Ceramic tiles in Parliament

Yekaterinburg (population 1,500,000), capital of the Urals Federal District and the principal city of the Sverdlovsk region, is the most important industrial and cultural centre in the region. Located on the Asian side of the Urals, the legendary mountain chain that separates Central Russia from Siberia and marks the boundary between Europe and Asia, the city has a comparable importance in modern Russia to that of Moscow and St. Petersburg. When the former site of the Duma proved to be no longer adequate for requirements, the authorities launched a project to build a structure that would house the Regional Duma, the Regional House of Representatives, the Chambers of Representatives and Deputies of the Legislative Assembly, the Representatives in the Federal Council and the entire administrative apparatus. The imposing new Legislative Assembly building, constructed between June 2007 and March 2009, stands out for its pomp and opulence and cost more than 1.5 billion roubles. Located at 10 Borisa Yeltsina Street, the building has eight floors and a total surface area of almost 20,000 square metres. Built predominantly in the neoclassical style typical of soviet monumentalism, it features large rows of columns, stairways, high ceilings and a glass dome and makes ostentatious use of materials. The spaces on each floor were designed according to their functions: the second and third floors for the Chambers of Deputies, the fourth and fifth for the Chambers of Representatives, and the sixth and seventh for the offices of the Presidents and members of the Presidency Council. The ground floor hosts a VIP hall and the whole of the custodial service complex. Key features include six lifts, a television studio, a library, four rooms for commission meetings and two rooms for plenary sessions. In these latter two rooms, two tiers of galleries run around the entire perimeter to allow the public to follow debates. Although the building with its large glass windows might appear vulnerable to terror attacks, in reality it is protected by extraordinary safety measures against explosions, fires and other emergencies. For the interior surface coverings, Ceramiche Coem supplied more than 3,500 square metres of ceramic tiles from the Granito collection, a product chosen by the designers for its aesthetic qualities, compactness, homogeneity and resistance to high foot traffic. Just like the precious marble used in historic imperial palaces, it serves to convey a sense of luxury. The installation layout enhances the geometry of the columns based on the colours Giallo Imperiale (yellow), Rosso Balmoral (red), Bianco Bethel (white) and Nero Assoluto (black). On the eighth floor, below the large glass dome that tops the building, an enormous, sophisticated floor medallion consisting of intertwined porcelain tile strips cut by waterjet technology creates an alluring atmosphere.