Saint Petersburg, Russia
OKLA School
Educational facility for 825 students
The project concept is based on two key aspects: the site's immediate proximity to the Novoorlovsky nature reserve and the school's specialisation in chemistry and biology.
We took the image of a molecule as our starting point: by joining with others, it forms an integral "organism". In the same way, the school functions as a single living organism in which individual elements interact harmoniously with each other.
The facades are designed with various elements that give the building the appropriate scale and an aesthetic appearance. The plasticity of the facades is emphasised by rounded corners: the three volumes of the building flow smoothly into one another, with a ribbon of glazing and projecting elements framing the top and bottom of the glass line, creating a wave effect on the facades from different viewpoints.
The horizontal band of facade and glass is interrupted only at the staircases, which are highlighted by vertical stained-glass windows and green metal panels on all floors.
One of the key elements on the building's facade is the periodic table of chemical elements.
Within its composition we encoded the name of the district, O K La, placing it above the main entrance to the building.

The building has 4 storeys and the following parameters:

total building area – 16,485 m²;

building volume – 87,057 m³;

building height – 20.4 m;

building footprint area – 5,366 m².