The architects at IND designed a strikingly charismatic space for the Natsproektstroy holding, a company that is engaged in the design, construction, and maintenance of road, rail, energy, and even port infrastructure. Looking at the office, one gets the feeling that Russia’s age-old problem of poor-quality roads has finally been successfully solved, and that across the vast expanse of the world’s largest country high-speed trains and self-driving supercars now race forward, leaving behind only luminous reddish-orange trails of headlights and taillights. Perhaps this image is still far from reality, but it was precisely this vision that the architects used in shaping the interiors for a company whose employees work every day to bring this dream closer to life.



A special effect familiar to photo and video enthusiasts – long-exposure night shots that turn moving cars and other light sources into beautifully glowing ribbons – was translated into design language as a light fixture that cuts through the main public zones of the office. The whole picture is reminiscent of catching lightning. Everyone thought catching lightning to be impossible, until the plasma globe (the so-called Tesla ball) appeared – and today anyone can place a captured bolt of lightning on their bedside table.

Julia Parfenova, Head of the Interior Department at IND

The concept is based on the image of perpetual motion – a luminous path of lights installed along the transport arteries. The glowing motif runs through the ground floor of the building, forming the visual centerpiece of the interior and contrasting with the dark core of the office space. We placed our bet on a unique image realized through a lighting concept, and it paid off. The romantic image was inspired by the lights accompanying travelers along the road. It materialized as a fixture with orange glow encircling the building’s core.

In terms of form-making and the active use of curvilinear shapes, we drew not only on the plasticity of road bends but also on the building’s original architecture, which is elliptical in plan. The intrusion of rigid orthogonal forms into such architecture would have looked disharmonious and out of place.

Julia Parfenova, Head of the Interior Department at IND

In the layout of the office floors, we followed our core principles, combining cluster-type open spaces with more compact and private work blocks. Closer to the building’s inner core, we placed meeting rooms designed for different numbers of participants, lounge areas, and café zones with open kitchens, which can be used both for casual meals during the workday and for festive in-house events. During working hours, the coffee zones are suitable for conversations with colleagues as well as for independent work at the bar counter. In designing the office, we aimed for functional flexibility of spaces and provided suspended ceiling structures that can later be used to create additional enclosed rooms.