Sergey Estrin: "Challenging tasks stimulate unconventional solutions".

The founders and co-owners of AMSE Bureau Sergey Estrin and Konstantin Levin share about their drive, growth, the customer's feelings about the architectural plastics and their unwillingness to work in the classic genres, and how they feel about participating in contests.

Interviewed by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

04 September 2014

Interview

Sergey Estrin Architects is twelve years old: it is still too early to think of marking the end but one can already reflect on what has been achieved, sum up the results and make future forecasts. We asked Sergey Estrin and his partner and the co-founder of the company Konstantin Levin a few questions.

Sergey Estrin; Konstantin Levin © AMSE

Archi.ru:
- Twelve years of work for your studio is a long enough time to start dividing your history into phases. What phase are you going through now?

Sergey Estrin:
- The first phase was the time when we worked with the nouveau riche clients, each of them wanting to make a bold statement, to make a parade of his or her accomplishments, to show his or her unlimited financial possibilities and to live his or her architectural fantasies. And we readily got into the swing of things. From the professional standpoint, it was an unbelievably exciting time; in terms of creativity, sky was the limit.

Then there was a time of working with corporate clients and international customers - the phase of professional and organized work: steady commissions and steady revenue streams from them. Our studio "grew" its own Chief Project Architects and project managers. Their knowledge of the market, as well as their knowledge of manufactures of building materials, contractors and suppliers enables us to deal with practically any challenge and meet virtually any time constraints. A vivid example of that is our work for Russian Railways Group: 22000 square meters - from the schematic design that included almost 70 visualizations to the detailed project with all the engineering communications in five weeks!

Now we want to go even further: besides continuing doing the interior designs, we are also going to do more volumes keeping the vector aimed at the imagery and emotions that are inherent to our projects. And - such movement delivers results: right now a residential complex in the city of Novorossiysk is ready to be built, it already was awarded in London the prize "Best Architecture Multiple Residence Russia"; we also recently did a concept of a residential complex in Astana and a very unusual concept of a city district in Novorossiysk. The work on residential houses in Moscow area in the south of Russia is also underway.

Residential complex in Novorossiysk, 2011 © Sergey Estrin Architecs

Multi-functional complex in Astana © Sergey Estrin Architecs

Private residence in the town of Gorky © Sergey Estrin Architecs

Town-plannung concept, Kaluga region; 2013. Administrative building © Sergey Estrin Architecs

Town-plannung concept, Kaluga region; 2013. Top view © Sergey Estrin Architecs

Konstantin Levin:

- Over the twelve years, we made progress, the market became more professional, and the customer that grew with it became more experienced. On the one side, today's customer is hard to please because he has already seen a lot, on the other side, he is no longer afraid of unconventional solutions, he knows exactly what he wants but, curiously enough, he trusts his architect more. And, because of this trust, he gets a project that is tailored to precisely answer his personal needs.

- Your portfolio seems to include ever more large-scale projects - buildings, proposals, and concepts. Is this a result of your deliberate intention to expand your circle of competence or is it just happening by chance?

Sergey Estrin: This is our deliberate intention to keep up the customers' interest to the work of our studio. This is what makes us move forward. It has always been this way: we designed private houses, interiors, a synagogue, a research center, an eye clinic, an entertainment complex with a casino, and even the interior design of the cabin of a private jet. And practically each project had a lot of special details about it: from the mandatory certification of the project (this was the case with the eye clinic) or certification of the materials (this was the case with the jet) - to the physical impossibility to complete the project within the given budget and the time constraints (each of our penthouses, actually). And besides, we had to constantly keep in mind the most various factors, even such exotic ones, for example, as the effect from selling apartments in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan. Seemingly, it had no direct reference to our work but we still had to consider it, and it influenced our design. However, all these conditions and limitations only did us good... Over the years if our work, we could see many times that there are no unsolvable problems, and challenging tasks stimulate ingenious and unconventional solutions.

- Meanwhile, the number of large-scale corporate interiors that you do does not grow any smaller. Where do you find the time?

Sergey Estrin: Our ranks have grown, just as our ambitious chief architects of the project did... As for the time, we always wish we had more of it. You lack the time even when you have little work on your hands and you are actually looking for work, and all the more so when you have found work and you have to go ahead and do it.

Offices of Nord Star Development © Sergey Estrin Architects

Representation office of Diageo Company © Sergey Estrin Architects

- Sergey, it it you who sets the main theme in each given project? Or do you already have co-authors, chief architects of the projects whom you can trust to "whistle a tune"? Just how "monophonic" is your studio?

Sergey Estrin: I take part in the development of ideas for each project. I often come up with an idea and make a detailed sketch of it myself.

Konstantin Levin: We have an "author studio", so it is Sergey who defines just what the project will be like. After that, I come into play. We have a set routine for the implementation of a project: each phase requires the work of some particular people and/or their interaction. All the members of our team that take part in the design process must get into the swing of things at this or that point. Any negligence can lead to financial losses. And we work with large-scale investments, that's why we cannot just operate on the principle of free trust: well, you have worked here for six years, we trust you, you can have it your way from now on.

Sergey Estrin: Nevertheless, I always give my architects an opportunity to come forward with their proposals. And, of course, every interesting idea gets implemented.

- In what phase is the construction of the residential complex in Novorossiysk? Have you been able to find the materials and technologies fit for its implementation?

Sergey Estrin: This is one of our favorite and most interesting projects over the last few years. We already got all the necessary approvals, we already have all the detailed designs and plans, and we are waiting for the construction to begin. I would not like to mention the political situation and the world crisis but they definitely influence our work - how can it be otherwise? We only hope that the complex, despite the situation, will still be built and will still be in demand. We are all entering the period of shifting the priorities. I could even predict that people are going to hide inside their shells and they will stop spending their money at all. On the other hand, I can easily envisage that this country will switch its attention back to its royal self, and we will be faced with the necessity to create the symbols of pride within Russia...

- You are definitely not afraid of complex and sophisticated shapes - suffice it to mention your "Vortex" in the atrium at the 1st Brestskaya Street or the wave-shaped aquarium in the apartment of your customer Sh; the reception desk executed in the shape of a human eye in Johnson&Johnson Visual Care Institute... What are you trying to get across by experimenting with the texture and shape?

Sergey Estrin: Our principle of working in the interiors is finding an image that is vivid and bright from the plastic and sculptural viewpoint, and at the same time is custom-designed for this particular client - like a gift for him or her. Getting something that is personalized, something that you will love for years to come, is something that the customer really values nowadays. Today's interior design is all about creating a space that is emotionally charged. We are not speaking about decoration work here - we are speaking about the interior solutions achieved by architectural means. And, if, creating our "wave", we used the modern form, asymmetric composition and today's technologies, then in the "Vortex" at the Brestskaya Street we employed a classical composition, columns of gothic section, and even the material that we used was very conservative - armored plaster.

"Best design of private residence interior", penthouse of Mr.Sh in "Moscow City" © Sergey Estrin Architects

Public territories of a tower in Moscow City, Section 12. 2014 © Sergey Estrin Architects

Johnson&Johnson Visual Care Institute 2. 2013 © Sergey Estrin Architects

Interior of the entrance group of the office center of "Capital Tower" © Sergey Estrin Architects

- Your portfolio also has in it examples of projects designed in the spirit of the classic architecture: Zhukovka 2007, Krasnodar 2011. Later on, however, you did no develop in this direction - why?

Sergey Estrin: We deliberately refrain from designing in the spirit of classical architecture. All the classics that we did, we did at the customer's order that we just were in no position to turn down. What we really enjoy doing for our customers is the contemporary architecture. It is important that you keep your integrity with the customer. We lead him - sometimes to the place where we have never been. The utmost pleasure for us is working with the customer when the customer is himself is into the project, he cannot wait to see what we are about to show him, then he sees something that he did not expect to see and he says that he's got to think about it... And then he gets back to us looking as if he already crossed the line inside himself, looking as if he is ready to take the plunge. And then the drives sets in - the type that leads to great results. This was the case with Astana and Novorossiysk. When the customer, on the other hand, starts telling us that "he is used to classical style" (When DID he have the time to "get used" to it, for crying out loud? Did he grow up in a palace or something?), and we need to collect our architecture for our Majesty the Customer, we can hardly believe into his aristocratic roots and his very need in the classical surroundings. And coming up with the architecture for the "noble" customers and creating fake "family estates" is not the most exciting experience for me...

But then again, when I travel around the world, I enjoy seeing the fine pieces of old architecture. People have built so many things - wise and wonderful!

- You design a lot for the city of Novorossiysk: your portfolio includes a house of 2007, then this sophisticated volume encased in the curvilinear "grid", and a whole neighborhood of low-rise blocks. Why that city?

Sergey Estrin: All these projects go back to one customer. We just like his plans and ideas. And, I hope, we appeal to him because of our experience in business architecture and our creative method. That is exactly the case I shared about: the person has the drive in them, he lives on these projects, he gains the design momentum and comes up with new ideas, and we take our work to a new level. This is a certain chemistry: business calculations, ambitions, the passion to explore and discover, the technical interest, and, ultimately, the philosophical approach behind it all.

A city district in Novorossiysk © Sergey Estrin Architects

A city district in Novorossiysk © Sergey Estrin Architects

- Recently, it has become a popular trend to work with public territories, do the landscaping, facade-painting, and other "architectural molding". You had an experience of such work back in 2011 for Vedis-Group, where you drew a lightening on the facade of a panel house. And now you don't seem to do landscaping at all... Why?

Sergey Estrin: Landscaping is a self-sufficient and very interesting topic. Besides the work that we did for Vedis Group, we reconstructed facades for Lanit. We also worked on the facade "image sign" for the projects built by Capital Group. We will be happy to do the landscaping part in our Astana project. But we do not consider landscaping as a fully-fledged branch of our studio.

Facade proposal for a Vedis Group residential complex © Sergey Estrin Architects

Facade proposal for a Vedis Group residential complex © Sergey Estrin Architects

Lanit - facade proposal in the Murmansky Driveway 2011 © Sergey Estrin Architects

Residential building for Capital Group 2011 © Sergey Estrin Architects

- What are your impressions of taking part in National Center for Contemporary Arts contest? Do you plan on continuing with this practice? Because participating in contests, though interesting, is pretty expensive!

Sergey Estrin: Both expensive and emotionally draining. Doing a contest without a great and brilliant idea is a waste of time, and the development of such an idea is more often than not a painstaking process that takes you out of life for a certain period of time. You need the ultimate concentration. And you just cannot concentrate amidst your day-to-day work with its constant issues and challenges. But we will still do contests. It's just that you must have some big idea to take part in one. As far as our contest at National Center for Contemporary Arts is concerned, I am satisfied with the result. It was honest - that was our attitude to the stated theme of Russian modern art - a museum located next to the loading bay of a large shopping center. Both the image and the resulting surroundings were quite a success, to my mind.

National Center for Contemporary Arts. Contest proposal © Sergey Estrin Architects

04 September 2014

Headlines now

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Object

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.

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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.