Who said corporate lobbies need to be clinically boring or prosaically grandiose? Case in point the new lobby that interior design practice AKZ Architectura have designed for the UNIT.City business park in Kyiv. Developed by property developer KOVALSKA, UNIT.City aspires to become the country’s leading innovation hub bringing together technology companies, startups, talents and research laboratories. The team drew inspiration from the project’s forward-looking mission, imbuing the design of the lobby of UNIT.B06, one of the two campuses in the business park, with a futuristic aura by boldly combining a nature-inspired design language with an industrial material palette and minimalist aesthetic. Characterised by undulating forms, sculptural volumes and contrasting textures, the space organically unfolds, guiding visitors across a landscape setting of airy lightness, gleaming reflections and verdant pops of colour.
Strategically zoned after modelling the flow of people and marking the busiest spots, the open-plan space features a lounge area, astutely located next to the floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of the plentiful natural light, a communal area centred on a discussion table, a mailbox area and an elevator lobby. An undulating wall of mirror-polished stainless-steel stretching along one side of the lobby both spatially and visually ties everything together. Prominent and striking, the mirrored wall imbues the space with a sense of infinity as well as produces playful lighting effects throughout the day.