OMK Corporate University

The town of Vyska in Russia is one of the oldest centres of the metallurgical industry in Russia. At the Corporate University, all OMK employees will be able to improve their profes­sional skills and develop promising competencies to cre­ate new technologies, innovative products and implement large-scale company development projects.

OMK Corporate University was designed to create an in­novative educational environment that shapes effective spe­cialists in the metallurgical industry. The design will encompass the surrounding area and cre­ate a variety of public spaces. This solution forms a sty­listically unified urban area. The unique location, historical context, as well as the close proximity to en­terprise quarters, gives this area huge potential. The campus will become a catalyst for urban activity, an iconic place, without losing the atmosphere of learning, solitude and unity with nature.

The landscape design is represented by three different zones. All smoothly flow into one another, creating a single and holistic concept. The unify­ing feature is the hilly nature of the landscape, running throughout all zones. We envisage the possibility of using the public spac­es that feature in all buildings within the facility. This will aid the teaching methodology, which follows a continuous communicative process that forms the ability to work in a group, find non-standard solutions and track the effectiveness of one’s own decisions. Thus, in the warm season, classes can be held outdoors.
 

High retaining walls can be used as benches, while low retaining walls serve as landscape framing. The differentiation of heights also allows you to create an extraordinary hilly landscape. The mounds, in combination with a variety of plants and trees, create a unique atmosphere of seclusion and visually separate the campus area from the surround­ing buildings.

The building will combine several functional areas: educa­tional, administrative, business, and public. The Corporate University concept is based on the values of openness, ac­cessibility, and transparency. In this regard, the University is considered not only as an educa­tional centre, but also as a public urban space.The concept of the University is the functionality of a univer­sal space open to view from the outside - an extroverted build­ing inviting visitors to look inside. 

Through the structure of the building, a fascinating pattern of light and shadows will be created in the internal space. Extended structural slabs along the facade will connect the inside and outside space. In order to enhance this openness and transparency, a large amount of louvres, a steel grid ceiling and glazed partitions are applied to the interior. The atrium is designed as a most important space to present activities and hold events. The natural light from the skylights above the atrium defines the atmosphere of the interior. Through this space, the 4 main zones are clearly connected to the central circulation area by internal streets.