Foster + Partners has completed its first office building in Russia. Commissioned by the country's leading copper manufacturer Russian Copper Company (RCC), the tower sports an eye-catching energy efficient exterior that's inspired by the chemical structure of copper.
The RCC Headquarters is located in Yekaterinburg in Russia's Ural District and reaches a modest height of 88 m (288 ft). The building is defined by a complex facade that culminates in RCC's new logo, which was actually informed by the design of the tower. Unlike SHoP Architects' "dancing towers," its exterior isn't actually copper, and so won't patina over time, but consists of a modular structural system made up of white concrete, glazing, and bronze-effect stainless steel.
The building is slated to receive the BREEAM Excellent green building standard for its energy efficient design and during the design process Foster + Partners sought to minimize heat loss, which was a key concern since the local area can fluctuate between 30 °C to a harsh -30 °C (86 °F to -22 °F), depending on the time of year.
"Our building facade is designed to be as energy efficient 'passively' – only 50 percent of the exterior is glazed and where it's glazed we use triple glazed units for optimum thermal performance," Jeremy Kim, partner at the firm and lead on the project, tells New Atlas. "Each facade module is shaped to exclude strong summer Sun but harness warm winter Sun, and internally our fair-faced white concrete reduces the need of artificial light and as we don't apply any finishes to the building structure it reduces the amount of materials we use on the building contributing to the reduction of carbon footprint."
The interior measures 18,450 sq m (roughly 200,000 sq ft), which is spread over 15 floors, plus three basement levels. There are 123 office spaces inside, as well as a gym, sauna, meeting spaces, and a dining area. The interior layout is arranged so that offices are stacked on top of each other and situated on either side of a central hallway which offers lounge areas and views of the city.
The RCC Headquarters was originally commissioned back in 2012 and finally completed earlier this year.
Source: Foster + Partners