balbek bureau is an award-winning architecture and interior design studio. We create commercial, corporate, residential and cultural spaces in Europe, America and Asia.
Our team is flexible and open to projects of various formats. Whatever your request – an office for an IT company, a showroom for your brand, or a restaurant concept for a pitch to investors – we will be happy to help.
OUR PRINCIPLES
STAY HUMAN
We never design for the sake of design and make sure each space meets the needs of our clients and their guests.
RESEARCH
To develop a Big Idea, our team carefully examines the smallest, least apparent details of the project.
PRESERVE
When working in historical buildings, we pay respects to their past, intertwining new and original elements.
CUSTOMIZE
The solutions we offer are tailored: our designs feature custom-made elements of any level of complexity.
ARCHITECTURE
OUR PROCESS
balbek bureau works with architectural objects of various scales and types, including designing from scratch and revitalizing existing structures.
Our architectural expertise covers the restoration of historic buildings, the design of private homes and large-scale multifunctional facilities. We have even created a mobile cultural center and transformed a motel in California into a profitable hotel.
Our teams help clients create ambitious commercial projects and public spaces that bring the community together. For us, architecture is always about accessibility, sustainability and intuitive user experience. It's also about aesthetics in every detail.
WHAT YOU GET
01
CONCEPT
We form an integral architectural vision
02
VISUALIZATIONS
We create detailed and realistic images of the future space
03
SELECTION
We prepare a sample of materials that corresponds with the chosen concept
04
ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS
We provide support in forming a constructive and engineering concept
05
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
We make drawings for custom elements
INTERIOR DESIGN
OUR PROCESS
The bureau's team has over 15 years of experience in creating interiors – residential, commercial and corporate. Spaces with our design are human-centered, and therefore always resonate with clients and their guests.
Restaurants and bars by balbek bureau quickly become favorites. The offices we design encourage productive work, and hotels and homes provide a comfortable stay. Cultural spaces become points of attraction for the community.
Our team is ready for challenges and has a whole arsenal of practices that allow us to bring the boldest ideas to life. We back up our creativity with technical knowledge and the latest digital tools.
WHAT YOU GET
01
INTERIOR CONCEPT
We develop a Big Idea and a vision of how it can be brought to life
02
VISUALIZATIONS
We show you how your space will look in all possible formats – from schematic sketches to full immersion with AR/VR
03
WORKING DOCUMENTATION
We develop detailed technical specifications for contractors
04
SELECTION
We make a selection of materials, furniture and equipment – from trusted contractors, with an understanding of your budget and the ability to find “just the right table” even on another continent
05
AUTHOR'S SUPPORT
We control and coordinate the processes at the design and construction stages
ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTING
OUR PROCESS
Our team has expertise in restoring historic buildings, reimagining industrial facilities, and organizing accessible landscaping. To enhance the user experience, we resort to non-standard approaches, using storytelling techniques and digital architecture, VR, and AR practices.
WHAT WE DO
REVITALIZATION
We give a second life to valuable architectural objects and adapt their functionality to modern needs. Our solutions for the revitalization of old buildings allow for efficient use of resources and space, and we are happy to help our customers with such cases.
AREA DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS
The bureau adheres to an integrated approach when working with land plots and urban areas. We understand the principles of sustainable development, urban planning and landscape design and apply this knowledge in practice. Our services include a detailed assessment of the current environment and the formation of various scenarios for the area development.
CULTURAL INTEGRATION
We are skilled at fitting projects into the local context and have experience working with various stakeholders. The bureau will be happy to help you find an organic format for integration into the urban space and present the project to investors, the public, and government institutions.
MODELING HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN SPACE
Our team creates detailed simulations of people's movement to effectively plan the space according to the client's needs. We use software solutions such as MassMotion to model and optimize human flows.
AUDIT OF SPACE PERFORMANCE
Our architects' expertise, enhanced by artificial intelligence's capabilities, allows us to analyze already implemented design projects in detail. Based on this data, we can advise our clients on how to optimize space and improve user experience.
3D SCANNING
3D scanning of space helps speed up and simplify the creation of accurate BIM models for architects. The advantage of this method is that it is more precise than photo scanning and traditional measurement methods.
OUR APPROACH
WE KNOW HOW TO IMPLEMENT PROJECTS EFFICIENTLY
01
Our bureau designs objects of any complexity, even if it seems impossible. Even if this site is in Antarctica.
02
We work autonomously but are always open to dialog. Our best solutions are often born in brainstorming sessions with customers.
03
Our pricing is based on optimizing costs without sacrificing quality. We believe that cool things don't have to be overly expensive.
04
Even when the project is completed, its life continues. Our PR team promotes the case on social networks and media, which enhances the customer's brand.
OUR ‘MOSTS’
1 — Antartica, Galindez
Most remote project
Home. Memories, art installation
2 — San Francisco, USA
Our first project in America
906 World, cultural space
3 — Kyiv, Ukraine
Most popular food space we designed
KyivFoodMarket, food hall
4 — Kharkiv, Ukraine
Most eco-friendly space
MAO, Chinese restaurant
5 — Kyiv, Ukraine
Most awarded project
Say No Mo, beauty salon
6 — Odesa region, Ukraine
Our most tech project
RE:Ukraine Villages, online tool for rural architecture preservation
7 — Lviv, Ukraine
Most mobile project
MOT, movable cultural space that has already traveled around four cities
8 — Qingdao, China
Our first project in Asia
Darron Incubation Center, corporate space
9 — Warsaw, Poland
Our first bridal retail project
Milla Nova, flagship store
THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOUR PROJECT
Each project is handled by a multidisciplinary working group. The team usually features five specialists, but the size and structure may vary based on the project’s scale and complexity.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
To use our design expertise for a good cause, we direct a share from each project commission to our non-profit initiatives.
Learn more about the bureau’s social projects at reukraine.org
SELECTED AWARDS
Interior Design Best of Year 2023
Project Title: Relogged
Category: Small Country House
Award: Finalist
EUmies Awards 2024
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
Project: MOT
Award: Longlisted
FX Awards 2023
Project: Symbol
Category: Retail Space
Award: Shortlisted
FX Awards 2023
Project: MOT
Category: Museum or Exhibition Space
Award: Shortlisted
Interior Design Best of Year 2022
Project Title: Dubler
Category: Casual Dining
Award: Honoree Best of Year Awards
Hospitality Design Awards 2021
Project Title: Say No Mo
Category: Wellness & Wellbeing
Award: Wellness & Wellbeing Winner
Slava Balbek, founder CEO of balbek bureau 2020
Category: Designer
Award: Best of Year Rising Star
Interior Design Best of Year 2020
Project Title: Say No Mo
Category: Beauty
Award: Best of Year Awards Winner
The Architecture MasterPrize 2020
Project Title: Kyiv Food Market
Category: Commercial Interior
Award: Commercial Interior Winner
Elle Decoration International Design Awards Ukraine 2019
Award: Interior Designer Of The Year
IIDA Global Excellence Awards 2018
Project Title: BURSA
Category: Hotels
Award: Category Winner
IIDA Global Excellence Awards 2017
Project Title: BJ Apartment
Category: Residences – Small
Award: Category Winner