По-русски

​Moscow’s First

“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.

02 September 2024
Object
mainImg
Architect:
Sergey Skuratov
Firm:
Sergey Skuratov architects http://skuratov-arch.ru
This article about the gymnasium project is supported by the KIRILL company as part of the preparation for Sergey Skuratov’s company booth at the Arch Moscow 2024 exhibition. We thank the company for the opportunity to publish the material.

The building’s architecture is largely defined by its location on a green slope by the river, near the Bogdan Khmelnitsky pedestrian bridge.

  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1. Location of the site in the structure of the neighborhood
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS
  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1. Reference site plan
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The school building forms a new perspective on Rostovskaya Embankment: its elongated volume stretching along the waterfront is clearly visible from the opposite side of the river, from Berezhkovskaya Embankment, from the Bogdan Khmelnitsky pedestrian bridge, and from the square in front of Kievsky Station, which sees a significant number of people passing through daily. Essentially, the building becomes a landmark that significantly influences its surroundings.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. View from Berezhskoy embankment
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. View from the intersection of 1 Vrazhsky Lane and Rostovskaya Embankment
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The complex terrain – with a height difference of over ten meters – is cleverly incorporated into both the volume and layout of the building, transforming a challenge into a unique feature that distinguishes this project from others.

  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS
  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The pre-existing pedestrian and vehicular paths, the established urban fabric, and the project’s significance in urban planning helped create an environment that feels welcoming and where people want to spend time.

The design diagram shows the spatial logic of the building’s structure. A large cantilever opens up views of the river and the Kievsky Station square, while a smaller cutout on the opposite side gives way to the slope. The building’s blocks may seem orthogonal, but everything necessary for both the school and the city is accounted for with a light, elegant stroke.

  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1. Form making
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS
  • zooming
    Moscow Gymnasium #1.
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The structure consists of two elongated blocks set on a shared base, slightly offset from each other, giving the impression of independently designed units. The block closer to the river is primarily dedicated to the upper grades, while the lower school is located on the lower floors of the city-facing block. Thanks to the offset of the blocks in the northern part, where the school meets the intense pedestrian flow from the bridge, a small urban square is created.

  • zooming
    City Square from the side of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Bridge. View from 7 Gostovsky Lane. Moscow Gymnasium #1
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS
  • zooming
    Town square, view from the square at Bogdan Khmelnitsky Bridge; entrance for high school students. Moscow Gymnasium #1.
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


This urban square can also be accessed from the embankment via a staircase combined with an open amphitheater. This path follows the existing trails, particularly the mid-level exit from the bridge, and enhances them. However, the poplar trees will be replaced by trees of a different “cultural level” – those that do not produce fluff or accumulate dust. The green slope will serve as a buffer between the embankment and the school. On the side of the square, a kind of “node” of public urban space is formed, with the school acting as a key element of the city’s fabric. It makes perfect sense that the entrance for upper-grade students is located here, under the large cantilever, as it is important for teenagers to be in contact with the city and with the “real” life.

The entrance for the lower grades is located on the opposite, quieter side, along 1st Vrazhsky Lane. The project includes provisions for dropping off younger students by car, with access to the lower underground level.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. Accessibility
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


And, of course, despite the building’s integration into the city, safety measures for the children have been carefully considered.

The school’s facades are deliberately light and airy, creating a sense of freshness and bringing something new to a district dominated by Stalinist architecture. The façade grid is vertical, slender, and bright, with thin slats gradually becoming denser in a smooth gradient, transforming into slopes – this is one of Sergey Skuratov’s favorite techniques, mastered to perfection, as seen in the “Garden Quarters” high-end residential complex located nearby.

Speaking of which, it’s not too difficult to walk to the school from the residential complex – just a 20-minute walk away.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The facades are made of light natural stone and artificial stone for the thinnest elements that require extra strength. Copper is also used for the thin slats on the lower levels and for the underside of the cantilever. The cantilever will likely animate the square with its reflective glints and can be seen as a visual “paraphrase” of the river, but in warm tones. The copper cut of the cantilever is complemented by a strip of milky glass, dividing the façade into two vertical sections, accentuating its length and, albeit in a different way, also referencing the water.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The principle of visual openness and transparency is also realized in the heart of the school – a spacious atrium. The atrium, a meeting place and the main interior space, connects the two building blocks across their full height.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. The amphitheaater
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. The event hall
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


“Taking center stage in the project, the atrium embodies the key characteristic of modern education, which is built primarily on communication, not dictation” Sergey Skuratov explains.

The atrium is clad in dark wood with warm undertones, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a theater hall. However, both ends of the atrium are framed with stained glass windows, facing the square on one side and the alley on the other, with steps leading down to them like a stage. Above the atrium, there is a suspended “cube” that houses a sound recording studio, whose facades are planned to be media surfaces for displaying videos and school announcements.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. The central atrium
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. The entrance from the square
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


The roof of the atrium forms a large step, creating a green terrace.

zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. View from 1 Vrazhsky Lane
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


zooming
Moscow Gymnasium #1. View from Bogdan Khmelnitsky Bridge Square
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS


When looking at the internal layout of the complex, it becomes clear that the atrium is a crescendo, but the school’s structure is equally interesting in other areas. For instance, the slope is used to house the swimming pool, auditorium, and gym. The gym is lit by skylights incorporated into the square’s paving. Both the gym and auditorium are double-height spaces, with the auditorium featuring a balcony for special guests. Adjacent to the gym’s bleachers is the library, which smoothly flows into the amphitheater – another modern design approach that harmoniously and noninvasively blends noisy and quiet zones within the school’s public spaces. It’s fascinating to see how such diverse spaces are ergonomically “packed” into two concise blocks, connected by a spacious, tall, visually permeable bridge between them.

In short, the visual lightness and simplicity of the building’s exterior design are the result of solving the complex challenge of “planting” the building, skillfully turning difficulties into opportunities – which, ultimately, is what the architect’s job is all about.

Architect:
Sergey Skuratov
Firm:
Sergey Skuratov architects http://skuratov-arch.ru

02 September 2024

Headlines now
Object
Gold in the Sands
A new office for a transcontinental company specializing in resource extraction and processing has opened in Dubai. Designed by T+T Architects, masters of creating spaces that are contemporary, diverse, flexible, and original, this project exemplifies their expertise. On the executive floor, a massive brass-clad partition dominates, while layered textures of compressed earth create a contextually resonant backdrop.
Object
Layers and Levels of Flight
This project goes way back – Reserve Union won this architectural competition at the end of 2011, and the building was completed in 2018, so it’s practically “archival”. However, despite being relatively unknown, the building can hardly be considered “dated” and remains a prime example of architectural expression, particularly in the headquarters genre. And it’s especially fitting for an aviation company office. In some ways, it resembles the Aeroflot headquarters at Sheremetyevo but with its own unique identity, following the signature style of Vladimir Plotkin. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in the Moscow agglomeration town of Zhukovsky, supplemented by recent photographs from Alexey Naroditsky – a shoot that became only recently possible due to the fact that improvements were finally made in the surrounding area.
Object
Light and Shadow
In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.
View
Casus Novae
A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.
Report
Treasure Hunting
The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.
Object
Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water
In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.
Object
Fir Tree Dynamics
The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.
Object
​A Brick Shell
In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.
Report
Word Forms
ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.
Object
Flexibility and Acuteness of Modernity
Luxurious, fluid, large “kokoshniks” and spiral barrel columns, as if made from colorful chewing gum: there seem to be no other mansion like this in Moscow, designed in the “Neo-Russian-Modern” style. And the “Teremok” on Malaya Kaluzhskaya, previously somewhat obscure, has “come alive with new colors” and gained visibility after its restoration for the office of the “architectural ecosystem” as the architects love to call themselves. It’s evident that Julius Borisov and the architects at UNK put their hearts into finding this new office and bringing it up to date. Let’s delve into the paradoxes of this mansion’s history and its plasticity. Spoiler: two versions of modernity meet here, both balancing on the razor’s edge of “what’s current”.
Interview
Yuri Vissarionov: “A modular house does not belong to the land”
It belongs to space, or to the air... It turns out that 3D printing is more effective when combined with a modular approach: the house is built in a workshop and then adapted to the site, including on uneven terrain. Yuri Vissarionov shares his latest experience in designing tourist complexes, both in central Russia and in the south. These include houseboats, homes printed from lightweight concrete using a 3D printer, and, of course, frame houses.
Object
​Moscow’s First
“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.
Object
Looking at the Water
The site of Villa Sonata stretches from the road to the water’s edge, offering its own shoreline, pier, and a picturesque river panorama. To reveal these sweeping views, Roman Leonidov “cut” the façade diagonally parallel to the river, thus getting two main axes for the house and, consequently, “two heads”. The internal core – two double-height spaces, a living room and a conservatory, with a “bridge” above them – makes the house both “transparent” and filled with light.
Object
The White Wing
Well, it’s not exactly white. It’s more of a beige, white-stone structure that plays with the color of limestone – smoother surfaces are lighter, while rougher ones are darker. This wing unites various elements: it absorbs and interprets the surrounding themes. It responds to everything, yet maintains a cohesive expression – a challenging task! – while also incorporating recognizable features of its own, such as the dynamic cuts at the bottom, top, and middle.
Object
Urban Dunes
The XSA Ramps team designed and built a three-part sports hub for a park in Rostov-on-Don, welcoming people of all ages and fitness levels. The skate plaza, pump track, and playground are all meticulously crafted with details that attract a diverse range of visitors. The technical execution of the shapes and slopes transforms this space into a kind of sculptural composition.
Object
Proportional Growth
The project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential area has been announced. The buildings are situated on an elongated plot – almost a “ray” that shoots out from the center of the area towards the river. Their layout reflects both a response to Moscow’s architectural preferences over the past 15 years, shifting “from blocks to towers”, and an interpretation of the neighboring business park designed by SOM. Additionally, the best apartments here are not located at the very top but closer to the middle, forming a glowing “waistline”.
Object
The “Staircase” Building
In designing the “Details” residential complex in New Moscow, Rais Baishev spiced up the now-popular Moscow theme of a “courtyard” building with an idea drawn from the surrealist drawings by Maurits Escher. He envisioned the stepped silhouettes and descending slopes as a metaphysical mega-staircase, creating a key void within the courtyard that gave the project an internal “spine”. This concept is felt both in the building’s silhouette and on its façades.
Object
Projection of the Quarter
No one doubted that the building that Vladimir Plotkin designed as part of the “Garden Quarters” would be the most modernist of all. And it turned out just that way: while adhering to the common design code, the building successfully combines brick and white stone, rhythmically responding to the neighboring building designed by Ostozhenka, yet tactfully and persistently making a few statements of its own. This includes the projection of the ideal urban development composition “14–9–6”, which can be found right next door, mathematical calculations, including those for various types of terraces (and perhaps the only reminder of the Soviet past of the Kauchuk rubber factory!), and the white “cross-stitch” pattern of the façade grid.
Object
Domus Aurea
In this issue, we examine the “Tessinsky-1” house, designed by Sergey Skuratov and completed in 2023. Located in the middle of the Serebryanicheskaya Embankment district, at the intersection of its main streets, this house assumes a sort of “nodal” role: it not only responds to everything around it and preserves many memories of the former EMA factory within itself, but it weaves all this into a newly directed pattern, reconciling bright “gold” and dark-colored brick, largely with the help of the new, modern-yet-archaic Columba brick, which, come to think about it, is the most precious element here.
send.project
The Chimney of Nikola-Lenivets
In this issue, we are examining the “Obelisk House” designed by KATARSIS and built for the Arkhstoyanie 2023 festival. However, it was only finished later on, and this is why we are examining it now. It seems to us that after the “Obelisk House” appeared in Nikola-Lenivets, a dialogue and a few inner connections appeared between the temporary structures built here. These houses no longer look like “accidental neighbors”, more of which below.
​Periscope by the Bay
The jury awarded the second place in the competition for a public and cultural center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the companies GORA (“Mountain”) and M4. In the consortium’s proposal, the building resembles a sperm whale with a calf swimming next to it or a periscope, whose lenses capture the most spectacular views from the surrounding landscape.
Contest Results
From Arcs to Dolmens
While working on the competition project for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, ASADOV Architects prioritized the value of the natural and urban environment, aiming to preserve the balance of the location while minimizing the resemblance of the volume that they designed to a “traditional building”. The task was challenging, and the architects created three versions, one of which having been developed after the competition, where their main proposal took third place. However, the point of interest here is not the competition result but the continuity of creative thinking.
Object
Hide and Seek
The ID Moskovskiy house, designed by Stepan Liphart in St. Petersburg, in the courtyards near Moskovskiy Avenue beyond the Obvodny Canal and recently completed, is notable for several reasons. Firstly, it has been realized with considerable accuracy, which is particularly significant as this is the first building where the architect was responsible not only for the facades but also for the layouts, allowing for better integration between the two. On the other hand, this building is interesting as an example of the “germination” of new architecture in the city: it draws on the best examples from the neighborhood and becomes an improved and developed sum of ideas found by the architect in the surrounding context.
The Big Twelve
Yesterday, the winners of the Moscow Mayor’s Architecture Award were announced and honored. Let’s take a look at what was awarded and, in some cases, even critique this esteemed award. After all, there is always room for improvement, right?
Object
Above the Golden Horn
The residential complex “Philosophy” designed by T+T architects in Vladivostok, is one of the new projects in the “Golubinaya Pad” area, changing its development philosophy (pun intended) from single houses to a comprehensive approach. The buildings are organized along public streets, varying in height and format, with one house even executed in gallery typology, featuring a cantilever leaning on an art object.
Report
Nuanced Alternative
How can you rhyme a square and space? Easily! But to do so, you need to rhyme everything you can possibly think of: weave everything together, like in a tensegrity structure, and find your own optics too. The new exhibition at GES-2 does just that, offering its visitor a new perspective on the history of art spanning 150 years, infused with the hope for endless multiplicity of worlds and art histories. Read on to see how this is achieved and how the exhibition design by Evgeny Ace contributes to it.
Object
Blinds for Ice
An ice arena has been constructed in Domodedovo based on a project by Yuri Vissarionov Architects. To prevent the long façade, a technical requirement for winter sports facilities, from appearing monotonous, the architects proposed the use of suspended structures with multidirectional slats. This design protects the ice from direct sunlight while giving the wall texture and detail.
Contest Results
Frozen Magma
A competition for the creation of a public and cultural center was held in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Three architectural companies made it to the final, and we consider it important to share about the work of each. Let’s start with the winner – the consortium led by Wowhaus.
Report
Campus within a Day
In this article, we talk about what the participants of Genplan Institute of Moscow’s hackathon were doing at the MosComArchitecture booth at the “ArchMoscow” exhibition. We also discuss who won the prize and why, and what can be done with the territory of a small university on the outskirts of Moscow.
Overview
Vertical Civilization
Genpro considered the development of the vertical city concept and made it the theme of their pavilion at the “ArchMoscow” exhibition.