Moscow, Russia
The standout piece in this large office space in Moscow’s financial district, designed for large-scale potash supplier Uralkali, was inspired by the company’s own potash mines, where the striking pattern of its alternating layers of dark grey to deep bright red is abundantly evident. The concept was developed to showcase the raw material’s natural beauty, creating a powerful image directly connected to the company’s own production.
Despite its aesthetic qualities however, potash proved to be a difficult material to apply in an architecture context due to its frailty, which severely limits the size of the pieces it can be cut into. In order to account for these limitations, and grant the space a lighter and less formal appearance, relatively small pieces of potash were carefully hung by steel cables, forming a patterned surface that acts as both a backdrop for the reception area and a visual filter for the corridors around it. White surfaces and counters, simple furniture and discrete continuous lighting through a self-illuminated ceiling complete the space without drawing focus from these filters, which ultimately define the space’s image.
Client Uralkali
Date 2014 - 2016
Construction Area 3.300m2
