Commercial SERIES  •  Project FEATURE

Building Through Identity – PROMETVA by KARLEN + CLEMENTE

As a habitable sculpture, this office emerges from the very material that defines it: steel.

Built by its own hands, PROMETVA is not just an administrative center, but a statement of identity that turns workspace into a living manifesto of craft and belonging. From its inception, the project was guided by a powerful and clear premise: to create a building that would serve not only as an operational hub but also as a material testimony to PROMETVA’s craftsmanship in metal structures. KARLEN + CLEMENTE embraced this challenge with a proposal that fuses functional rationality with remarkable constructive sensitivity.

"Every visible element in the space stands as a testament to architecture as craft and material as identity."

Set within the city’s Industrial Park, the chosen site carries its own language – warehouses, logistics, machinery, and performance. Yet, rather than compete with this context, the project respectfully aligns with it. The building is positioned along one side of the lot, close yet independent from the production zone, creating an operational distance that allows for administrative focus while maintaining an active link to the company’s technical core. The formal austerity of the exterior conceals a rich and deliberate interior spatial composition. Entry occurs through a double-height hall that not only grants a sense of monumentality but immediately establishes spatial hierarchy. This generous vertical space dissolves the standard office scale, offering a more elevated, even ceremonial, daily experience for those who inhabit it.

A rhythmic succession of horizontal steel porticos defines the circulation axis and leads the way to the collective work areas—administration and technical workstations. These structural elements shape the spatial rhythm without relying on partitions, acting as an expressive spine that recalls the structural vocation at the core of the commission. The ground floor also features a social lounge that operates as a hinge between the functional and the relational. Within this shared space, a spiral staircase rises as a sculptural gesture. Its curving form breaks the prevailing orthogonality, introducing softness and visual flow. Beyond its connecting role, this element becomes a spatial icon—a symbol of movement and elevation that echoes the firm’s own trajectory.

"When a building is crafted by those who inhabit it, it becomes an expression of belonging."

The upper floor is reserved for more private uses: executive offices and a meeting room that opens onto a terrace. This outdoor connection not only brings natural light and ventilation but also reaffirms a visual and symbolic dialogue with the surrounding industrial landscape. It’s a gesture of openness that delicately balances seclusion with context. One of the project’s most remarkable aspects lies in its material execution. Every element—from the structural components to the furniture—was designed and fabricated by PROMETVA itself. This decision goes beyond budgetary considerations: it’s a deeper commitment to making the building a full-scale exhibition of the company's technical prowess. Desks, lighting fixtures, coat racks, planters—each object becomes a tangible extension of the firm’s identity, executed with precision and pride.

This approach grants the project an uncommon character. Rarely does a building so seamlessly dissolve the boundary between architecture and production. Here, materials are not just shown—they are celebrated. Steel, so often a silent protagonist in construction, is given voice: it bends, connects, and stands exposed. Every joint and visible weld becomes a declaration of intent.

From an environmental standpoint, the building integrates passive design strategies that enhance its efficiency. The orientation ensures abundant natural lighting throughout the day, minimizing energy reliance. Thermal control is achieved through a volumetric composition that makes smart use of projected shadows and cross-ventilation, revealing a conscious approach even within an industrial setting.

KARLEN + CLEMENTE have achieved an admirable equilibrium between institutional presence and functional simplicity. Without relying on ornamentation or formal extravagance, the building speaks with clarity and depth. In a context where corporate spaces often default to sterile, impersonal solutions, PROMETVA builds identity from detail, from material, from action. More than a headquarters, it is a statement: an architecture that speaks not with words, but through its very being. An architecture that breathes craft—and finds a quiet, powerful beauty in its deliberate restraint.