По-русски

Flexibility and Integration

Not long ago, we covered the project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential complex, designed by APEX. Now, we’ve been shown different fence concepts they developed to enclose the complex’s private courtyards, incorporating a variety of public functions. We believe that the sheer fact that the complex’s architects were involved in such a detail as fencing speaks volumes.

18 November 2024
News
mainImg
The main feature of these enclosures is that public spaces are planned to integrate not only from within but also from outside the fences. This creates “transitional spaces” that are open to the city yet secure, aided by integrated monitoring and video surveillance security systems.

In our designs, we generally aim to avoid traditional fencing, instead enclosing the site’s perimeter with the building volume itself, single-story commercial structures, or elements like pergolas, small architectural forms, and landscaping with amphitheater-style terraces. The use of traditional fences is minimized and reserved for practical needs, such as the gate for fire lanes. Even in such cases, the fencing is created with vertical slats, without horizontal rails or a top handrail.


Several options were presented. The first is a traditional yet transparent, grid-like fence, allowing visibility and leaving space in front for a favorite urban pastime enjoyed by nearly all ages – large swings.

Fencing options built into the Alia Residential Complex Phase 4 landscaping project
Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus


Another approach transforms the fence, or, should we say, “the barrier” into a public area, with seating steps and even café tables. This type of boundary isn’t perceived as a fence; it becomes part of the park, courtyard, or even the entire urban landscape, especially if combined with segments of green hedges.

  • zooming
    Fencing options built into the Alia Residential Complex Phase 4 landscaping project
    Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus
  • zooming
    Fencing options built into the Alia Residential Complex Phase 4 landscaping project
    Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus


The walls can also be adapted for use as part of a sports area.

Fencing options built into the Alia Residential Complex Phase 4 landscaping project
Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus


Lastly, there are designs for low-height, flexible barriers that serve to zone courtyard spaces.

Fencing options built into the Alia Residential Complex Phase 4 landscaping project
Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus


Notably, the small architectural forms and fences in the ÁLIA residential complex neighborhoods are also designed by the same architects who developed the residential buildings.

For the fourth phase, this is the APEX team, while for the third phase, it’s the CONTINUUM bureau. In their project, brick enclosures continue the color and texture of the residential walls, combining large ribbed sections with fine mesh inserts. This is an architectural alternative to a solid wall – porous yet linked to the façade’s overall aesthetic.

  • zooming
    Courtyard space of the 3rd stage of Alia Residential Complex
    Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus
  • zooming
    Courtyard space of the 3rd stage of Alia Residential Complex
    Copyright: © APEX / provided by Asterus


It’s clear that fences are barriers have always been a topic of ongoing exploration, one that grapples with one of today’s most challenging paradoxes: the need for spaces to be both public and private, shared and individual, open and secure. This is a complex paradox, and both sides – those in favor of complete openness and those for total enclosure – have their valid points.

Hence, the search continues for an optimal fence design, which seems to be expanding with new concepts and variations. Key trends in recent years include transparent enclosures made of glass or perforated panels, green walls, and automated security systems featuring smart technology that, according to a press release from Asterus, the developer behind the ÁLIA residential complex, “ensures a high level of safety without overloading the landscape”. It remains to be seen which trend will prevail: traditional green hedges or cutting-edge security technology.

But perhaps what resonates even more with us is another aspect of this approach – the fact that the fences and small architectural forms are designed by the same architects who designed the residential buildings. This consistency is both logical and makes perfect sense.

18 November 2024

Headlines now
Living in the Architecture of One’s Own Making
Do architects design houses for themselves? You bet! In this article, we are examining a new book by TATLIN publishing house. This book – unprecedented for Russia – features 52 private homes designed and built by contemporary architects for themselves. It includes houses that are famous, even iconic, as well as lesser-known ones; large and small, stylish and eccentric. To some extent, the book reflects the history of Russian architecture over the past 30 years.
A City Block Isoline
Another competition project for a residential complex on the banks of the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod has been prepared by Studio 44. A team of architects led by Ivan Kozhin concluded that using a regular block layout in such a location would be inappropriate and developed a “custom design” approach: a chain of parceled multi-section buildings stretching along the entire embankment. Let’s explore the features and advantages of this unconventional method.
Competition: The Price of Creativity?
Any day now, we’re expecting the results of a competition held by the “Samolet” development group for a plot in Kommunarka. In the meantime, we share the impressions of Editor-in-Chief Julia Tarabarina, who managed to conduct a public talk. Though technically focused on the interaction between developers and architects, the public talk turned into a discussion about the pros and cons of architectural competitions.
Terraced Design
The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.