Yandex Office II in Saint Petersburg by Za Bor Architects

Second offspring of collaboration of the largest Russian search engine called Yandex and Moscow-based studio Za Bor Architects is truly one remarkable place. The new Yandex II offices in Benois business centre in St. Petersburg include unusual objects based on familiar icons of the Yandex search engine, which have grown into massive 3D objects. For example, the reception desk greets visitors with a huge ‘search’ button.

The biggest challenge for the architects was the space itself. It is based on a 200m long corridor acting as asix along which the offices are placed. As you walk along the corridor, playful placement of pixelated search engine items creates the atmosphere of elation and gives you the feeling of being inside the search engine. There you will find, among numerous other familiar things, the huge @ sign, big play button, large login space, huge, instantly recognizable yellow arrow that serves as the unofficial Yandex logo and is a big part of the web site and even the Pacman logo. Even the printing station has its visual role, as it is placed behind a big clock.

The offices are also cleverly designed to serve as unique and engaging workplaces. For example, the Space Age conference room by no means resembles conventional conference rooms that are usually boxes with no character whatsoever. Clever use of spiral elements at certain places serves as an amazing visual feature, but also clearly separates the communication zone from the corridor.