Pioneer Group of Companies and the UNK Group of Companies launch a new product – office construction set, on the market

In the "Ostankino" Business Park, the first modular offices will appear, from which ready-made space is formed according to the principle of a construction set.

 The partners, the UNK Group and Pioneer Group were prompted to come up with a new product by worldwide trends in the office segment: diminishing demand for regular offices and growing popularity of flexible spaces. The pandemic, as well as employees' shift to remote work, has only fueled this tendency. Despite the high demand for flex offices, this format has some drawbacks that the new modular space planning system built by UNK architects is intended to compensate for. "Ostankino" BP from the "Pioneer" GC was the pilot project.

An "office construction set" is the next step in the evolution of the "flexible" space segment, suggesting not only the ability to adjust the office based on the changing demands of owners or tenants but also ready-made solutions (the "modules") for such adjustments. Each slot is a 70 sqm mini-office block with all utilities fully in place and a clear furniture arrangement design that allows for multiple functional options (open space, office, meeting room, coffee point, etc.).

Renters and buyers of office space at the "Ostankino" Business Center have a total of 23 modules from which to construct an office of any size that is multiple of a slot using the "Lego" principle. For example, the "minimum" configuration module provides open-space accommodation for 12 employees, a meeting room for 6 people, and a secretary space. The "comfort" configuration module of the open space will accommodate 6 employees, there will be a meeting room for 6 people, a director's office, a secretary space, and a coffee point. The "office" configuration module will have a director's office plus three rooms, each with two employees, a meeting room for 6 people, a secretary space, and a coffee point. Accordingly, a set of different modules can also be used to fill offices of large size, creating a traditional open space for tens of people.

If we talk about the differences between office construction sets and traditional offices (including flexible offices), they can be split into three.

Less time and less investment in office equipment
Any change in office space is usually accompanied by additional investments in repairs, renovation, utility systems, and communications. This process takes an average of 3 to 6 months and requires that the terms of reference already be in place.
The modular system allows you to "adjust" space to the needs of a specific company in a matter of days. A company just needs to choose the size of the room suitable for its needs (a multiple of the slot size), as well as one of the three configuration options: "minimum", "comfort" or "cabinet". Because all of these modules are ready-made, installing them will take very little time. The investment in installation is also kept to a minimum.

All-purpose utilities
The lack of appropriate technical "stuffing" of the building often makes it difficult to "reformat" the office to suit changes in the company or new tenants.
"What we have in mind is standardization, so all the utilities were originally arranged so that they could be used in any of the 23 standard options. So when you change a set of modules, you don't need to redo the electrical wiring, arrange new fiber optics and other utilities: all of these things are already embedded in the project and installed. The function changes, but the sockets remain in place," explains Yulia Tryaskina, Partner of UNK Group.

Zero loss of useful area
Another important feature of the new format is that no usable space is lost, which is nearly impossible to avoid in traditional offices. This effect is achieved by designing the building specifically for the modular system from the beginning. Space in office complexes is usually measured in square meters to which the layout and arrangement of furniture are applied. This invariably results in dimensional or configuration mismatches and, as a result, the appearance of "blind" zones. These have been paid for but are not being used. The new space arrangement system allows you to measure the area by slots that originally have a layout and furniture arrangement inside them with zero loss of space.

"The "Ostankino" Business Park building, in particular, was originally designed for slots, and as such, space will be rented or sold to buyers as office slots, or on a floor-by-floor basis," notes Julia Tryaskina.

According to experts, the new format will not only be in demand among office property buyers and tenants but will also be scaled in the market very soon, forming a stand-alone segment. "Our company was once the first to offer finished flats, and it was a very timely option that was in high demand from buyers. Few developers nowadays do not have finishing lots as part of their new buildings. We expect that "office construction sets" will also become a popular product in the increasingly popular flex-office segment shortly," believes Pioneer Group Marketing Director Yuri Kogan.