По-русски

​A Circular Arrangement

The project by UNK interiors, which won in the competition for the “Zagorye” metro station, is resonant to the ideas of the surrounding industrial and housing construction thanks to its modular laconic shapes. At the same time, the station is “all metal”, which is a nod towards the name of the nearby Lipetskaya Street because Lipetsk is a metallurgical center. One could expect that the authors would fall for the brutal images of metallurgy and blast furnaces but the project turned out to be light and laconic – we are examining why.

Julia Tarabarina

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

25 August 2022
Contest Results
mainImg
The results of the competition, which was conducted for not just one but two stations of the new Biryulevo line at once, were announced on August 3. Five finalists worked on the architectural image of the Ostrov Mechty (you can read more about the winner here), the other five – on the Zagorye station. And here the competition was won by the team of architects of UNK interiors led by Julia Tryaskina.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


The Zagorye station is shallow, but still it is underground, with two vestibules on the sides of the tracks assembled in the central part. Such a type of platform is often seen, for example, in Paris and Rome but it is not quite habitual for Moscow – one of the examples could be the Arbatskaya station of the Fili line, but on the whole we are used to the central “island” platform with tracks running on either side and a sturdy wall with the name of the station behind the cars of the passing train.

Maybe this was the reason the authors of the winning project divided the space between the two tracks by a partition. It masks a row of supports between the trains, and it clearly divides the “spheres of influence” of these two platforms, to and from the center, visually and psychologically. The wall is not blind: it has large wide openings in them with elegant chamfers and circles of backlighting; through them, you can see the opposite platform, the trains, and large inscriptions of the station name on the walls – but it is thus “gaze through the frame” turns the space on the “other side” into a semblance of a picture on the wall. On the one hand, the perspective is open and we can gaze rather deep. On the other hand, “our” part of the platform is delineated in a quite definitive way – and, on the whole this probably provides a certain balance of comfort and openness: it is not too close, and not too open either.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


According to the authors, they drew the main idea of the project from the name and the direction of the Lipetsksya Street: Lipetsk is a metallurgy city, and this is why the main theme became metal. Black ceiling, silver walls, orange inclusions and illumination hint at the color of the incandescent casting. The platforms are different in their shades of color: the one riding downtown is backlit with warm light; the one riding uptown is designed in cool tones. Interestingly, the difference is built in the illumination alone, meaning it is not too obvious. However, when you look from the “warm” platform to the “cold” one, then, thanks to the superposition of the “pictures”, the difference will be probably very well readable.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


The theme of hot metal is supported by the station's decor elements – there are few of them, which works for the expressiveness of each. Across the black ceiling, run orange linear lights that look like streaks of hot metal. The lamps on the escalators are colored from below by an orange gradient, as if they grew incandescent in front of your eyes. The same effect is provided by the reddish illumination on the ceiling’s contour. The massive seats on the platform are designed as cylindrical “slugs” of metal with brutal cutaways.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


Meanwhile, you cannot say that emotionally the theme of incandescent metal, or the image of a blast furnace prevails – not in the least. Rather, its flames “accentuate” the austere and generally cool surface of the walls.
What becomes more important is the texture of the metal, or, rather, of metals. The main milky and silvery hue is sometimes complemented by polished mirror-like surfaces, most of them being copper: these are to be seen in the decorative ribbons on the walls and – particularly – above the escalators.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


The “copper” surfaces above the escalators are particularly beautiful. Everyone knows that when we ride an escalator we usually feel bored, and often examine the ceiling. Maybe this is the reason why in the new stations, particularly in those that feature author architecture, ceilings and escalators are given a lot of attention. Here, if you look upwards, you will see large traversal cylinders of copper color – they resemble either coils with copper wire or some sci-fi steam rollers. If you turn on your imagination, you may think that there is another escalator up above that gets “spun” on these cylinders. How often do we wonder about what is beneath the moving stairs and what actually makes them move? And here it looks as though we were given a hint. In a word, the industrial aesthetics of the ceiling is far from trivial.

  • zooming
    1 / 3
    “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK
  • zooming
    2 / 3
    “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK
  • zooming
    3 / 3
    “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK


In the entrance pavilions the bulgy “coils” turn into concave depressions of the same profile, this time golden. It looks as though some sort of underground reddish mold resurfaced here as a piece of jewelry designed not for the underground but for the city – because it is the entrance pavilions that make a statement about the presence of the metro station.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


There are seven overland pavilions, and all of them are subjugated to the common module of a circle within a square – this is how the architects emphasize the flexibility of the designed modular system, at the same time proposing to mark the differences between the volumes to better orient the passengers. There is a pavilion, all walls of which are composed of circular windows, and there are pavilions with two or three openings.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


Looking at the pavilions, you begin to realize that, of course, the main uniting motif of the entire project is not so much metal (although metal does play an important part) as a circle. Curiously, although the avant-garde architecture claims that it borrowed the circular window from steamers and airplanes and industrial chimneys, in actuality it has inherited the circular window from the gothic and renaissance architecture. But then again, it was avant-garde architects who proposed placing several circular windows in a row. Circles are all over the place here: at the station, in the entrance pavilions, and in the information graphics design, where they sometimes turn into ellipses. The combination of metal and large circular openings refer not so much to avant-garde as to the design search for the optimum “cosmic” shape of the sixties: bull’s eyes, circular hatches, and such like – what else do you need metallurgy for if not to help humans penetrate new and unfamiliar environments, be that outer space, or underground, or, more specifically, metro.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


Hence this simple and light form – as if from the sixties – modular and shining noble silver. Also, this is something that is relevant today, and something that rhymes with the industrial scenery of the Lipetskaya Street – at the same time without conflicting with the greenery of the Biryulevo Park on its opposite side.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


Such a “Pavilion Futura”, strictly speaking, can adapt to any kind of environment, sometimes thanks to its lightens and simplicity, and sometimes by contrast. By day, the silvery surface and the large diameter of the openings will work for easier perception of their construction, as if aluminum, as if brought here by accident and placed here and there. By night, however, they will glow from the inside, accentuating golden waves of the ceilings, yet not excluding the see-through gaze.

“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


“Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
Copyright: © UNK


The design solution is light and austere, modular and diverse at the same time, clearly motivated by the location and filled with occasional, and because of that even more “tasty” details, as well as texture and color inclusions. Neither the reference to the avant-garde, nor the “spaceship” imagery, nor the “metallurgical” theme prevail and do not suppress – on the contrary, everything is simple and easy, optimistic, as in the sixties, which I recognize as an obvious strong side of the project.
  • zooming
    1 / 3
    Plan of the vestibules. “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK
  • zooming
    2 / 3
    Plans of the platform. “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK
  • zooming
    3 / 3
    Longitudinal section view of the platform. “Zagorye” metro station. The competition project 2022
    Copyright: © UNK


25 August 2022

Julia Tarabarina

Written by:

Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov
Headlines now
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.
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.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
​Rays of the Desert
A school for 1750 students is going to be built in Dubai, designed by IND Architects. The architects took into account the local specifics, and proposed a radial layout and spaces, in which the children will be comfortable throughout the day.
The Dairy Theme
The concept of an office of a cheese-making company, designed for the enclosed area of a dairy factory, at least partially refers to industrial architecture. Perhaps that is why this concept is very simple, which seems the appropriate thing to do here. The building is enlivened by literally a couple of “master strokes”: the turning of the corner accentuates the entrance, and the shade of glass responds to the theme of “milk rivers” from Russian fairy tales.
The Road to the Temple
Under a grant from the Small Towns Competition, the main street and temple area of the village of Nikolo-Berezovka near Neftekamsk has been improved. A consortium of APRELarchitects and Novaya Zemlya is turning the village into an open-air museum and integrating ruined buildings into public life.
​Towers Leaning Towards the Sun
The three towers of the residential complex “Novodanilovskaya 8” are new and the tallest neighbors of the Danilovsky Manufactory, “Fort”, and “Plaza”, complementing a whole cluster of modern buildings designed by renowned masters. At the same time, the towers are unique for this setting – they are residential, they are the tallest ones here, and they are located on a challenging site. In this article, we explore how architects Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova tackled this far-from-trivial task.
In the spirit of ROSTA posters
The new Rostselmash tractor factory, conceptualized by ASADOV Architects, is currently being completed in Rostov-on-Don. References to the Soviet architecture of the 1920’s and 1960’s resonate with the mission and strategic importance of the enterprise, and are also in line with the client’s wish: to pay homage to Rostov’s constructivism.
The Northern Thebaid
The central part of Ferapontovo village, adjacent to the famous monastery with frescoes by Dionisy, has been improved according to the project by APRELarchitects. Now the place offers basic services for tourists, as well as a place for the villagers’ leisure.
Brilliant Production
The architects from London-based MOST Architecture have designed the space for the high-tech production of Charge Cars, a high-performance production facility for high-speed electric cars that are assembled in the shell of legendary Ford Mustangs. The founders of both the company and the car assembly startup are Russians who were educated in their home country.
Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor
The so-called “Mytny Dvor” area lying just behind Moscow Railway Station – the market rows with a complex history – will be transformed into a premium residential complex by Studio 44. The project consists of three parts: the restoration of historical buildings, the reconstruction of the lost part of the historical contour, and new houses. All of them are harmonized with each other and with the city; axes and “beams of light” were found, cozy corners and scenic viewpoints were carefully thought out. We had a chat with the authors of the historical buildings’ restoration project, and we are telling you about all the different tasks that have been solved here.
The Color of the City, or Reflections on the Slope of an Urban Settlement
In 2022, Ostozhenka Architects won a competition, and in 2023, they developed and received all the necessary approvals for a master plan for the development of Chernigovskaya Street for the developer GloraX. The project takes into account a 10-year history of previous developments; it was done in collaboration with architects from Nizhny Novgorod, and it continues to evolve now. We carefully examined it, talked to everyone, and learned a lot of interesting things.
A Single-Industry Town
Kola MMC and Nornickel are building a residential neighborhood in Monchegorsk for their future employees. It is based on a project by an international team that won the 2021 competition. The project offers a number of solutions meant to combat the main “demons” of any northern city: wind, grayness and boredom.
A New Age Portico
At the beginning of the year, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport opened Terminal C. The large-scale and transparent entrance hall with luminous columns inside successfully combines laconism with a bright and photogenic WOW-effect. The terminal is both the new façade of the whole complex and the starting point of the planned reconstruction, upon completion of which Tolmachevo will become the largest regional airport in Russia. In this article, we are examining the building in the context of modernist prototypes of both Novosibirsk and Leningrad: like puzzle pieces, they come together to form their individual history, not devoid of curious nuances and details.
A New Starting Point
We’ve been wanting to examine the RuArts Foundation space, designed by ATRIUM for quite a long time, and we finally got round to it. This building looks appropriate and impressive; it amazingly combines tradition – represented in our case by galleries – and innovation. In this article, we delve into details and study the building’s historical background as well.
Molding Perspectives
Stepan Liphart introduces “schematic Art Deco” on the outskirts of Kazan – his houses are executed in green color, with a glassy “iced” finish on the facades. The main merits of the project lie in his meticulous arrangement of viewing angles – the architect is striving to create in a challenging environment the embryo of a city not only in terms of pedestrian accessibility but also in a sculptural sense. He works with silhouettes, proposing intriguing triangular terraces. The entire project is structured like a crystal, following two grids, orthogonal and diagonal. In this article, we are examining what worked, and what eventually didn’t.
An Educational Experiment for the North
City-Arch continues to work on the projects that can be termed as “experimental public preschools”: private kindergartens and schools can envy such facilities in many respects. This time around, the project is done for the city of Gubkinsky, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. A diverse educational and play environment, including a winter garden, awaits future students, while the teachers will have abundant opportunities to implement new practices.
Alexandra Kuzmina: “Working is easy when the rules are the same for everyone”
The subject matter of Moscow Region’s booth and presentations at Zodchestvo Festival was the concept of “Integrated Land Development”, and for a good reason: this task is very challenging, very relevant, and Moscow Region has already accumulated quite a formidable experience in this regard. In this article, we are speaking to the main architect of the region: about master plans and who makes them, about where you obtain resources for creating a comfortable environment, about her favorite projects, about why there are so few good architects, and what we should do with the bad ones.
The Cemetery: Inside and Outside
The workshop organized by the Genplan Institute of Moscow scored one of the two first places at the “Open City” festival. Its subject is reorganization of municipal cemeteries. Two action plans were proposed, diametrically opposite: one for the downtown and one for the suburbs.
Our Everything
Who is Alexey Shchusev? In the last couple of weeks, since the architect’s 150th birthday, different individuals have answered this question differently. The most detailed, illustrated, and elegantly presented response is an exhibition held in two buildings of the Museum of Architecture on Vozdvizhenka. Four curators, a year and a half of work performed by the entire museum, and exhibition design by Sergey Tchoban and Alexandra Sheiner – in this article, we take you on a tour of the exhibition and show what’s what in it.
For Mental Reboot
At the architectural competition held in 2023 in Novosibirsk, the project by GORA Architects – a pedestrian bridge leading to the town of Bor – was awarded the “Golden Capital” prize. In this country, more than a hundred pedestrian bridges are constructed each year. What makes the Bor bridge different?
Gold Embroidery
A five-story housing complex designed by Stepan Liphart in Kazan, responds to the stylistically diverse context with its form, both integral and agile, and as for the vicinity of the “Ekiyat” movie theater, the complex responds to it with a semblance of theater curtain folds, and active plastique of its balconies, that bear some resemblance to theater boxes. Even if excessively pompous a little bit, the complex does look fresh and modern. One will have a hard time finding Art Deco elements in it, even though the spirit of the 1930s, run through the filter of neo-modernism, is still clearly felt, just as a twist of the Occident.