View From Within: A fairytale for Adults

According to the data of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), the number of office centers under construction in Moscow, is steadily growing. But the office cannot be empty. People should work in it for it to be an office. Which means that the amount of "special" people will be increasing too. And more and more time is being spent at the workplace for various reasons. For some people the amount of time they spend in the office per day is longer than the eight hours specified by the Labor Code, and this has become the norm.

The length of time employees stay at the offices has pushed some employers to the idea that it is necessary to create for workers more comfortable and harmonious conditions. According to top-managers and business owners questioned by Vedomosti, just material motivation does not work anymore in getting an employee to give his all and raise the qualifications.

The sad and monotonous grey-black-and-white of standard office interiors, according to psychologists, quite often causes not only weariness and irritation, but also the desire to leave the workplace somewhat quicker. Therefore in some companies offices are decorated unusually including the use of artificial orange fur, a sea theme, and experts from China even form the interior of an office using Feng shui.

Everything for the People

Tatiana Surikova, the art-director at the Surikova design studio thinks such efforts are not vain. She is assured an office sells a company and is some kind of internal advertising. A person who comes to a company to use their services has to understand the company's standpoint straight away. The first impression is almost always the strongest. An interior, the designer notes, should give the potential client absolute confidence that it has made the correct choice.

Igor Kutsenko, president of Orange group, says that it is exactly the idea of non-material motivation that pushed him to create a non-standard workplace. The first step was to search for original layout and architecture of a building. The company chose an old, for-a-long-time-not-working factory. he is not alone however in making such a decision. Farm House also rents floor space in he former Badayevsky beer factory. And it is necessary to note, that loft offices have recently became very popular. Tenants of such areas are not at all disturbed by class B premises. In this case the money saved from rent, as a rule, is used for the interior.

The office of the Moscow River Shipping Company (MRP) has had many things located in it in the past. Roman Trotsenko, president of MRP, says that in 1927 the area was used for the Soviet-American exhibition, and a little later was the office premises of the All-Union Construction exhibition. In the 1950s the premises was an institute of the Academy of Sciences in which nuclear engineering scientists carried out prison sentences. As a reminder this was the period when closedness was at its peak. Later in this building garage and metal workshops were placed. Therefore, continues Trotsenko, when he found drawings from 1936 after asking for archive documents a decision to recreate the building "in its original form, but in modern perusal" was made.

Taras Nechiporenko, general director of Farm House, thinks that the design of office space is dictated in most cases by the tenant, proceeding from its own tastes. he says that when the company found itself a suitable premises, it agreed with the local administration "on a certain offset of money" (about which Nechiporenko did not give any more details) and renovated the office using a local contractor according to its own sketches in industrial style. Nechiporenko calls this style modern and dynamic, and is assured that such conditions positively influence the mentality and vigor of employees. And also on visitors and counterparts of the company.

Do it Yourself

Not all companies, which prefer non-format design, involve experts in this area in their projects. For example, Igor Kutsenko says that initially they consulted a designer and even made an advance payment of $15,000 for development of the concept. But all of its ideas, says Kutsenko, unrealistically expensive, or absolutely impractical.

For example, it suggested one room to have 8-m high ceilings, to make it similar to a library. And then from cardboard create models of books in identical style "to close" all walls up to the ceiling. Clearly, continues Kutsenko, local inspection bodies would not approve such furnishings. It is 100 percent a fire hazard and directly contradicts regulations and requirements. Therefore Orange developed all of its designs independently.

There are companies that take a global approach to the creation and design of workspace. For example, several years ago Telenor Fornebu had increased in size to 40 offices scattered around Oslo. Then a decision to construct a uniform office center for employees was made. In the construction of the 140,000-sq.m complex not only architects, engineers and designers, but also psychologists were involved. The cost of this project was $50 million.

Surikova says that those who simply have no free time to spend on making creative ideas are those who consult professionals. Customers, says Surikova, usually only state their wishes or, as a last resort, criticize the details of the project if something is not pleasant to them. However their wishes can't always be realized in practice for objective reasons. For this reason it is necessary to consult experts in the field of design.

On the Moscow market, according to her, the cost of developing a project averages $30 to $70 per sq.m if the area of the premises is no more than 1,000 sq.m. If it is more then the price decreases up to $20 per sq.m. But, as a rule, in the opinion of Surikova, the cost of developing a design-project for each premises is defined individually. Not only the area is considered, but also the activity of the company, its style, the technical project from the point of view of the customer, the timeframe of the project and many other things. In designing a premises, it is necessary to take an individual approach to each separate case, she insists.

Natalia Vetlugina, assistant to the general director of New City, says that, unfortunately, such things as design, are never cheap, and seldom cost less than $1,000 per 1 sq.m. She agrees that in choosing a design it is necessary to consider the activities of the company. However, she adds that it is also important to consider the level of clients. In fact it is their impression that will directly affect the success of the company.

One of the conditions when choosing a premises for offices at New City and stipulated in the rental agreement, is the possibility to create the internal lay-out and interior according to the wishes of the tenant. The owners have not skimped on the new layout, design and all painting and decorating. In the design of one office, New City used Chinese specialists in Feng shui.

It also renders similar services to clients of the company who ask about it.

Vladimir Zhuravlyov, director of the department for commercial real estate and investments at NAI Russia says that 90 percent of non-standard premises belong to small design companies or PR agencies. Mainly, he says, these are premises that measure 400-500 sq.m with a small amount of employees. One media agency, Zhuravlyov recollects, paid $200,000 for the development of a project and renovation of a premises in a business center in Riga. However he does not consider such a sum as indicative.

In other case, Zhuravlyov says, the owner of a multipurpose industrial-office complex wanted to create within the territory a separately standing private residence with all conveniences. An office cottage measuring 1,300 sq.m with a bedroom, sauna, billiards, etc, cost $10 million. And other market participants say that designing a premises with the help of designers and architects costs in the range of $200 to 1,500 euros per 1 sq.m.

Stanislav Biryulin, head of the management of projects department at CB Richard Ellis/Noble Gibbons, assures that a long time ago the design was limited to the furniture and finishing of a premises. "It used to be that that u work on the premises u can get," says Biryulin. "Unfortunately in our days we didn't go far from that!" In fact in business centers everything is regulated by the owners, not the tenants.

He says that there is "design control zone." So if you look in from the street everything should look similar: fixtures, curtains, etc. Also in 99 percent of office centers, in his opinion, there are restrictions on painting walls and other details of the interior. Such restrictions are established by the builder. And also the main architect of the project has the right to establish regulations and to adjust everything, including furnishings. Therefore the builder usually defines 70-80 percent of the interior. In this case the most a tenant will be able to do, is choose the shade of the paint for the walls, but not the color.

Things are much better with people who own their own premises. Then, the expert says, the unique restrictions become standard and the technical requirements of a premises become similar. The work of designers Biryulin estimates to cost from $20 up to 200 euros per sq.m. Such a variation in prices depends on the designer.

Surprisingly Near

As already mentioned, the biggest role in the design of interiors is the activity of the company, and also the taste preferences of the tenant. MRP's office is designed in sea style. From the walls sharks in mosaic look at visitors. Trotsenko explains, that the ideas personified in the building are a vivid example of "Soviet constructivism." The effect of "one and a half" floors is presented: the second floor of the office is smaller than the first. The remaining space is used for verandas, which it is possible to maintain all year round. They are located above the right and left wings of the building.

The first floor was specially thought out for the harmonious collective of employees, says Trotsenko, and the second is for the management. Wall sculptures remain from the 1930s. Visitors meet workers and collective farmers and inside employees look at Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. The layout of the main room on the first floor has no corridor system, i.e. the doors of offices lead directly into the main room.

The walls are painted a soft peach color and the metal color of the floor, doors and windows forces you not to relax, assures Trotsenko. Also the heating radiators from Soviet times have been kept. They are left where they were, only now are painted in a metal color. And the sensation of open space is created by different height ceilings.

A manual press and an iron ladder from the 1930s also remain in the reception on the second floor. To give color in the toilets additional pipes and manometers have been placed. The sensation of mystery is created by a laboratory flask filled with bubbly pale orange contents.

At Orange the interior is partially influenced by the ancient architecture of the building. In fact, according to Kutsenko, the architecture allows them to do "fantastic things." The majority of employees sit in a mansard floor, which has 8-m ceilings. This has allowed to make a second floor. When the style was developed, says Kutsenko, open space and coziness were what they wanted. Also reflected in the interior is Kutsenko's passion to travel and for cruises. There is a captain's bridge raised on a podium and illuminated from within.

There is brickwork with a 150-year history, huge extraction pipes, factory machinery in the wall and narrow steep stairs. And on the ceiling where the accounts department of the company is located, says Kutsenko, there is a 3-m diameter fan, where there was once a blast furnace. There are white and terracotta rooms, and the two-level office of the president of the company is decorated in colonial style. The conference room is worth mentioning separately, the ceiling and walls are covered in artificial orange fur. The floor of the conference room is made of Ural marble with a "sugar" effect. the tables and chairs are transparent, and there is a transparent wall through which it is visible to see reception. Visitors entering via reception, see a wall made of onyx.

Instead of lights windows in the roof through which you can see the sky provide light during the daytime, and closer to dusk lights suspended at different heights, and small adjustable spotlights add a matte tone. "Your future is Orange," an orange flag on the brick wall states. There is a room in which the walls are covered in graffiti. It would seem that the color orange as a result of the company's name should be the core design concept. But except for the conference room and the flag it is only used in the desktop accessories of employees.

Zhuravlyov says that when the premises for the media were being chosen agency one of the conditions was the obligatory presence of a 2-storey room. A relaxation zone with a huge glass table and padded stools piled around was established. Workplaces are located on the second floor of the room. Two metal spiral staircases leading to the work zone have added atmosphere. The idea of the design, Zhuravlyov says, was the woman who is the head of the agency. In his opinion, such conditions are as favorable as possible for creative work and are an original signature of the company personifying a non-standard approach to rendered services. Olesya Koshkina, head of the press service of Miele, says that an office first of all should be convenient for people coming to the company. Also it is impossible to forget about ethics and comfort. Vedomosti respondents all agree. They share the opinion that non-standard conditions in no way disturbs the work of employees. And, on the contrary, there is a certain harmony. In non-standard conditions employee feels themselves "not absolutely at the office" so, so it is more likely they are not pushed to work. Such conditions help to build a working schedule that is as effective as possible, those who work in such interiors unanimously say. And in the opinion of visitors of such offices, they will never forget where they were. In fact the standard and identical style leave only a greasy general picture in their memory. Non-format style means it will be remembered brightly and most likely will incline them to return.

But it is necessary to remember that to everything there should be a reasonable approach. Vetlugina recollects an amusing situation. A friend of hers, an owner of a travel agency, was not doing any business. And then a Feng shui expert working in New city, told her what was preventing her from making a profit. There were some aquariums with small fishes and for good business dealing and money earning the quantity of fishes and their color was wrong.

According to Feng shui there should be a certain quantity of fishes and a certain number of black fishes and gold ones in one aquarium. After that, Vetlugina says, work in the agency was halted for more than a day. All personnel caught and recalculated the fishes in the aquariums, and then put them back them according to the recommendations of the expert. "And you try to catch and count all over again, and then its necessary to put them all back," she concludes.