A bank office - just what is it about? It is a place where people work with financial documents and business papers... A room that has in it the modern office automation equipment , a dress-code place... Or, perhaps, it is more than just a faceless place for working with your clients or some abstract "public office" for the business people? So, how do you go about creating a unique design of the office interior? 

The office of "Russian Real Estate Bank" is located in the recently-renovated old building at the very heart of Moscow, not far away from the Kremlin. The architects were faced with quite a challenge: on the one hand, they were to create a really presentable, pristine and laconic office space, thus highlighting the bank's status, while, on the other hand they were to keep the comfortable and cozy "home" atmosphere that would be great to work in. 

Organizing, in a small space, all the necessary premises and territories in an efficient and tasteful way so as to accommodate the operation of an up-to-date banking structure, became an interesting creative task for the PANACOM architects. Foregoing the idea of corridor-and-cubicle planning, the architects laid their main stress on the "island" that includes the reception desks and the meeting rooms, while around this "island" they organized all the necessary zones: from the open space waiting room and the specialists' workplaces to the C.E.O's offices and - again - meeting rooms. 

Such planning technique allowed the architects to increase the magnitude of one's perception of the space and to eliminate the "stilted" solutions that come to mind every time one hears the word "office". 

Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov

The curved lines of the huge central capsule set the tone for the interior design. The semi-transparent partitions, the veneered panels and pieces of the furniture, the differently-styled domes of the ceiling lamps, and the austere and comfortable leather chairs remind one of the interior of a Mediterranean cruise liner and bring up the cinematographic images of the mid-last century. 


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov

Once inside the building, the visitor's attention is attracted by the staircase railing executed upon the detailed sketches done by the architects. The brass railing enhances the plastique of the staircase and are in fact the brightest accent standing out against the background of the textured walls finished with micro cement stucco, while the required austerity of the office is achieved at the expense of the overall ashen-golden hue that the whole interior is designed in. The warm tones of the wooden ceiling panels give the interior a stylish "solid" feel, while partitions of smoked glass and walnut veneer form the inside "content" of the island. 


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov


Interior of the bank at the Polyanka Street. Photo by Ilia Ivanov

Nothing gets in the way of the clients and the bank employees conducting their negotiations: the soft draperies will give them the opportunity to be totally left alone for solving their important tasks. 

The laconism and the keen attention to detail gave the interior a calm and confident character. As a result, we see and feel in the banking premises solidity, concentration, and comfort.