foster + partners' first project in russia opens as a celebration of copper

foster + partners presents its newly opened RCC headquarters, the team’s first project in russia. sited in ekaterinburg, the office tower reimagines the conventional cellular office to set new standards in quality, comfort and flexibility. rising 15-stories, the building is marked by its energy efficient enclosure which wraps a collection of innovative modular office units — the project introduces a new and distinctive icon for the fabric of its urban context.

images courtesy of foster + partners

foster + partners wraps its RCC headquarters in russia with a faceted copper facade. this distinctive element celebrates the russian copper company‘s expertise as one of the world’s leading producers of copper. the building’s triangulated language draws inspiration from the crystal lattice structure of copper while the crown of the building integrates RCC’s new logo, a rebranding which has, in turn, been inspired by the architecture. in developing the tower, the design team turned away from the conventional large, communal workspace organization, seeking instead to reinvent the headquarters as a ‘house for staff.’

as a house for staff, foster + partners’ RCC headquarters in russia hosts rooms organized at a more intimate, domestic scale. the practice’s workplace consultancy group analyzed the client’s operations and helped to devise the innovative modular system for these rooms. this was then developed with the in-house engineering teams to enable rapid construction and ensure ideal levels of natural daylight for concentrated work. each two-story module comprises a pair of offices, stacked one on top of the other — this is expressed externally through the double-store cladding module.

luke fox, head of studio, foster + partners comments: ‘our first completed building in russia, the new headquarters for RCC exemplifies the practice’s commitment to innovation and marks the culmination of a long and fruitful process. throughout the process we aimed to maintain exceptional quality of construction in the face of very challenging conditions.’