Post-Soviet concrete, with a twist | Kovalska, Kiev

The offices of Kovalska has been reimagined by two Ukrainian architects, Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak.The gigantic mosaic covering the facade is a dominant element of the factory and office building located in the industrial district of Kiev.

Kovalska is the largest construction materials company in Ukraine: the concrete manufactured by the company was used for approx. 60% of the buildings of the Ukrainian capital. The iconic building located in Obolon district is really something on its own already, it’s enough to think of the monumental mosaic and the office furnishing from the Soviet era. Behind the facade inhabited by hard-working Soviet working men and women proudly overachieving the target, the interiors were refreshed in a contemporary spirit, but always in line with the ethos of the company and the building, on approx. 1120 square meters.

Lera Brumina and Artem Trigubchak themselves are great fans of Soviet architecture, this is why they wanted to design an office space that is practical and comfortable at the same time, while still respecting the original structure of the building. In terms of choice of materials, the designers obviously used the materials of Kovalska most of the time: in the reception area, for example, visitors face raw concrete slabs, and the benches and tables are all made of paving stones. The architects also used sand and marble chips for creating the finish on some of the walls. The burgundy-colored terrazzo tiles used throughout the lower floor, developed by the company especially for this project, serve as a quite spectacular element of the building.