Designs for the headquarters of Russian company RMK, one of the world’s leading producers of copper, were released last Tuesday by British architecture firm Foster + Partners.
The plan for the building in Yekaterinburg is to rethink the conventional cellular office and tailor it to how RMK operates. The interiors consist of more intimate, domestic scaled workspaces instead of the currently popular large open space.
The façade, made up of triple-glazing and triangular bronze-colored steel panels, will appear to be subtly changing according to the season and path of the sun.
In anticipation of the city’s dramatic temperature shifts between seasons, the solid and glazed areas are designed to maximize the scarce winter sun while blocking the heat of direct sunlight during the summer.
The firm designed both the architecture and interior elements using warm, tactile materials in palettes of wood, stone, and textiles in natural tones.
"This is a great example of our integrated approach," said Luke Fox, Executive Partner at Foster + Partners. "Our architects and our in-house specialists disciplines have worked closely together as a single team to create a truly integrated solution that is both perfectly tailored to RMK’s needs, and provides a powerful new symbol for their organization."
Related Stories
| Apr 11, 2013
AIA selects recipients of its 2013 Small Project Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected the ten recipients of the 2013 Small Project Awards. The AIA Small Project Awards Program, now in its tenth year, was established to recognize small-project practitioners for the high quality of their work and to promote excellence in small-project design.
| Apr 11, 2013
Hal Henderson Appointed to HGA Board of Directors
HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) has appointed Hal Henderson, AIA, to its Board of Directors for 2013. Henderson is vice president and director of the firm’s Rochester office.
| Apr 11, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center achieves LEED Platinum certification
The George W. Bush Presidential Center announced today it has earned Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The Bush Center is the first presidential library to achieve LEED Platinum certification under New Construction.
| Apr 11, 2013
American Folk Art Museum, opened in 2001, to be demolished
Just 12 years old, the museum designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien will be taken down to make way for MoMA expansion.
| Apr 10, 2013
First look: University at Buffalo's downtown medical school by HOK
The University at Buffalo (UB) has unveiled HOK's dramatic design for its new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
