CTRL/PLAY Office: Kyiv Workspace Wired for Speed and Creative Drive
CTRL/PLAY Office sets a high-tempo brief in Kyiv, Ukraine, for a creative company that thrives on competition and quick pivots. ZIKZAK Architects frames the workplace as an arena for daily performance, tuning each zone to a specific cadence—welcome, collaborate, refuel, reset. The result is an office that moves at the pace of its team while keeping focus within reach.
A darkened corridor opens to a glow of rhythmic light and textured surfaces, where the first notes of color snap into focus. The mood shifts fast, drawing people from reception to work areas with the punchy tempo of a launch day.
This is an office in Kyiv by ZIKZAK Architects, organized as a performance-minded workplace for a fast-moving creative team. Program drives everything here—zones are tuned for arrival, concentration, collaboration, play, and reset. The plan supports quick decisions, then makes room for recovery, so output and morale climb together.
Cue the Reception
Arrival is built on tension and wit. Modern, almost brutal surfaces meet a Persian-style carpet that looks dropped from another world, warming the welcome zone and signaling a brand unafraid of contrast.
The lobby primes behavior. Graphic cues and deliberate lighting set pace and direction, guiding visitors toward meeting areas while keeping the entry charged and memorable.
Work the Open Floor
Open areas act like dynamic hubs. Movable furniture, soft seating, and vivid graphics let teams expand, compress, and pivot between sprints without losing rhythm or clarity.
Meeting rooms sit close to the action. They balance brightness with control, turning quick huddles into targeted sessions and keeping long reviews sharp rather than draining.
Refuel in the Cafe
The kitchen reads as a city cafe. A sculptural concrete island with a rolling curve anchors the room, adding mass and a calm center to the daily rush.
Overhead, a constellation of ball lights loosens shoulders. It lifts energy between call blocks and stretches, making the break feel social, active, and short enough to keep momentum.
Retreat to Quiet Rooms
Private offices dial everything down. Textured surfaces and acoustic panels temper sound while minimalist furnishings and subdued light hold attention on one task.
These rooms protect deep work. Small meetings land here too, keeping conversation close and crisp without bleeding back into the open floor.
Play for Reset
A gaming zone channels competitive spirit. Deep tones, neon, and hard contrasts turn downtime into a quick reset that sparks new ideas and keeps collaboration loose.
One meeting room nods to arcade lore. Pac‑Man wall elements and geometric fixtures set a playful tone, yet the layout holds for workshops, brainstorms, and review cycles.
Culture in Transit
A photo booth lives in the passage. It punctures routine, folds laughter into the day, and quietly documents team lore.
Behind the scenes, systems work clean. Recycled-material furnishings, motion-sensor lighting, segmented climate zones, and filtered air recycling trim load without dulling the buzz.
By dusk, the lighting sharpens edges and quiet rooms glow like beacons, while the cafe softens into an after-huddle perch. The office holds its line—high-energy, goal-first, and ready for the next sprint.
Photography by Andriy Bezuglov
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