Evgeny Novosadyuk: “Without triggers that will make you overcome something, you may never make it to the next level”

We talked to Evgeny Novosadyuk to find out how to go from an art school graduate to a partner of Studio 44. Spoiler: you will have to work a lot, miss sleep, and be in love with your city.

Interviewed by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

07 September 2022

Interview

Archi.ru: Evgeny, how old are you?

Evgeny Novosadyuk: I am 34.

Can you please share about the time before Studio 44? Where did you study, where did you work, who were your teachers?

At some point, my parents asked me what I was going to be. I wanted to be neither a lawyer like my dad nor a veterinarian like my mom. One of the options was going to the Lyceum of the Academy of Fine Arts, and they had an architectural class there. And, after a certain hiatus, I did enter the Lyceum – back in junior high school, I did a lot of drawing, but later on I was more into sports, and I even got to the candidate for the master of sports in fencing.

At the same time, architecture was never far away: I really enjoyed walking downtown or visiting a museum. In addition, my uncle was an architect, but I only fully realized that after I entered the Lyceum. My subliminal passion for the city environment turned into a desire to take part in its creation.

Even now, having visited many architectural capitals of the world, a come back home from a business trip or a vacation, from Paris or from Rome, and I come to the five-corner building, see the embankments, and the avenues and think again and again – what a beautiful city we got!

zooming — Romantic park “Tuchkov Buyan”

Copyright: © Studio 44, West 8

What was your way from studying at the Academy of Fine Arts to landing a contract with Studio 44?

In the Academy, the students are immersed in an environment consisting of sturdy professionals, who define the mood and the trends of the architecture of St. Petersburg.

During the first year, the students are exposed to the basics of the profession, they study architectural graphics, wash drawing, and basic architectural elements. This is a classical school, and it’s great that it is preserved. By your second year, you need to choose a studio where you will study further, and you already know, with which of the professors you want to work, and with whom you expect the most interesting and the best results. By the end of your second year, you are quite at home with the material, and you communicate with older guys – this is a time-honored tradition in the Academy: since personal communication still matters a lot, the younger students are attached to doing purely technical tasks, and during the process of helping older guys they start thinking differently – a mutually beneficial experience.

I was able to continue my education in Vladimir Popov studio that had some of the best consultants in the Academy, and they are still in the public eye now: Yuri Zemtsov, Anatoly Stolyarchuk, Sergey Padalko, and, of course, Nikita Yavein. To get shortlisted for the studio, you need to have not so much good grades as interesting projects – if the professor sees your potential in them, you stand a better chance.

I started working for the studio at the end of my fourth year. A girl called me, whom I had helped a little with her diploma work in the Academy, and she said that technical help was needed in the project of an Almazov housing complex. Back then, I was interested in all kinds of things (well, so I am now, in fact) – and I agreed. But that was a bit of a challenge because, you know, a novice always has a hard time doing routine work. All these calculations – now they are made automatically, using special software, and back then it was done manually, and it was a nightmare. But you had to go through it – it was a valuable experience too.

There was also a time when I was periodically invited to help with competition projects – and I remember happy sleepless nights when we were preparing applications for the Astana railway station contest, and the Kazakhstan History Museum. These were significant milestones, after which the older guys in the Academy started to look differently upon you.

How did your career with the company develop? When and how did you become a partner?

Well, it was a sine wave. If you’re talking years, this is one figure – I became a partner in ten years, although in total I have worked for them for 12 years. If you’re talking about projects, this is a different figure and different scales, ranging from “paper” competition projects to actual working documentation. Perhaps, this is what I owe my success to – because I was able to accumulate the experience at different project stages.

A very important milestone for me was the project of Tuchkov Buyan, where I was the head of the group from the Russian side. It was then that my attitude towards what I was doing changed because I realized that the result directly depended on how much effort I invest in the project, and how I can organize myself and the guys from the group, and channel our energy to ultimately deliver a high-quality product no matter the circumstances. There was a challenge of mental character there as well: for a week and a half, we worked at the West 8 office – that was quite a shakeup, because we had to leave our comfort zone and work in someone else’s office with totally different design principles. And it was also important not to get lost in it, and stand our own ground. We ultimately won, surpassing Bjarke Ingels and Herzog & de Meuron – which is quite a result by any standards. The very situation made us grow up quickly. Without triggers that will make you overcome something, you may never make it to the next level.

Also, our leader, Nikita Yavein, organizes work in such a way that you now and then have no other choice than to grow professionally. And he provides opportunities for that by posing unconventional tasks that at some point give you full carte blanche. You think you’re not ready yet, but the task has already been set. If you cope with it, this means that you justified his trust, and if you don’t… frankly, I cannot remember such an occasion.

Why do you think Nikita Yavein took you on as a partner?

Probably, one of the big factors was that, despite the complexity of the tasks he would set for me, I never said “no, I think I’m pass” – rather, it was a “do or die” thing. Each next challenge makes you psychologically stronger, and you no longer have that inner tremor, or fear of doing something new, challenging, and complex. What is important, however, is not to think of yourself as a seasoned pro and loosen control – because there is an urban myth of high-altitude construction workers who tend to fall to their death from third or fourth floors – simply because they know how to handle much greater heights.

What changed after you received the partner statues, besides the volume of work? Does it make you feel different?

The partner status is not some kind of honorable medal, really. Rather, it is an advance, and a bar that you need to set higher and higher. And this adds to your responsibility for the end result. Besides, in addition to the professional tasks, you also start performing representative functions, such as interviews, lectures, and conferences.

What is your vision of the further development of your career? What would you want to be doing in 5/10/20 years from now? Do you have plans to start, perhaps, your own company?

I don’t look that far. I am totally engrossed in our current projects – they are exciting for me, and we have a great team. And I have quite enough of independence within the framework of Studio 44. And I see that I still have a lot to say at this stage, there is still room for the next step, and for further development – this is what matters the most to me.

What projects can you specifically mention since you became a partner?

The Tuchkov Buyan project proved that Studio 44 does have potential for working with landscape. After that, there were two park projects – a linear one in the “Galaktika” housing project, and a contest project in Murmansk. Park projects now lie within the area of our interests. Another interesting project for us was the Rosatom one – the National Center for Physics and Mathematics in the city of Sarov. Currently, we are doing a mountain resort not far away from Sochi.

Studio 44 intensively promotes and develops BIM-design, and creates its own software. This allows us to work on projects with complex terrain and non–standard source data – we can simulate the situation and adequately calculate costs.

Are there projects that you do outside your main area of work?

When I first came to work for Studio 44, George Snezhkin was still working here. Once we decided to go to an architectural festival, not even really knowing each other – George Snezhkin, Andrey Voronov, Kesha Padalko, and Sasha Berzing. We all hopped in Kesha’s car and went to that festival in Latvia, where we did a project of a floating stage, and where we ultimately won. At the award ceremony, they jokingly called us “Lesosplav” (“Timber Rafting”) – the name stuck and existed for about 3 or 4 years. Back then, there were a lot of festivals, and we did various competition projects, one of them being a temple made from hay, like a giant haystack, for which we received the “Echo Leonidova” award, and another one, which was a “Rocket Hostel”. The studio was OK with letting us go on such creative “escapades”, and they gave me an outlet beyond routine work. I would wish such an auto-training to everyone.

Today, despite my being insanely busy, I sometimes do find time to independently participate in a competition. More often than not I have to refrain from it, but sometimes I just can’t walk past. For example, when the “Resurs Periferii” (“Periphery Resources”) competition attracted me with an opportunity to make a positive difference to the sleeping-belt areas, and propose a model that could be duplicated by other cities. Taking part in such serious events is all about team work – you don’t do large competitions single-handed, you need a team of like-minded people.

There are less obliging stories as well. For example, there was a “brick” competition conducted by the “Project Baltia” magazine, which gave me an opportunity to speak my mind about the trucks with decorations that I see every time walking down Rubinstein Street.

I also teach in the Academy of Fine Arts, and consult in Nikita Yavein’s studio. Finding myself in the Academy was a very exciting experience for me.

Still recently, you were a student, and now you are a respected teacher, as if it wasn’t you running around red-eyed with your papers a while back. For now, in the studio I play the part of an interpreter or an adaptor. Nikita Yavein reads his course with unbelievable enthusiasm, but sometimes he speaks from the height of his experience in a language that is rather profession-specific, and hard to understand for the novices. If I see that the students do not understand this or that specific term, I pull them aside and explain it. They will feel more comfortable asking naive questions to me than to the big man. And my help delivers results because the guys grow from project to project – a great moment for the teacher that proves that my work was not in vain.

What are your interests outside of architecture?

My dad shared with me that he did a lot of mountaineering and yachting. And I wondered where he found the time. And now I like snowboarding, and I have a yacht driving license. My son and daughter are almost grown-ups now, they clearly formulate their thoughts, and I have fun being around them. I usually spend my free time with a book – it’s either specialized literature or classics. I try to stop the lacunae in my education, but, like they say, the more you know the more you realize that you don’t know anything”.

07 September 2022

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.