News

—09.10.2023
In the Obydensky No. 1 club house, dismantling work has been completed with preserving the historical part

The developer Sminex-Inteko has completed the required amount of dismantling work and is strengthening the foundations for new construction.

—06.10.2023
Fashion department store Hi-Light opened in Ekaterinburg

Blank Architects completed the interior of a new fashionable place

—26.09.2023
Blank Architects on the real estate forum "Zhiloy Kvadrat"

Integrated development of territories: how high-quality infrastructure of low-rise residential complexes becomes a tool for increasing demand

—12.09.2023
Architecton forum 2023

On September 13, a discussion platform will begin its work in St. Petersburg, two discussions will be held with our participation


The buildings' lobby of the residential complex "Metropolia" are completed

In the second stage of the Metropolia business class residential complex, the developer MR Group has completed the interiors of the lobby and public spaces. Blank Architects are the authors of the design projects for the lobby of the Venice, St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Vienna buildings. The interiors designed for the residential complex were shortlisted for the 100+ awards for Best Interior Design.

—05.09.2023
Visiting VTB Arena

Blank Architects visited the VTB Arena, which includes the central Dynamo stadium. Blank Architects is the authors of project's working documentation. For Blank Architects, this is one of the key projects that the team has been working on for over 5 years.

—24.08.2023
Multifunctional retail complex Hollywood

The complex has already been acclaimed as the most expectable project in its segment: its opening is scheduled for the next year.

—21.08.2023
Moscow Urban Forum 2023

Dane Kljakovic, Head of Structural Design Department, Blank Architects will take part in the business program of the forum

—07.08.2023
The interiors of the residential complex "Metropolia" were shortlisted for the 100+ Awards

The project participates in the nomination "Best interior design - public space"

—01.08.2023
Blank Architects in the top 30 most successful architectural firms according to Forbes

The ranking "Top 30 most successful architectural bureaus" was prepared by Forbes based on financial data, professional recognition and expert opinion.

—10.04.2023
Blank Architects project in Tuapse district is nominated for Urban Awards 2023

Blank Architects project in Tuapse district is nominated for Urban Awards 2023

—10.02.2023
Rizhskaya metro station opened

Metro station Rizhskaya (Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line) was opened

—11.12.2022
Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning of Moscow approved the concept of a new club house Sminex-Inteko "Obydensky 1"

Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning of Moscow approved the concept of a new club house Sminex-Inteko "Obydensky 1"

—10.10.2022
Discovery Shopping Center becames the best mall on Arendator Awards 2022!

The project won a prestigious commercial real estate award.

—26.09.2022
Department stores

A department store in a shopping center is a whole world with the architecture based on its own canons.

—15.09.2022
Building of GEOLOG

Construction of the GEOLOG business center by Hutton Development is in progress on Obrucheva St. in Moscow.

—09.09.2022
The decoration of the "Rizhskaya" is 80% completed

Works on the architectural decoration of the Rizhskaya metro station in Moscow have been completed by 80%.

—20.07.2022
The St. Petersburg office of Blank Architects is working on HOLLYWOOD Shopping Center

This year St. Petersburg is waiting for one new shopping center - HOLLYWOOD, the architecture and interiors of which were created by Blank Architects team.

—19.07.2022
Shopping center "Vesna" renovation has been completed

The renovation of the shopping center "Vesna!" located on the Altufyevsky Highway has been completed according to our project: it includes the renovation of public spaces and food court.

—15.07.2022
New 4* hotel in Magadan in details

We found the architectural solution for the new 4* hotel project in Magadan in the harsh northern landscape – with its powerful rock breaks and stunning large-scale views.

—11.07.2022
Hotel in Agoy – new video about the project

The hotel complex in the Agoy Village of Tuapse district is one of our new, but already favorite projects.


Blank Architects strengthens the team

We invites chief, leading and landscape architects, and visualizer.

—27.06.2022
Discovery: grand opening

Discovery shopping center by developer MR Group has been opened in Moscow. The project became the first opened shopping center in the city since the beginning of 2022.

—14.06.2022
Blank Architects won at ArchMoscow

The Blank Architects team took part in the exhibition ArchMoscow 2022 — the main event of the architectural world, annually bringing together hundreds of professionals and experts.

— 01.06.2021
An interview with Yulia Zavarayeva

An interview with Yulia Zavarayeva, Head of the Branding and Wayfinding Department at Blank Architects, - about the department's new projects and tasks

- Tell about the tasks of the new department. Why is there a need to develop such a practice in the bureau?

Many developers, when ordering the architectural project, probably know at what stage they will need solutions for facades and interiors, but they do not always have an idea of when it would be worth starting work on the wayfinding and branding. Meanwhile, this is especially important for large-scale commercial projects to implement solutions in wayfinding and branding already at the architecture development stage. So the architects understand what they need to build on in design and style, especially when it is necessary to implement the visual elements of the brand in the design of space. The best is when branding, wayfinding, facades, landscaping and interiors are creating at the same time. Therefore, for Blank Architects, the creation of a new department is a logical step in developing its own expertise in working on projects in complex.

- Where do developers usually find a branding service and why should the approaches to branding and wayfinding be combined?

Wayfinding as part of the internal environment of an object occurs during the development of an architecture project. Sometimes customers request it from individual companies or freelancers, but there are still a few of them in Russia, and worldwide companies are barely presented in the local market. The creation of the object's brand can be ordered in a multidisciplinary branding agency, but the development of wayfinding should still be handled by other specialists. Therefore, the idea of providing a comprehensive service for the development of the brand of the object and wayfinding within the architectural bureau is a unique service with a synergistic approach that will create uniformity in the perception of the project by the end user at all layers. Thus, we offer not just exterior or interior design, but the development of the whole project. This is supported, among other things, by a deep analysis and understanding of the competitive environment, segmentation and the portrait of the target audience and its needs, so that we can offer really high-quality and well-thought-out solutions.

- Tell us about your experience before joining Blank Architects. What projects have you worked on?

I’ve started my career with a job in a real estate development company, where I was involved in marketing and analytics for the developer's retail projects. Thanks to this work, I gained experience in implementing turnkey projects, from initial market research, competitors and target audience in the development of the concept to the opening and supporting marketing during the shopping center’s operation. Then I was working in marketing consulting in retail, and in 2011, together with former colleagues, we founded our own consulting company, where I held the position of director of customer relations until April 2021.
Before joining Blank Architects, I was participating in the development of projects of various scales and geography: from small shopping centers in regions to large-scale residential, retail and office complexes in Moscow and St. Petersburg. My portfolio includes the development of branding and wayfinding projects for the shopping centers "Riviera" (Lipetsk), "Hollywood" and "Avenue" (St. Petersburg), "Alania Mall" (Vladikavkaz), "Obnimi" (Obninsk), Columbus (Moscow), "MoreMall" (Sochi), K2 Business Park (Moscow). I worked on a number of projects together with architects from Blank Architects as part of a large team.
In addition to projects in retail, residential and office real estate, I also participated in the creation of wayfinding for the Amedia film studio in Moscow – a complex site with a large number of shooting pavilions and technical premises, a huge number of visitor segments and flows. Also, one of my most favorite and at the same time difficult was the wayfinding project for the Yubileyny sports complex in St. Petersburg. This was a real challenge: simultaneously with our work, the complex’ interiors were under rebranding and renovation, and it was important to integrate harmoniously and in a timely manner into all processes. Moreover, the approaches to wayfinding of sports facilities differ significantly from the principles of wayfinding in shopping centers. The analytical and strategic part of the project took much more time than for the other commercial projects: we had to take into account the purpose of visiting and routes of various segments of guests, the adaptability of the site for different events, the presence of complex technical zones with limited access, the flows of VIP, the distribution of visitors directly in the stands, etc. In fact, it was several large and complex projects in one.

- What projects have you worked on together with Blank Architects and what are your immediate plans?

Before joining the bureau, I worked on the wayfinding of the shopping centers "Grozny Mall" in Grozny, the shopping center "Chkalov" and the shopping center "Zarya" in Moscow together with the Blank Architects team. Also among our common projects was a large-scale wayfinding update for the Afimall City shopping center in Moscow. Now our department is working on a wayfinding project for a shopping center and a two-level underground parking as part of the Discovery Park in Moscow, developing a branding and wayfinding project for a new shopping and entertainment center in St. Petersburg, creating a wayfinding project for the Forum shopping center in Ulan-Ude. In the near future, we will launch a wayfinding project for the shopping center in Murino in the Leningrad region and a wayfinding project for a business park in Moscow.

- What are the key areas for development in the bureau you see today?

First of all, I would like to continue our projects in retail real estate due to the accumulated expertise and a large background of our team. At the same time, shopping facilities are one of the most difficult areas for wayfinding and branding. You work with several target groups at once - B2B and B2C, and wayfinding in this case should help to commercialize the project, through a well-thought-out distribution of flows to increase the turnover of operators and rental income of the owner, and for visitors, at the same time, - just be clear and convenient.
In addition, there has been a growing demand for branding and wayfinding projects from housing developers in recent years. Not only in Moscow, but also in the regions, the approach to the design of the environment of residential projects has changed – these are no longer detached high-rise buildings, but entire micro-cities with complex infrastructure, where the need for competent wayfinding is quite acute. At the same time, housing remains the most wanted asset, so, of course, we are interested in participating in the development of residential real estate.
But we are also ready to develop complex objects and spaces – such as business parks, warehouses, sports and leisure infrastructure, healthcare facilities and general education institutions. Our experience can be useful for any public spaces that involve visual communication with visitors. Our team has formed a sufficient number of cases in all the markets and we are ready to apply our expertise.