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An Unusual Design Aesthetic: Photos of Vintage Soviet Control Rooms

And you thought your workplace was depressing

By Rain Noe - January 9, 2018

in Interior/Exhibition Design

The Present /&/ Correct blog has somehow got their hands on, and posted tons of photos of, vintage Soviet control rooms from "Power stations, control towers etc. Posted mainly for aesthetic reasons." Despite some detail differences there is certainly a consistency of aesthetic that is almost disturbing in its order:

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h/t design you trust

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Tony Terry

6 years ago

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Control rooms may look alike everywhere, but where else are you gonna find those rockin' hats?!?

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Doug Scott

6 years ago

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Those Soviet control rooms are identical to the ones I have seen in the western world. Right down to the paint colors on the panels and the proportions of the meters.

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- Juan Cano
  
  Doug Scott
  
  6 years ago
  
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  I did a photoshoot a million years ago at a nuclear facility in Massachusetts, USA, and it was super similar, except the color was more like a pale mustard.
  
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Serge Spanke

6 years ago

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I've been in my share of control rooms, but can anyone shed light on the central circular display component that seems prominent in a number of these interfaces? Common to a particular industry (nuclear?) or is it a Russian design thing?

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- Tony Terry
  
  Serge Spanke
  
  6 years ago
  
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  I've seen that in nuclear facility control rooms.
  
  Not certain, but I think it's a status indicator for individual control rods.
  
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  - Serge Spanke
    
    Tony Terry
    
    6 years ago
    
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    Thanks - fuel rod status was my first guess, but I've never dealt with nuclear plants directly.
    
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