Overcoming the Context

A detailed story of a housing project on the Rublevskoye Highway, with which "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS" won a closed architectural tender.

Written by:
Anna Martovitskaya
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

27 January 2014

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Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

The contest for the best project of a residential complex that is planned to be built in Moscow at the crossing of the Rublevskoye Highway and the Yartsevskaya Street was organized by "PIK" Group and Moskomarkhitektura in the fall of last year. Announced on the threshold of the winter holidays, its results were already covered by Archi.ru. In this issue we will share in more detail about Sergey Skuratov project whose solution was unanimously voted to be the best by the judging panel.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

As the author reminisces, the project included two ultimate priorities: highlighting the town-planning importance of the land site and creating a new centerpiece of this area. The thing is that the crossing of the Rublevskoye Highway and the Yartsevskaya street is a very high point (this is the crest of the Krylatsky Hill) and it is perfectly viewable from the capital's even most remote places - but the developers that already tried their hand at this place, least of all concerned themselves with their town-planning responsibility. In spite of the proverbial expensiveness of the newly-built houses on the Rublevskoye Highway, their appearance leaves one at best unimpressed, if not scared by their height and thickness. Actually, this was the reason why Moskomarkhitektura launched this architectural contest: the land site that faces the crossroads is virtually the last vacant spot here that, thanks to its front position, can still be capable of "rearranging" the haphazardly-forming urban environment.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. Compositional options © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Totally, "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS" developed over a dozen options of the town-planning solutions of the future complex, consequently filling the almost rectangular site sometimes with "slab" houses, sometimes with a "megastructure" screen-house, and sometimes with various towers. The idea that it was towers that would best suit this place, came to the architects' minds, strictly speaking, at an early stage: the exceptional observability of this site dictated the transparent and silhouette-based solutions – but their quantity and positions were the subject of a long discussion. The numerous models show that the high-rises would many times change their shape and move around the site. The studio even came up with an option when the towers were connected at the bottom by a Y-shaped stylobate with its "bird" facing the Rublevskoye Highway. From the remote points, however, they would overlap with one another, and the contest was won by a composition of four volumes of different height, spaced out along the perimeter of the conditional rectangle, and positioned closer to the midpoints of each of its sides.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. The final composition of the volumes © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

The tallest tower (40 floors) is the one that faces the Yartsevskaya Street. On the other side of the street, there is already a high-rise in the shape of a stepped arched ridge. The Skuratov residential complex picks up the "red line" set by this building - but its pristine thin verticals offset the latter's excessive weight, setting a new frame of reference in the panorama of this neighborhood. The tower that borders on the Rublevskoye Highway relief road, and its vis-a-vis located within the site, are of equal height (30 floors), and, in turn, pick up the pattern set by more distant high-rises that close up the perspective of the Yartsevskaya Street on the other side of the highway. And finally, the most northern tower, the farthest from the tunnel, has only 24 floors in it - it serves as a transition element of sorts, one that fixes the relief drop that starts behind the construction site. What is interesting here is the fact that, by opting for the different-height composition, Skuratov virtually violated the specifications that provided for the detailed distribution of useful area over the sections of the complex. "Yes, we deliberately decided to disregard this clause by placing our bet on the dramatic compositional solution that "catches" the chaotic vertical rhythms and empty spaces of the old and new houses, bringing into this town-planning chaos a note of balance and tranquility" - explains the architect. As we already know, the judging board agreed with this reasoning.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

The architectural solution of the towers is simple and dramatic at the same time. Each of the volumes has two "material" and two "penetrable" facades. The former are ceramic surfaces with the "punch-cards" of windows; the latter have on them, above the all-surface glazing, light and clear-cut grid of lamellae that hide the stanza balconies with the outdoor blocks of split-systems. The color palette of the complex consists of but two colors - white and terra-cotta; they alternate from facade to facade in such a way that each house is different from its neighbors. At first glance, the whole idea looks pretty simple: white "punch-card" here, red "punch-card" there (side wall this time) - but is this particular way of alternating the colors that enables the authors to maximally enrich the visual feel of the complex from dirrerent sides.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

The silhouette is rendered still more dramatic by the caps of the towers - slender as they are, the high-rises grow thinner as they go up becoming more penetrable. Skuratov does not place the living floors under the very roof but, conversely, builds here public terraces framed by a pergola. The most important public area, though, is the three-level stylobate that takes up almost the whole site and comprising all the maintenance and service facilities of the complex. Its outer perimeter houses the area of the shops, offices, banks, and other services, and is marked with the genre-classic "arcade", while in the intersection points of this horizontal with the verticals of the towers the "stone fabric" if the facade gets elegantly bent out marking the entrance lobbies of the living floors.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Generally, turn-ups and bends become the most important finishing touch that completes the architectural image of the complex. And it seems like this technique was prompted by the same immediate context - at this very point, the Yartsevskaya Street plunged down into a tunnel, and its elongated funnel is turned directly to the future complex. A similar deformation takes place not only on the bottom level but on the topmost one as well: the roofs over the public terraces of the towers are visibly sunk inside. On the layouts, the architects even draw tell-tale lifting weight, and Sergey Skuratov adds to it a poetic explanation that once a helicopter landed here and left this huge dent. Because of this, one of the supports of the pergola came out slanted - not really the most eye-catching detail against the background of the entire complex but sure a fair bit of intrigue for a keen observer.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

While the stylobate itself is accessible for the general public, its roof is only meant for the people that live in the complex. Upon it, Sergey Skuratov proposed to make a park of a complex terrain and with a whole system of ramps, bridges, and overpasses. Along its perimeter runs a jogging track, from which green slopes come down in a giant amphitheater to the central area with a sports and a playground. What is interesting is the fact that above these venues the architects propose to install awnings and connect them with each house with covered passages which will provide the tenants with an opportunity to go outside in any weather. Of course, the softscape with a natural terrain effect is a costly luxury but it will not pump up the budget of the project: the architects propose to cut the costs at the expense of the original layout of placing the car parks and the maintenance facilities (one underground one above-ground, skillfully hidden under the slopes, instead of the usual expensive construction pits).

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Incidentally, just as rationally the authors of the project approached the task of designing the apartment part of the complex. For example, the wetcore areas of all the apartments are placed along the inside perimeter of the floor, next to the communication nuclei, which will provide the tenants with an opportunity to plan out their apartments to their own liking. The use of "Zerringer" facade system will allow for mounting the facades from the inside to the side edges of the intermediate floors, i.e. without building the trestle and parallel to the construction of the monolith framework, which will also help to cut the time and the cost of the construction. The economic benefits of the project were appraised by the judging panel as highly as the architectural and planning solution of the complex. One can only hope that the future apartment buyers will value these benefits just as highly - namely, the comparative accessibility of these apartments and their stylish up-to-date feel.

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. Building 3, plan of the typical floor © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. Building 2, plan of the typical floor © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. Building 1, plan of the typical floor © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

Concept of the residential complex at the Rublevskoye Highway. Sergey Skuratov's sketches © "Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS"

27 January 2014

Headlines now

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.