me municipality officials and businessmen who feel responsible for the development of their cities.

– Do our Russian coworking spaces look like their western counterparts or are there any differences, conditioned, for instance, by our specific environment?

– We did a research of foreign projects – all of them are sophisticated and very flashy in terms of interior design. Originally, our client would say to us: “I want exactly this kind of thing”, but all these variants were prohibitively expensive. We optimized the project by removing the niches and decorative backlights, leaving just the bare necessities. Some volumetric solutions turned into a 2D format becoming flat graphics and prints. Wherever the pictograms and symbols were applied, the walls were leveled out; otherwise, the surfaces were just filled with color. But then again, our clients did pay for the glass partitions for mini offices, and this is how our space got “aquariums” designed for the work of small resident teams.

– What did the experience of working with such a typology give to you?

– Before we did “Start”, we designed about 3000 square meters for the so-called “Open Government of Moscow”. This is the place where the city people will be coming to see, at what stage of processing their applications are, whether or not the parking or waste disposal issues are solved, and so on. The project was developing on the coworking principle, and we fine-tuned a lot of technologies, aspects of interaction between the employees and the visitors, abs the organization of space in general. And, although this is not a coworking space from a purely functional standpoint, the similarities are apparent.

Design of things and architecture are changing, as well as the streets and overall look of the cities; particular importance is given to public spaces. Sometimes you cannot even tell where interior ends and outdoor area starts – we work everywhere where we can get a Wi-Fi connection. But such a diffusion of micro and macro scales must be reflected in the architectural environment.

This shift of interests of the development sector in the direction of mixed-use projects has to do with the dramatic change in the lifestyle: we no longer discriminate between work and private life, we value our time and we want to get services quickly and preferably within one space. Researching this problem in terms of town planning, I put forward the term “spa-working” – meaning, organizing a really comfortable and functional environment for productive and harmonious work. And the coworking spaces “Start” are beginning to implement these ideas.

Coworking spaces START in the cities of the Moscow area:

Serpukhov 460.6 sqm
Stupino – 453.5 sqm
Mytishchi – 481.8 sqm
Lubertsy – 395.8 sqm
Noginsk – 513.8 sqm
Shchelkovo – 934.4 sqm
Klin – 571.6 sqm
Balashikha – 433.4 sqm
Kolomna – 491.9 sqm
Pushkino – 556.7 sqm

Architect:

Firm:

PANACOM http://pana.com.ru/

12 March 2018

Interviewed by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

The Mirror of Your Soul

We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.

Part of the Ideal

In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.

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The Fortress by the River

ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.

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In the Rhombus Grid

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Generational Connection

Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.

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Three Dimensions of the City

We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived

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New “Flight”

Architects from “Mezonproject” have developed a project for the reconstruction of the regional youth center “Polyot”(“Flight”) in the city of Oryol. The summer youth center, built back in the late 1970s, will now become year-round and acquire many additional functions.

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The Yauza Towers

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Architecture and Leisure Park

For the suburban hotel complex, which envisages various formats of leisure, the architectural company T+T Architects proposed several types of accommodation, ranging from the classic “standard” in a common building to a “cave in the hill” and a “house in a tree”. An additional challenge consisted in integrating a few classic-style residences already existing on this territory into the “architectural forest park”.

Overview

The U-House

The Jois complex combines height with terraces, bringing the most expensive apartments from penthouses down to the bottom floors. The powerful iconic image of the U-shaped building is the result of the creative search for a new standard of living in high-rise buildings by the architects of “Genpro”.

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Black and White

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The “Snake” Mountain

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Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

The project of a small business center located near Tupolev Plaza and Radio Street proclaims the necessity of modern architecture in a specific area of Moscow commonly known as “Nemetskaya Sloboda” or “German settlement”. It substantiates its thesis with the thoroughness of details, a multitude of proposed and rejected form variants, and even a detailed description of the surrounding area. The project is interesting indeed, and it is even more interesting to see what will come of it.

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Feed ’Em All

A “House of Russian Cuisine” was designed and built by KROST Group at VDNKh for the “Rossiya” exhibition in record-breaking time. The pavilion is masterfully constructed in terms of the standards of modern public catering industry multiplied by the bustling cultural program of the exhibition, and it interprets the stylistically diverse character of VDNKh just as successfully. At the same time, much of its interior design can be traced back to the prototypes of the 1960s – so much so that even scenes from iconic Soviet movies of those years persistently come to mind.

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The Ensemble at the Mosque

OSA prepared a master plan for a district in the southern part of Derbent. The main task of the master plan is to initiate the formation of a modern comfortable environment in this city. The organization of residential areas is subordinated to the city’s spiritual center: depending on the location relative to the cathedral mosque, the houses are distinguished by façade and plastique solutions. The program also includes a “hospitality center”, administrative buildings, an educational cluster, and even an air bridge.

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Pargolovo Protestantism

A Protestant church is being built in St. Petersburg by the project of SLOI architects. One of the main features of the building is a wooden roof with 25-meter spans, which, among other things, forms the interior of the prayer hall. Also, there are other interesting details – we are telling you more about them.

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The Shape of the Inconceivable

The ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh brings to mind a famous maxim of all architects and critics: “You’ve come up with it? Now build it!” You rarely see such a selfless immersion in implementation of the project, and the formidable structural and engineering tasks set by UNK architects to themselves are presented here as an integral and important part of the architectural idea. The challenge matches the obliging status of the place – after all, it is an “exhibition of achievements”, and the pavilion is dedicated to the nuclear energy industry. Let’s take a closer look: from the outside, from the inside, and from the underside too.

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Rays of the Desert

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The Dairy Theme

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The Road to the Temple

Under a grant from the Small Towns Competition, the main street and temple area of the village of Nikolo-Berezovka near Neftekamsk has been improved. A consortium of APRELarchitects and Novaya Zemlya is turning the village into an open-air museum and integrating ruined buildings into public life.

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Towers Leaning Towards the Sun

The three towers of the residential complex “Novodanilovskaya 8” are new and the tallest neighbors of the Danilovsky Manufactory, “Fort”, and “Plaza”, complementing a whole cluster of modern buildings designed by renowned masters. At the same time, the towers are unique for this setting – they are residential, they are the tallest ones here, and they are located on a challenging site. In this article, we explore how architects Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova tackled this far-from-trivial task.

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In the spirit of ROSTA posters

The new Rostselmash tractor factory, conceptualized by ASADOV Architects, is currently being completed in Rostov-on-Don. References to the Soviet architecture of the 1920’s and 1960’s resonate with the mission and strategic importance of the enterprise, and are also in line with the client’s wish: to pay homage to Rostov’s constructivism.

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The Northern Thebaid

The central part of Ferapontovo village, adjacent to the famous monastery with frescoes by Dionisy, has been improved according to the project by APRELarchitects. Now the place offers basic services for tourists, as well as a place for the villagers’ leisure.

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Brilliant Production

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Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor

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The Color of the City, or Reflections on the Slope of an Urban Settlement

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A Single-Industry Town

Kola MMC and Nornickel are building a residential neighborhood in Monchegorsk for their future employees. It is based on a project by an international team that won the 2021 competition. The project offers a number of solutions meant to combat the main “demons” of any northern city: wind, grayness and boredom.

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A New Age Portico

At the beginning of the year, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport opened Terminal C. The large-scale and transparent entrance hall with luminous columns inside successfully combines laconism with a bright and photogenic WOW-effect. The terminal is both the new façade of the whole complex and the starting point of the planned reconstruction, upon completion of which Tolmachevo will become the largest regional airport in Russia. In this article, we are examining the building in the context of modernist prototypes of both Novosibirsk and Leningrad: like puzzle pieces, they come together to form their individual history, not devoid of curious nuances and details.

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A New Starting Point

We’ve been wanting to examine the RuArts Foundation space, designed by ATRIUM for quite a long time, and we finally got round to it. This building looks appropriate and impressive; it amazingly combines tradition – represented in our case by galleries – and innovation. In this article, we delve into details and study the building’s historical background as well.

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Molding Perspectives

Stepan Liphart introduces “schematic Art Deco” on the outskirts of Kazan – his houses are executed in green color, with a glassy “iced” finish on the facades. The main merits of the project lie in his meticulous arrangement of viewing angles – the architect is striving to create in a challenging environment the embryo of a city not only in terms of pedestrian accessibility but also in a sculptural sense. He works with silhouettes, proposing intriguing triangular terraces. The entire project is structured like a crystal, following two grids, orthogonal and diagonal. In this article, we are examining what worked, and what eventually didn’t.

​Arseniy Leonovich: “A coworking space is a universal cluster for the growth of business and exchange of ideas”.

Arseniy Leonovich: “A coworking space is a universal cluster for the growth of business and exchange of ideas”.