"Lenigradka" Embankment

In this issue, we are covering the projects prepared by the winners and the finalists of the contest for the best concept of "Dimamo" Boulevard in Moscow.

Written by:
Polina Sadova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

03 March 2015

Contest Results

The contest lasted from October 2014 to January 2015 as part of the educational program "Leningradka Embankment" launched by MARCH Architectural School. Under the guidance of the contest curator, architect Ilia Mukosey, the students did a research of the Dinamo Boulevard and determined its problem spots. The boulevard was considered in conjunction with its adjacent square, the Dinamo Stadium, and the Petrovsky Park. Then the contestants were to come up with specific solutions for the problems that they discovered. In late January, there took place the defense of the students' projects, seven of which were forwarded on to the consideration of the judging panel. The organizers also conducted an online popular vote.

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Contest winners

The First Place + People's Choice Award
Ksenia Zvereva

zooming — Visualization of a fragment of the boulevard. Concept of "Dinamo" Boulevard. Author: Ksenia Zvereva

The concept is all about the sonic diversity of the territory. Using the mobile application for measuring the noise level, Ksenia determined the places that are most susceptible to the noise pollution. For example, a large level of noise was discovered opposite the "slab" of a large residential building whose facade reflects the sound. According to the conclusions made by the authors of the project, the reason for the noise pollution of the boulevard is "the absence of the medium green belt". The bushes and the small trees might absorb the noise close to the ground. Strengthening this medium green belt became the key idea of the project. However, according to the architect, there is no necessity to get rid of the noise altogether - because it forms the unique "sonic portrait" of this particular territory. Because of that, it is proposed that at some places the city noise should be kept as it is, and sometimes even augmented with extra sources of sound, fountains for example. Thus, the boulevard gets a peculiar "sonic tour route". Developing her idea of sonic variety, Ksenia proposed to organize, under the junction flyover, a yoga center that will be opposed to the noisy and crowded stadium and at the same time will support the sport theme intrinsic to this place.

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The Second Place
Anastasia Rozhkova

The project is aimed at organizing and comfortably using the boulevard in spite of the proximity of a construction site and a noisy highway. Anastasia proposes to create a covered boulevard whose vertical green belt will protect it from the world outside. There is a bar counter that runs directly along the pedestrian path. Across from it, the authors place a blackboard where anybody can leave a note. Here one can organize weekend bazaars and flea markets, the kind that you can see on the boulevards of European cities.

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The Third Place
Daria Gerasimova

Daria Gerasimova's project is based on the idea of accessibility of the boulevard and the square for the handicapped people. In order to make the territory accessible, the authors propose to replace some of the stairways with zigzag ramps. Besides, according to the author, "Dinamo" Stadium lacks the necessary bicycle infrastructure. In its contest project, for Park of Physical Culture and Sport, "Praktika" proposes to create a bicycle ring that would belt both the park and the stadium. Daria thinks that it is necessary to expand the ring as far as the Petrovsky Park, and, when it runs through the square, elevate the bicycle track over the ground level so as to avoid interfering with the flows of pedestrians and the support crowds during the games. In the center of the square, there is a bicycle renting point and a small cafe. The circular ramp will allow for the cyclists to get up the the level of the bicycle track.

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Contest Finalists

Anton Timofeev

The author dedicated his research to the automotive situation on the highways adjacent to the boulevard. His conclusion runs as follows: in the nearest future, a large part of the local population will be forced to opt out of using their cars in favor of public transportation, and the necessity of multi-level road junctions will be no longer there. The flyovers are turned into linear parks, similar to New-York's High Line. Anton suggests to start preparing people for these changes today. The three-phase scenario that the author has come up with is called "Crutch - Trail - Seizure". The idea is about adding a pedestrian and bicycle trail "crutch" to the flyover. With time, they will also be able to "seize" the carriage way. The space under the flyover may be used as expo space for organizing fairs and exhibitions.

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Andrew Fomichev

According to the research done by Andrew Fomichev, the place that suffers the most from the adverse effects of the highway is the square between the pavilions of the "Dinamo" metro station as well as the part of the boulevard not covered by the flyover. The author also paid attention to the bus stops and retail kiosks scattered chaotically along the Leningrad Avenue. As the key idea, Andrew proposed to implement, on the sidewalk running along the Leningrad Avenue, a modular "transformer" structure. This structure consists, among other things, of "green modules" (bushes in tubs), bus stop modules, cafe modules, and others. The structure can be adjusted and fine-tuned to fit the current specific tasks. By relocating the mobile benches and tubs, for example, one could use the territory as a festival venue, a promenade, or even a skating rink in the wintertime.

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Oleg Sazonov

The author of the project notes the important role of this territory as a link between two parks (Petrovsky and Dinamo). However, the square is not properly organized, and, according to the recent opinion poll, is not really popular with the local people. Oleg proposed to raise the popularity of this place by attracting to it the lovers of extreme sports. The composition is built around a half-pipe that performs, aside from its immediate sport function, a number of other ones (it houses the stadium's booking office, a stage for open-air festivals, a cafe, and a retail store). Ultimately, we see a picturesque enfilade of spaces with diverse functions, securely protected from the noise of the highway. Using this "structure", one can easily get from one park to the other. Yet another solution proposed by the author is creating a terminal for the above-ground transportation that will include the stops of all kinds of transport that runs through this area.

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Daria Zaitseva

This concept was inspired by the diverse architecture of this area. Here one can encounter all the architectural styles of the XX century as well as the Putevoy Palace built in 1780 upon the project of Mathew Kazakov. Daria proposed to create a collective image of the architecture of this area in the form of a "phantom" tower that might be built at the crossing of the Leningrad Avenue and the Third Transport Ring. According to Daria, if placed at the crossings of the Third Transport Ring with Moscow's thirteen main radial highways, such towers could become the basis for the city's new navigation system. Technically, the tower is a metal spike about four hundred feet tall, issuing steam, upon which images are projected. The judging panel gave a special mention to the model of the tower that Daria prepared. It consists of a steam generator and a pocket projector that projects the image of the tower onto a steam column.

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The judging panel of the contest

S.P. Shamanov, Deputy General Director of UK Dinamo
T.P. Dedinskaya, Deputy Head of Administrative Board of "Airport" District for trading and service issues.
Sergey Tchoban, architect, the managing partner of SPEECH architectural bureau
Oscar Mamleev, professor of Moscow Institute of Architecture, MARCH architectural school, and the International Academy of Architecture, Architectural Association School of Architecture (London, UK)
A.A. Voskresensky, editor-in-chief of "Commersant. Dom" Magazine
Y.G. Saprykin, journalist, former editor-in-chief of "Afisha" Magazine
Julius Borisov, co-founder of the architectural bureau UNK project
S.A. Nikitin, urbanist historian, leader of "Moscultprog" Group and the founder of the international project "Velonoch" ("Night of a Bicycle")
M.L. Zvyagintseva, artist and curator of public art projects, member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia, and Union of Artists of Moscow

03 March 2015

Headlines now

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.

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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

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Object

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.