Interviews with Mikhail Kalesnikau

The main idea was to provide some unfamiliar environment influenced by science fiction movies. The base element for this design was hexagon – symbol of virtual reality.

We want to create a futuristic atmosphere of the video game.

This design is quite specific. As this amusement club is first in a network business, we expect to proceed with this interior idea for new locations.

We had only two weeks to create the concept. Than, in one month we provided presentation and renderings for the investor. 5 month later the club was opened for customers.

In the conversation with the client, after we was told about the purpose of this club, we considered about some video game atmosphere. A new film adaptation of the film "Tron" is still on the top. The idea to use the film, and the 2010 film adaptation, as inspiration arose spontaneously during a meeting with the customer, and at the same time was approved by the client and his marketing team.

This design will be produced by us. We don’t have any plans to sell it.

It may seem a little ambitious, but we always want to create some new reality, a new environment, a new lifespace. Not something abstract, but something visibility and tangible.

There were no external influence of other designers, this design was done by our experience.

During the day, the main visitors are families with children. In the evening, teenagers and IT specialists come to the club. Corporate events are very popular there. As the client told us, even the crown Prince from the United Arab Emirates visited this club, he was impressed and spent several days there.

There are not so much similar concepts existing, but the solution quality (and the built quality as well) is the first major advantage by our opinion.

Since it was interior for the commercial amusement park we don’t have some specified name for this and it's called Vr club. And original brand name and logo “Teleport” was creation of the famous belorussian designer Vladimir Tsesler.

CAD and 3D software, paper and color markers 

Definitely it is a bar desk with “wings”.

It was the most difficult part of the job, in particular, for the production of the bar desk, 5 manufacturers were needed. All of them had to give the correct instructions, so that all the details would form a single structure, and even with the technological equipment and engineering networks inside. Also, a big part of this design was our work with the electrician engineer, so that all ideas with lights were implemented correctly. Our constant presence at the site and complete detailed drawings were the key to success.

The design is mostly based on modern lighting technology. Dymamic LED lighting and modern wireless control units provided wide range of color schemes for this design.

This construction was not the result of any analytical research. The ideas and planning were based on our and the client's experience. Virtual reality is a completely new story for our region, we were to study what types of materials can be used in the immediate vicinity of the motion capture cameras of VR Polygon, will not interfere with the lighting, glare from glazing and so on.

We had a lot of issues with combining and synchronizing lighting. Power and color characteristics of LEDs, all this wiring and hidden units. It was really hard to manage and to receive the result that suits to our and client’s expectations.

We were advised by our colleagues from UK. Like this award is a highly respected competition in the world.

Now we are convinced, that our idea could be realized, we have enough skills and experience to make our design happen. Previously, we often rejected ideas without even showing them to the customer, because we thought the design was too complex or too expensive, fearing that the ideas will not be implemented, or worse, will be simplified to an unacceptable form. So tight schedule for this design just didn’t let us to have some doubts or to find any compromise or simplification.

We would like to note that such a successful situation is extremely rare in our practice. When the customer fully trusts the designer and relies on their experience, allowing the project to be completed without compromise.

Maryna: At the age of 11, a drawing teacher noticed my abilities and suggested that I enroll in a specialized school with a focus on art and design, where she had previously taught. I was accepted after my first drawing exam. At the same time, after consulting with your family, decide on your future specialty – architect. 3 years later, she entered the College of architecture and construction. After graduating in 2006, I went to work in a small private design Studio through friends. I also decided to continue my studies remotely, studying for 6 years as a civil engineer. In 2012, I was able to fulfill my own order – it was a private residential building of 300 m2. In 2016, to receive a large order-interior design of a public area of a shopping center in Minsk, which was later awarded the "national award for the best interior". Working at such a large facility and workshop at the same time was no longer possible, so I started working for myself.

Mikhail: By the time I graduated from high school, the question was who I wanted to be. I decided that design and architecture are the closest thing to me, since I like to draw and create environments. I took two months of individual drawing classes and eventually enrolled in an architectural College. Since my mother is an engineer, I have seen and understood what awaits me in this profession since childhood. After College, I was invited to work as an architect in a design organization where I did an internship while studying in College. I worked there for 6 years and gained very useful knowledge and experience. After that, I was lucky to get into a foreign design and construction company as a leading architect. There I participated in major projects, including the chief architect (not the author of the concept) of the project of the football stadium in Borisov, later this stadium entered the world top 10 in 2014. Then I was the chief architect of a large shopping center with the hotel "Green City" in Minsk. Working on such large objects, I had to look at and evaluate dozens of projects of tenants, sometimes helping them with design.

We are always inventing and seeking for better and nicer way to make something. Most likely it comes from our nature.

It was our decision for each of us.

Interiors and furniture. We prefer to design offices and worksapces, it's really intresting to find out and then to create a comfortable office for different types of companies.

Practice, the only way to become a good designer is to create more. Then to look after the result of your work learn.

Great designer was more lucky. He had his right moment to become the great.

Good design has a certain naturalness in all areas. It's as if nature itself created this, when you see this solution, there are no other options left.

A good design will always return the money invested in it.

Games and cat houses.

The underwater hotel.

There are no secretes. The talent and maybe some luck.

Santiago Calatrava, Le Corbusier.

There are so much good designs this time. It's really hard to choose and name. You can just check the list of A'design winners this year.

Naturalness. The feeling it's done like should be.

Our way is to be on site more. It's better to see your own eyes how this thing working, what solution is easier to produce, were you can improve some materials or use some new technology.

Artist or scuplture is the alternative way for us.

Functionality that is pleasant to the human perception.

The design Director of a leading construction company in Belarus, Dainius Purvis, once ventured to hire me as a very young architect for a large project and gave me a shot at a large design.

Fluke. But luck comes to those who are ready to catch it.

The end of the construction boom in our country, which coincided with the global economic crisis. Many colleagues left the profession at this time.

In a form that the client can understand.

Absolutely top interior for some big international company headquarter. We wish.

We like what we are doing, so the main goal to see how our design is "working properly" through the time.

There completely different expectations from the architect or the designer. You never know, so you are to do the best every time.

Nice look and nice feel creates nice mood. We have great experience, when in the vandal region we built modern sport arena and no one spoils it during mid season, completely no one. It was a bid surprise for local guards, so good design made someone better.

Some office design and new shopping mall design. We excited to use some new technology with metal surfaces, to have some new modern look without high budget.

Hard to choose, really.

Improve the design level. Now, the customer often thinks that the design is just a picture.

Integration of different branches of the design.

At least one month, but it depends.

We start from exploring the site and nearby landscape.

"Need to think about it more, it might be better solution"

In architecture nowadays the technologies are setting the trend.

In the design process - minor, PC is an extension of your pencil mostly.

CAD and 3D software to create nice picture for the client and detailed drawings for the contractor.

Color creates the mood.

How could we do it?

We are to explore this.

We are a couple either for life or for the design.

After graduation, by chance, we became assistants to a famous elderly architect with vision damage. Vladimir Plyusnin taught us for 8 years. Undoubtedly, this school will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

Maryna: When I was 8 years old, my father was given a book about castles and fortresses in Britain with high-quality photos. At first I looked at them, then I began to draw pictures of Romanesque and Gothic architectural monuments. There was a desire for a profession.

Mikhail: great soviet book about the drawing and posters, it was a full guide how can you learn to draw and how to become an artist.

To go deeper in details with every next design.

We have a big list of great architects. It would be so cool to speak with them and to learn as much.

We are not so famous by far. But time to time people are just come to say Hi and it's cool.

Season - autumn.

It's so fun to look after workers on site when they asking how was that smart guy invented this thing, like it's not possible to build. And then You can explain them in minutes what it what.

Sport activity helps us a lot in motivation.

Maybe for our parents. But it's hard to tell now.

No one knows. Hope that good design and good architecture will last so long.

It's the most interesting job in the world, but you should realize that you can't quit this. It will stay with you for all your life.

Maryna: I was born with pronounced abilities. Other children ran along the street, and I loved to sew and draw and sculpt. At the age of 13, I completely decided on the profession of an architect and entered a specialized school with special training in the field of art and design. At 16, I went to Architecture College.

Mikhail: since childhood, I loved to draw, and my classes in the children's Studio of technical creativity gave me an understanding of working with materials. So I chose architecture as a combination of creativity and function. And I love it.

We are independent designers with an extensive network of partners. This allows us to offer the customer flexible terms of cooperation. We can work directly with the customer as independent specialists. We can offer cooperation with design and construction organizations and perform turnkey projects with design, engineering and construction solutions. Under any conditions of cooperation, we accompany the object up to the opening.

Lifestyle. New ideas and thoughts constantly.

Objects that are not similar in purpose to the previous ones. Even better, what no one has done before.

VR club so far.

We started with private homes. And at the same time, we worked as hired architects in design organizations, where we were engaged in civil and industrial objects.

Glass. It can be anything, a facade, partition, furniture, lighting.

10 p.m. to 1 a.m. is the most productive time. No one and nothing disturbing you at this time of the day.

On the movement of people, on what trajectory they will move and what they will see and feel moving along it.

Not so much emotions to be honest. Our way is to imagine this design like it’s already build and work to make it as clean and natural as possible. Impression should match to the purpose of the design.

Joy. It is very nice to see the finished work and hear customer feedback. And then we start thinking what could have been done better. After all, you can do better always and endlessly.

No compromises, no complexity, and maximum attention to the customer.

Functionality and originality, the lack of superfluous complexity.

In the Soviet school of architecture, there was a concept of "social request". We are taught from the first courses to think about what society needs. Saving resources, saving the budget, certainly using the right materials in terms of ecology and durability. The designer must understand the environment and use cases of their design.

In the modern world, good design is a necessity and it's great. You always need to attract professionals, both in design and in other areas of life. The world has long understood this and felt all the advantages. In Belarus, the design market is also steadily growing, everything "new" is now simply required to have a good design.

We exhibited at the Moscow house of the architect interior design week in autumn 2019. We plan to participate this year as well.

From any thing and shape around you can make a design. You just look for it in the space around you. And of course in the history of architecture, in nature.

In the first place, of course, the function. The object's ownership must be obvious to the requester. Our style-the result should be such as to become the style of the customer, if it was not there before. Our customers should feel this design is very natural to them.

We have a very good architectural heritage, the city was almost completely destroyed during the WWII and its restoration was approached with the maximum degree of care and professionalism. This is visible to all guests and it certainly affects us a lot. Therefore, the requirements for an architect in our city are very high. The architect must understand engineering, materials, structures, legislation, and take into account the construction procedure.

We integrate into the team and strive for a common goal.

To get the most out of the design, you need to do your homework and then tell us in the most complete and detailed way about your expectations and the desired result.

To roughly understand the level of the designer, you need to compare the project of a previously built object with its implementation. If the project and reality match, the designer is probably a good one. The next level of comparison is how much the object has changed over time, whether everything has tripled in this work of the customer.

The process is not really unique. We start from the conversation with the client, to find out what should we have as the result, some preferences in style and materials. Then the most hard and energy consuming stage of creating a concept and negotiation with the client. Lots of intresting but not realistic ideas was cut on that stage, because we are always trying to critisize each other, to fing all complications and drawback in the idea on next stages. Also the image creation (rendering) is a big and important part of this stage. Local clients prefer to have high quality images to understand our idea on paper, way before it could be build. Final stage of the design it’s a detailed drawings. More attention to details – safer your idea will be in the hand of contractor, higher a chance to get perfect result. And the pleasant stage of this job – following to contractor on site. Here we can slightly fix or improve our design.

As for architects - five items it almost all that we have at home ;)

To minimize the routine is a goal for every day. So regularly we have some meetings with the client in a first part of the day, than we can explore what new on site, ask for feedback from this client if he’s happy or we need to change or improve something. And the evening is a good time to create new concept, to think about new idea. If we need to work on drawing it will be done late evening or even at night. Because it’s the most quite time of the day when you can focus 100%.

We are not really old, but for who are younger we can only suggest to take any opportunity in their life. To be close to the client and to the site. To see and understand how this process looking from the client’s point of view It will be the fastest and the most effective way to grow as a professional.

We should say, that it’s so adorable feeling to create something new. To be useful, to suit all client’s expectation and to exceed it. Negative moments are professional deformation and criticizing of everything around. As a professional you can notice even tiny defects, all this not crucial dents and scratches in the design, that could stay hidden for a regular customer.

Search for a clear shape and repeat its outlines through the entire design.

Ability to hear and ability to explain. The ability to cast aside preconceptions and look at everything out of the box.

The most important thing is paper and pen. The designer must be able to draw, be able to show his idea to others. All these programs and digital technologies are just an addition to the good old paper.

In this case, the main thing is to start. And can not just stop creating, new ideas are coming even if you working with some other things.

It depends of the object. But definitely not faster than one month, because our work adds time to coordinate with the customer, he also needs to understand and feel everything.

“What will I get for my money? (why it is so expensive)”

We were working in as a client on different big sites. It’s really important to understand what is to be a client, this experience helped us many times in our job.

Founder of a newly created business, Director of development of an existing business. Foreign companies opening their branch in our country. We try to look for complex and large tasks.

Reconstructions. They are more often, oddly enough, more original than new construction, and the tasks to be solved are more complex, which means that they are more interesting.

Like for the rest of the world – to survive during this virus situation. Thankfully we have few designs in progress.

We develop the design in constant communication with other participants in the design and construction process. The design team gathers for each object individually, depending on the needs. In our business, you need to try to know all aspects of the work, but at a high level it is better to bring highly specialized specialists, for example, for the development of engineering systems.

We just finished the design of the local residence of international designing company “SoyuzNefteHimProekt”. Now the site will start and we are to be involved. It’s a big Russian company and the idea of this residence – to provide the ground for international meeting on the very high level of CEO’s.

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