In honour of the sixtieth

The small house combines simplicity of the architectural decision, called up by a modernism of 60th, and the technologies peculiar to inhabited skyscrapers. It will allow, having entered a building in a tiny site to keep almost untouched existing square, it is good to shine apartments and to give to tenants especial opportunities in connection with a free lay-out. Correspondent of ААН has set some questions to the authors.

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina

26 January 2007

Object

Architect:

Firm:

Alexandrov and partners

Object:

Apartment house on Komsomol prospectus, possession 3
Russia, Moscow, Komsomolsky prospectus, pos.3

Project Team:
D.V.Alexander, A.A.Ivanov

2006

Tell, what problem faced to you at designing this house? A.Ivanov: To make qualitative, but simple house. The difficulty was to place inhabited volume of class Delux on the very small site between existing 9 and 12-storeyed houses. We searched for a very long time the plan of a building in which requirements of insolation would be considered, a space from the next houses, accommodation of communications. So there was a ten-storied volume which facade consists of two volumes-books leaving forward. The slopes on facades appeared as the answer to the next standing volume - up to the slop the surface of a building repeats a rhythm of windows of a building standing on the right, and after on an inclined plane go gallery balconies. The house has two main facades - aside square and in courtyards. The second is solved more homogeneously - by a uniform stroke of simple linear elements with protections from the tempered glass with application of metal and tape glassing. The house is very laconic. Is it a tribute to constructivism? D.Aleksandrov: Recently we have been called neo constructivists. Undoubtedly, constructivism is most recognized in domestic architecture. However, in my opinion, there was not less worthy period which has begun during Kchrushcev’s "thawing weather" and which 60th have transformed into architecture of Soviet neo modernism. It is presented this quarter - the area of building between quay Moscow-river and the Komsomol prospectus is generated by two types buildings – it is Stalin’s post-war construction and simple geometric architecture of 60th-beginning of 70th There are two known examples of such architecture - they are L.N.Pavlova's works and A.Meersona's early projects - the house on Begovoi and "Swan". Other interesting constructions - a hotel complex at "Airport" recently got thr new facade from modern materials, but absolutely repeats geometry of the building constructed in 60th years - architecture absolutely modernist though it directly follows from international style which has been adapted on our ground in 60th years. A similar example - so-called "Book" of senior Posohina on Arbat which without change of architectural shape is improved by a new ventilated facade - as a whole very dry modern house. We tried to find the certain compromise in our case between this architectural geometry. It is possible to tell this is our sight through a shoulder for one more worthy period of domestic architecture - the sixtieth. And how it was reflected in architecture? D.Aleksandrov: The plan of a building is executed in the form of the letter «Т» where an average sheaf is the staircase, and two volumes - bigger and smaller, remind a pair, the man and the woman. That is, one partner, a little bit larger, acts forward to a red line and slightly embraces by the ladder block his girlfriend thin and graceful, standing «on high heels». So the movement aside the park is created. Leaving by the last by four floors back about which Andrey has told, is caused by two reasons: on the one hand, we show a line of restriction of existing building and we leave back in depth of quarter and the second - the best apartments here are located, the most interesting view there from reveal. Practice of operation of modern apartment houses shows, that at the organization of balconies and any acting elements we should struggle that all this get into glass - sometimes under projects discussed with us, but more often, unfortunately, on their own. As a result the house turns out not absolutely such what was designed. Therefore face facades, that is the buildings turned aside, vanish under the French balconies or loggias with hollows inside which get in glass absolutely painless. Gallery balconies unite basically kitchens and drawing rooms, that is large public zones and are focused aside the most interesting points. Accordingly two structures of a material - a light stone under a brick and more dark which fastens certain correspondence with more chromatic white lady. Are legs on high heels on which the house leans only the nod aside coryphaeuses of 60th, or there is a practical substantiation to this decision? A.Ivanov: The site is not too big so we had problems with gardening around the house- there is no place enough, so such decision appeared: the bottom part of the house from a court yard is compressed as much as possible, leaving place only for lobby. We have lifted all rest on "legs" of a-column, that, having increased possible gardening almost twice, existing public garden will be kept, gardening will be even under columns. Under the ground the underground two-level parking which almost completely borrows a spot of building is located. Is the lay-out free as it usual nowadays? D.Aleksandrov: Free. The matter is that flexibility of a lay-out is incorporated in the design of the house. For a building in ten floors height stylobate, an intercepting technical floor - a thing uncharacteristic, not following the natural engineering image. But it, first of all, in many respects has defined architecture of a building: it entirely stands on a platform, and this platform is lifted upwards. Secondly, in this part of a building all engineering communications which then leave further to the central trunk and then under the ground are shown. It has provided flexibility of the plan. All "wet" zones, bathrooms and lavatories, are placed in a core of the house, and rooms are located as much as possible on perimeter of a building. Other moment which distinguishes this building from the similar houses of a high class of average amount of floors: here we have applied large enough grid of columns. Proceeding from that we here have « an intercepting table », on what the customer has agreed, though usually it is used at construction of high-altitude complexes, for example, our towers in « Amber city » where 100-meter buildings stand on a "table". In small volume of the 10-storeyed house on Komsomol "table" is combined with a technical floor, forming « a double shell » inside of which pass all communications. Owing to it we could apply a large grid of support with step « eight hundred ». Usually for habitation "steps" it is no more, than seven and a half. It has led to reduction of quantity of bearing elements, and the lay-out became enough flexible for possible transformations already after construction by proprietors of apartments. Same has allowed to transfer all premises on an external contour and to improve illumination. On face facades to the next houses we leave not apartments, but balconies and evacuation ladders. That is, public zones we focus all on free spaces and the most interesting specific points - Moscow-river, Park of culture and downwards under the Komsomol prospectus, and with the next houses, on the contrary, we avoid effect « a window in a window ». And how many apartments are there on a floor? Five apartments. On the average. There are variants - 6 apartments if the small apartment is added, studio. In the top floors if it is required, it is possible to make one greater apartment - a penthouse. The house has turned out on the size on one and a half section. The wide case dimensions 36 on 30 meters (the standard case - is no more 18). It and not a tower with one entrance, and at the same time not the section house. The narrow site has caused similar decisions. On the top floors five apartments can freely turn to three.

Architect:

Firm:

Alexandrov and partners

Object:

Apartment house on Komsomol prospectus, possession 3
Russia, Moscow, Komsomolsky prospectus, pos.3

Project Team:
D.V.Alexander, A.A.Ivanov

2006

26 January 2007

Headlines now

Object

The Secret Briton

The house is called “Little France”. Its composition follows the classical St. Petersburg style, with a palace-like courtyard. The decor is on the brink of Egyptian lotuses, neo-Greek acroteria, and classic 1930s “gears”; the recessed piers are Gothic, while the silhouette of the central part of the house is British. It’s quite interesting to examine all these details, attempting to understand which architectural direction they belong to. At the same time, however, the house fits like a glove in the context of the 20th line of St. Petersburg’s Vasilievsky Island; its elongated wings hold up the façade quite well.

The Wrap-Up

The competition project proposed by Treivas for the first 2021 competition for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025 concludes our series of publications on pavilion projects that will not be implemented. This particular proposal stands out for its detailed explanations and the idea of ecological responsibility: both the facades and the exhibition inside were intended to utilize recycled materials.

Birds and Streams

For the competition to design the Omsk airport, DNK ag formed a consortium, inviting VOX architects and Sila Sveta. Their project focuses on intersections, journeys, and flights – both of people and birds – as Omsk is known as a “transfer point” for bird migrations. The educational component is also carefully considered, and the building itself is filled with light, which seems to deconstruct the copper circle of the central entrance portal, spreading it into fantastic hyper-spatial “slices”.

Faraday Grid

The project of the Omsk airport by ASADOV Architects is another concept among the 14 finalists of a recent competition. It is called “The Bridge” and is inspired by both the West Siberian Exhibition of 1911 and the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge over the Irtysh River, built in 1896. On one hand, it carries a steampunk vibe, while on the other, there’s almost a sense of nostalgia for the heyday of 1913. However, the concept offers two variants, the second one devoid of nostalgia but featuring a parabola.

Review

Midway upon the Journey of Our Life

Recently, Tatlin Publishing House released a book entitled “Architect Sergey Oreshkin. Selected Projects”. This book is not just a traditional book of the architectural company’s achievements, but rather a monograph of a more personal nature. The book includes 43 buildings as well as a section with architectural drawings. In this article, we reflect on the book as a way to take stock of an architect’s accomplishments.

Inverted Fortress

This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.

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Transformation of Annenkirche

For Annenkirche (St. Anna Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg), Sergey Kuznetsov and the Kamen bureau have prepared a project that relies on the principles of the Venice Charter: the building is not restored to a specific date, historical layers are preserved, and modern elements do not mimic the authentic ones. Let’s delve into the details of these solutions.

The Paradox of the Temporary

The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.

The Forum of Time

The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.

Mirrors Everywhere

The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.

Report

The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom

The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.

The Snowstorm Fish

The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.

The Mirror of Your Soul

We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.

Part of the Ideal

In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.

Object

The Fortress by the River

ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.

Object

In the Rhombus Grid

Construction has begun on the building of the OMK (United Metallurgical Company) Corporate University in Nizhny Novgorod’s town of Vyksa, designed by Ostozhenka Architects. The most interesting aspect of the project is how the architects immersed it in the context: “extracting” a diagonal motif from the planning grid of Vyksa, they aligned the building, the square, and the park to match it. A truly masterful work with urban planning context on several different levels of perception has long since become the signature technique of Ostozhenka.

Object

Generational Connection

Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.

Object

Three Dimensions of the City

We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived

Object

New “Flight”

Architects from “Mezonproject” have developed a project for the reconstruction of the regional youth center “Polyot”(“Flight”) in the city of Oryol. The summer youth center, built back in the late 1970s, will now become year-round and acquire many additional functions.

Object

The Yauza Towers

In Moscow, there aren’t that many buildings or projects designed by Nikita Yavein and Studio 44. In this article, we present to you the concept of a large multifunctional complex on the Yauza River, located between two parks, featuring a promenade, a crossroads of two pedestrian streets, a highly developed public space, and an original architectural solution. This solution combines a sophisticated, asymmetric façade grid, reminiscent of a game of fifteen puzzle, and bold protrusions of the upper parts of the buildings, completely masking the technical floors and sculpting the complex’s silhouette.

News

Arch, Pearl, Wing, Wind

In the social media of the governor of the Omsk region, voting was conducted for the best project for the city’s new airport. We asked the finalists to send over their projects and are now showcasing them. The projects are quite interesting: the client requested that the building be visually permeable throughout, and the images that the architects are working with include arches, wings, gusts of wind, and even the “Pearl” painting by Vrubel, who was actually born in Omsk.

Object

Architecture and Leisure Park

For the suburban hotel complex, which envisages various formats of leisure, the architectural company T+T Architects proposed several types of accommodation, ranging from the classic “standard” in a common building to a “cave in the hill” and a “house in a tree”. An additional challenge consisted in integrating a few classic-style residences already existing on this territory into the “architectural forest park”.

Overview

The U-House

The Jois complex combines height with terraces, bringing the most expensive apartments from penthouses down to the bottom floors. The powerful iconic image of the U-shaped building is the result of the creative search for a new standard of living in high-rise buildings by the architects of “Genpro”.

Object

Black and White

In this article, we specifically discuss the interiors of the ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh. Interior design is a crucial component of the overall concept in this case, and precision and meticulous execution were highly important for the architects. Julia Tryaskina, head of UNK interiors, shares some of the developments.

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The “Snake” Mountain

The competition project for the seaside resort complex “Serpentine” combines several typologies: apartments of different classes, villas, and hotel rooms. For each of these typologies, the KPLN architects employ one of the images that are drawn from the natural environment – a serpentine road, a mountain stream, and rolling waves.

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Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

The project of a small business center located near Tupolev Plaza and Radio Street proclaims the necessity of modern architecture in a specific area of Moscow commonly known as “Nemetskaya Sloboda” or “German settlement”. It substantiates its thesis with the thoroughness of details, a multitude of proposed and rejected form variants, and even a detailed description of the surrounding area. The project is interesting indeed, and it is even more interesting to see what will come of it.

Object

Feed ’Em All

A “House of Russian Cuisine” was designed and built by KROST Group at VDNKh for the “Rossiya” exhibition in record-breaking time. The pavilion is masterfully constructed in terms of the standards of modern public catering industry multiplied by the bustling cultural program of the exhibition, and it interprets the stylistically diverse character of VDNKh just as successfully. At the same time, much of its interior design can be traced back to the prototypes of the 1960s – so much so that even scenes from iconic Soviet movies of those years persistently come to mind.

Object

The Ensemble at the Mosque

OSA prepared a master plan for a district in the southern part of Derbent. The main task of the master plan is to initiate the formation of a modern comfortable environment in this city. The organization of residential areas is subordinated to the city’s spiritual center: depending on the location relative to the cathedral mosque, the houses are distinguished by façade and plastique solutions. The program also includes a “hospitality center”, administrative buildings, an educational cluster, and even an air bridge.

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Pargolovo Protestantism

A Protestant church is being built in St. Petersburg by the project of SLOI architects. One of the main features of the building is a wooden roof with 25-meter spans, which, among other things, forms the interior of the prayer hall. Also, there are other interesting details – we are telling you more about them.

Object

The Shape of the Inconceivable

The ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh brings to mind a famous maxim of all architects and critics: “You’ve come up with it? Now build it!” You rarely see such a selfless immersion in implementation of the project, and the formidable structural and engineering tasks set by UNK architects to themselves are presented here as an integral and important part of the architectural idea. The challenge matches the obliging status of the place – after all, it is an “exhibition of achievements”, and the pavilion is dedicated to the nuclear energy industry. Let’s take a closer look: from the outside, from the inside, and from the underside too.