По-русски

The Value of Open Space

For the site near the Barrikadnaya Metro Station, Sergey Skuratov developed five projects between 2020 and 2025. Two of them were ones that won the client’s invitation-only competitions. The fifth was recently selected by the Mayor of Moscow for implementation. The project is vivid and sculptural, expressive, eye-catching, and engaging – very much in line with the spirit of our time. And yet, this project is mid-rise rather than tall. In its northwestern part, near the metro and Druzhinnikovskaya Street, it shapes a comfortable urban environment. On the opposite side, it opens up, allowing sunlight into the courtyard and creating a spatial pause within the dense city fabric. How it is organized, what geometric principles underlie it, and why it takes this form – all this is explored in our article.

08 April 2026
Object
mainImg
Architect:
Sergey Skuratov
Firm:
Sergey Skuratov architects http://skuratov-arch.ru
It was only recently that the “House of Sports” project received official approval. Capital Group is developing it on the site of a Soviet football and athletics stadium, which at different times was known as Krasnaya Presnya / Iskra / Pravda / Metrostroy. It was an open stadium in the full sense of the term: two fields – one large and one smaller – and several auxiliary buildings, already abandoned by 2020.

The stadium itself had appeared in the 1920s on the site of the filled-in Middle Pond on the Presnya River. Today, only the ponds of the Moscow Zoo remain; notably, the pavilion of the Krasnopresnenskaya Station on the circular line stands where the pond once was. The new high-end residential complex is being built 150 meters south of the metro entrance, between three prominent 20th-century landmarks – the White House (also known as the Government House), the COMECON Building, and the Kudrinskaya Square High-rise.

There are, in fact, many striking urban panoramas here: the site lies on a slope, on the high bank at a bend of the Moscow River, from which the city seems to unfold dramatically. This advantageous location is its first defining feature.

  • zooming
    “House of Sports,” Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Site plan diagram. “House of Sports,” Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


The second is that this is not just “another residential building with a sports facility”. Since the site inherits the legacy of the stadium, from the very beginning of the design process – around 2019 – it was intended to “preserve the function”, incorporating a significant number of new sports facilities. Above all, a new ice arena. In the final design, sports functions actually dominate, exceeding residential space by 10%. Meanwhile, the sports facilities include: two ice arenas of 2,135 square meters each, with interior heights of over 8 meters; six padel courts totaling 1,262 square meters, a sports complex with 25- and 50-meter swimming pools; a yoga center; and, finally, a football center with heated locker rooms and an open, heated field located on the roof of the underground stylobate, on the side facing the White House.

  • zooming
    Level -1 floor plan at elevation -6.600. Main functions of the building’s sports program are shown. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Section 1-1. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


In functional – and likely marketing – terms, the project fully lives up to its name, “House of Sports”. For anyone who would like their children to grow up as athletes without spending hours commuting to professional training facilities, such a complex would be an ideal fit. More broadly, an active lifestyle centered not just on fitness but on sports as such is said to be increasingly popular today.

At the same time, it would be misleading to imagine this as a sports complex with housing merely “attached” to it. The second part of the name – “house” – is equally justified. The sports facilities are largely concealed underground, making use of the site’s changes in elevation. They are lit partly by lateral glazing and partly by rooflights, whose circular glass apertures are clearly visible on the stylobate roof. Along the wide Konyushkovskaya Street, the stylobate acts as a “frame”, defining the street edge; along Druzhinnikovskaya Street, it becomes a “plinth”, a base level that unifies the row of residential buildings above.

  • zooming
    “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


The result is a mid-rise urban fabric which, together with the five- and nine-story buildings opposite, will shape the section of Druzhinnikovskaya Street closest to the Barrikadnaya Metro Station.

With the sports functions hidden, the city emerges – but not a high-rise one, as is more typical today. Given the value of the site, one might reasonably have expected several towers comparable in height to those of the nearby SkyView Residential Complex, built on the site of the former Solovey cinema by TsLP. Those towers rise to roughly twice the height – around 20 stories, over 70 meters.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


By contrast, the residential buildings of the “House of Sports” reach 35 meters, and the office building 30 meters. The project creates a pause in the urban fabric. When asked whether there had been a height restriction, the architect explains that such a limit did exist in 2020, though it was later lifted. However, the client – Capital Group – chose not to revise the original height decisions, resulting in a rare – very rare today – example of a calm, human-scale urban environment.

Two more qualities make the project exceptional: its urban presence and its mid-rise scale.

Now, a word from the architect, Sergey Skuratov:

It seems to me that the value of this place lies in its openness – in this quality of air and long views that is so rare for Moscow, in these generous pauses between quite powerful urban landmarks. And it was very important not to spoil this condition with excessive mass or arbitrary height. That is why from the outset we pursued a rather restrained approach: we kept the height moderate, and simply placed the main sports volume underground so that the space above could remain at grade, open and free. In the latest version, the project became more animated, more sculptural – at times even more emotional – but for me it was important that it did not lose its internal discipline and, I would say, this sense of respect for the place itself.


zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


“The value of this place lies in its openness” – a key definition of the project’s approach.

If we take a closer look at the composition, it becomes clear that Sergey Skuratov both responds to the existing urban layout and subtly adjusts it. The site, as noted, lies on the filled-in pond of the Presnya River; rivers rarely run straight, and the two flanking streets follow gentle curves. The broader, four-lane Konyushkovskaya Street to the east bends more, while the smaller Druzhinnikovskaya Street bends less. Both are oriented toward the south-southwest. In the “House of Sports” project, the curve of Konyushkovskaya Street is acknowledged – it could hardly be ignored, as it defines the site boundary – and transformed into a smoothly chamfered corner, forming a kind of south-facing “prow” or “tail” of the stylobate courtyard. This triangular section of the courtyard has an 8% slope; it opens toward the river, offering panoramic views for those walking there. Adjacent to it, lies the rectangle of an open football field, while a “pool” fountain tucked between them recalls the former Krasnaya Presnya pond.

By contrast, the row of residential buildings is aligned strictly along the meridian, which is optimal in terms of sunlight exposure. In this way, among the naturally curving streets of Moscow, the architects introduce a new straight line – a kind of structural spine. In the northern part of the site, an office building stretches laterally, precisely from west to east. It complements the “sports + housing” program by adding a third component, while also separating the private courtyard on the stylobate roof from the public square by the Barrikadnaya Metro Station.

  • zooming
    Site layout plan. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Insolation. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


As a result, the overall outline somewhat resembles a kitchen knife: an elongated rectangle running north to south, with one chamfered, “pointed” corner.

  • zooming
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Landscape design scheme. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


In plan, both the residential blocks and the office building take the form of elongated rectangles with an asymmetrically cut “nose” at one end – not sharp, but rendered with varying degrees of sculptural rounding. Clearly, this “signature” pointed form – partly dictated by the site, partly discovered in the design process – is repeated in several variations. This creates an internal rhythm that lends coherence to the project as a whole.

These pointed end “prows” also serve as the key points of interaction between the complex and the city – its “main façades” or primary accents. One might recall the Narkomfin Building by Moisei Ginzburg, hidden behind the embassy buildings nearby: there, the role of the projection is played by three semicircular balconies facing south. There seems to be a subtle resonance with them in Skuratov’s project, even if the architect himself does not explicitly mention it.

It is worth noting that the two side-end “prow façades” of the House of Sports are, in a sense, opposed in terms of plastique and form a kind of counterpoint. The first, marking the end of the row of residential buildings and facing the river and Konyushkovskaya Street, is devoid of openings and shaped as a smoothly curving surface – a dense, stone-like “flank”.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


As the architects point out, in certain views it echoes the stone surface of the nearby high-rise.

The office building takes up the same theme but rotates it by 90 degrees, facing not south but east – toward the city and in the direction of the high-rise. Here, the asymmetrically chamfered and rounded “prow”, unlike the first, is entirely transparent thanks to curved glass. At the same time, it is held together by slender metal “bands”, which seem like tensile threads binding all the volumes into a single – this time, artistic – system.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


In other words, the entire complex develops from a solid, compacted stone corner to a transparent, glassy, almost dematerialized one – while retaining a closely related form. It quietly demonstrates the range and versatility of contemporary architectural approaches to a single plastique motif. It’s a subtle move.

Moreover, Sergey Skuratov organizes the space in such a way that, alongside the private courtyard for residents on the stylobate roof, a considerable amount of public urban space emerges around it – accessible to anyone. The sports facilities, too, are intended for broad public use, which is hardly surprising given their professional orientation.

The counterpoint between the two “prow façades” – the solid southern and the transparent eastern corners of an implied right triangle – is further developed through material and façade rhythm. In addition to glass, the two primary façade materials are light-colored stone and reddish bronze. In the project, these are represented by glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels and steel elements with a bronze tint.

In expressive terms, the metal tends toward the northern and eastern parts of the complex, responding to the neighboring red-brick buildings of the Embassy of the United States in Moscow, as well as to the granite base of the high-rise – and perhaps even to the entrance arch of the Moscow Zoo. One can also detect echoes of the façade grid of the SkyView Residential Complex. “Stone”, in turn, forms a dialogue both with the White House and with the main body of the high-rise, clad in its characteristic light, ceramic “Stalin-era” tiles. To be honest, although the authors speak of contextual references, it is not always easy to pinpoint exact correspondences – but still, the Presnya district is, after all, red and white, isn’t it? In color, and in its historical identity as well.

Thus, bronze dominates in the northeastern part, and the piers of the office building are entirely metallic. On the northern and southern façades, they gradually become denser toward the west, while the western end is sliced off almost like with a knife and fully glazed. Fair enough – white collars and blue suits also want a sunset view.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


The residential volumes, on the southern and outer western street side, are clad in light-colored stone; their external façades read as vertical planes, as befits a city street. On the inside, however – facing the courtyard – they seem to “flow” downward in cascades of asymmetrical, differently scaled balconies and terraces edged in metal. The western façade appears austere and stone-like, while the eastern one, oriented toward the courtyard, becomes freer and terraced – almost like a waterfall. Or like a split stone with an amethyst geode inside: limestone on the outside, shimmering and iridescent within.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


In general, this accentuated, almost tactile contrast between the imagery of the street façade and that of the courtyard façade is one of the recurring themes in the work of Sergey Skuratov. It can be observed, for example, in Tessinsky-1. Unlike that club house, however, the courtyard on Krasnaya Presnya is not enclosed on all sides: the buildings form an angular frame from the north and west, allowing sunlight to reach the courtyard for the longest possible duration throughout the day.

zooming
“House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


It is worth emphasizing that the two façade “materials” – stone and metal – are united by a single plastique theme.

Yet this theme is multifaceted and varied, even if it has a shared “base”. The point of departure seems to be the same rounded, chamfered “prow” form – a figure approximating one-third of a circular segment – present in the site plan and in the main volumes of the complex. From this, one might assume, emerged the asymmetrical “wing”. They are echoed by similar figures, but with concave rather than convex curvature, producing nuanced effects of light and shadow and sharp edges.

  • zooming
    “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Facade fragment. “House of Sports,” Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


The more clearly defined figures take the form of true segments – not semicylinders! – to which a flat insert adjoins on one side. The simplest element is a flat yet strongly protruding rectangular pier. All these components are arranged in a staggered order; in the lower sections, they are further animated by recessed bands, adding yet more variation.

At first glance, it may seem that all the piers are entirely different – perhaps even mounted on hidden metal pins, allowing them to rotate and present different “faces” to the viewer. This, however, is not the case. Yet the effect of apparent randomness – within what is, in fact, a fairly strict rhythm – is very much present. It is a successful way of reducing the perceived mass of the façade and dematerializing it: despite its sculptural volume, the mass seems to dissolve itself. How exactly? Well – that’s the trick. Once it is built, we will see.

Another complementary technique can, for now, only be discerned in the plans of the “bronze” office building: the piers on its northern façade, facing the metro, are not convex but recessed, while those on the southern façade, facing the courtyard, are volumetric. It is as if they have been “pressed” from north to south – though there is no direct one-to-one correspondence between the forms.

  • zooming
    “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Plan of the 2nd floor of the office. “House of Sports”, Druzhinnikovskaya 18; project, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


More likely, this reflects a response to lighting conditions: the northern façade will receive sunlight only in summer, and only at oblique angles – morning and evening – whereas the southern façade will be continuously illuminated.

This is a subtle, almost jeweler-like treatment of façades. Beneath it, lies a clearly perceptible modular matrix, yet the dynamic balance between transparent and solid, stone and metal, static and kinetic elements has been carefully calibrated across the entire complex, worked out in detail and drawn with meticulous precision.



The version of the project now approved for construction was developed in 2025, in response to a request from the city authorities and the client to propose something more expressive.

But let us briefly touch on the history of the site and the project.

In 2019, the site was being designed as an “Ice Center”.

Then Sergey Skuratov won two consecutive invitation-only competitions: first, in 2020, for half of the site – 1.6 hectares, with a trapezoidal, nearly square footprint. The idea of “placing the sports facilities underground”, within a stylobate, was proposed by Skuratov from the outset; in fact, the concept appealed to the client immediately.

Then, in 2021, the site expanded to 4.2 hectares, stretching toward the river and acquiring a longitudinal elevation difference of 2.5 meters – essentially the configuration we see in the final version.

  • zooming
    Sports and entertainment complex on Druzhinnikovskaya Street, competition-winning project, 2020
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group
  • zooming
    Multifunctional sports and entertainment complex with an ice arena, hotel, and sports center on Druzhinnikovskaya Street, second version, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


Back in 2021, the open football field also appeared in the project, though it was then located in the northern part of the site, near the metro. In its current location – on the side facing the White House – the design at that time featured an oval restaurant, later reprogrammed as a bathhouse. In that same 2021 scheme, unlike the 2020 version, all inhabited buildings were aligned along a north-south axis – compact and efficient – freeing up a substantial area for the courtyard descending along the slope on the stylobate roof.

In total, the architects of Sergey Skuratov’s company developed five proposals for the Druzhinnikovskaya site, including two competition-winning entries and the final design.

Four of these were laconic and entirely white. The earliest version featured a kind of “pulled” lattice corner.

  • zooming
    Sports and entertainment complex on Druzhinnikovskaya Street, competition-winning project, 2020
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects
  • zooming
    Sports and entertainment complex on Druzhinnikovskaya Street, competition-winning project, 2020
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects / Capital Group


The subsequent schemes became even more restrained, governed by a delicate grid with windows rotated at 45 degrees to capture light. It was a highly concise, calm, and structurally clear solution – light in both appearance and concept.

  • zooming
    Multifunctional sports and entertainment complex with an ice arena, hotel, and sports center on Druzhinnikovskaya Street; second version, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects
  • zooming
    Multifunctional sports and entertainment complex with an ice arena, hotel, and sports center on Druzhinnikovskaya Street, second version, 2025
    Copyright: © Sergey Skuratov Architects


The final project, developed in response to a request for greater expressiveness and ultimately approved for construction, both diverges from and synthesizes the earlier iterations. The sports functions gathered underground; the row of buildings aligned north-south; and the white grid – though transformed into a stone “puzzle” – all remain.



As for the contraposition of the sculptural corners, set diagonally in relation to one another, this feature seems to originate in the very first version. Despite all the differences, it establishes a shared tendency – linking the initial and final designs – toward a gradient of plasticity.
Perhaps the site itself calls for something of this kind.

Still, the main point remains what Sergey Skuratov describes above: a spatial pause within the urban fabric. 

It aligns with the stated status of the housing, yet also allows one to “breathe deeply” here, on the slope of the former Presnya riverbed. It does not overcrowd the place – and for that, credit is due both to the architect and to the client.

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

08 April 2026

Headlines now
Object
The Value of Open Space
For the site near the Barrikadnaya Metro Station, Sergey Skuratov developed five projects between 2020 and 2025. Two of them were ones that won the client’s invitation-only competitions. The fifth was recently selected by the Mayor of Moscow for implementation. The project is vivid and sculptural, expressive, eye-catching, and engaging – very much in line with the spirit of our time. And yet, this project is mid-rise rather than tall. In its northwestern part, near the metro and Druzhinnikovskaya Street, it shapes a comfortable urban environment. On the opposite side, it opens up, allowing sunlight into the courtyard and creating a spatial pause within the dense city fabric. How it is organized, what geometric principles underlie it, and why it takes this form – all this is explored in our article.
Object
Wave and Vertical
The premium residential complex designed by GAFA for a site in the Khoroshevsky District responds to multiple constraints – the arc of a planned roadway, the water protection zone of the Khodynka River, and insolation requirements – through inventive massing. The composition is built on the interplay of two spatial layers: an elongated perimeter block and three towers concealed behind it generate the silhouette and key viewpoints, while also adding semantic depth reinforced by the façade solutions. Another defining feature is a large private courtyard, complemented by a citywide linear park.
Object
Office on Trubnaya
We continue publishing projects by Valery Kanyashin. A building once described, a quarter century ago, as an example of “quiet modernism” has remained just that in some people’s memory. According to Anatoly Belov, its main quality is its unobtrusiveness. The architects from Ostozhenka say the leading role here is played by context and landscape – the change in elevation. Yet is it really so inconspicuous?
Object
The First International
With this publication, we begin a series of texts dedicated to works by the late Valery Kanyashin, one of the founders of Ostozhenka Architects. As it happens, the projects he was involved in largely illustrate our understanding of the firm and its history. The first project in this series is the International Moscow Bank on Prechistenskaya Embankment.
in memoriam
In Memory of Valery Kanyashin
On Friday, February 27, architect Valery Kanyashin passed away – co-founder of Ostozhenka Architects and the author of many significant buildings in Moscow. We publish a text by Anatoly Belov in memory of Valery Kanyashin.
Report
Hypertext in Space
As part of the exhibition “What We Have We (Do Not) Keep”, Sergey Tchoban, the Museum of Architecture, and the CHART studio experiment with an eco-conscious approach to exhibition design, with thematic cross-references and even with publicistic reflections on the necessity of preserving modernism, the roots of contemporary architecture, and the birth of ideas. All of this makes the exhibition, with its light and transparent design, look quite innovative. The elements – both “material” and conceptual – are familiar, yet their combination is far from conventional.
Object
The Outline of “Foundation”
In their competition proposal for the Fili transport hub, the consortium led by Alexey Ilyin proposed an “inhabited arch” – a form that is simple yet complex. The architects emphasize that even at the competition stage, the project’s feasibility was fully calculated, taking into account the minimal nighttime closures of Bagration Avenue. How was this achieved? With what functions? Let us take a closer look. In our view, the building would have suited the heroes of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels perfectly.
Object
The Flying Horizontal
“A house in the spirit of Wright”, as architect Roman Leonidov describes it, pointing to his source of inspiration, was built on a challenging wedge-shaped site. To achieve a sense of intimacy and secure good views from the windows, the entire volume had to be shifted toward the far boundary, turning the house “back” to the neighboring mansions. The main façade demonstrates time-tested techniques often employed by the company: articulated horizontals, a weightless roofline, and a triad of materials – light plaster, dark slate, and warm wood.
Object
Needles of Horizon Contemplation
The “House of Horizons”, designed by Kleinewelt Architekten in Krylatskoye, is carefully thought out at the stereometric level – from the logic of how the volumes interlock (and, conversely, how gaps are articulated between them) to the triangular balconies that give the building its striking, slightly bristling silhouette.
News
The Red Thread
A linear park project prepared by Alexey Ilyin studio for the improvement of a riverbank in one of the residential districts seeks to reconnect people with nature. Two levels of the embankment invite visitors to contemplate the landscape while at the same time protecting the riverbank from excessive human impact. The “aerial street” links functional zones and the opposite banks, creating new points of attraction along the way: balconies, bridges, and even a “grotto”.
Object
Spindle and Thread
The concept of the Waver residential complex in Yekaterinburg draws inspiration from the past of the Parkovy district. In order to preserve the memory of the late-19th-century flax spinning mill once located here, the architectural company KPLN turns to the theme of textiles and weaving. The project’s main expressive device is a system of ribbons made of perforated weathering steel – a material that, in such volumes, has arguably not yet been used in Russian residential projects.
Overview
From Ski Resorts to Year-Round Recreation Clusters
In mid-December, several architectural firms gathered to discuss a “seasonal” topic: the prospects for the development of domestic ski tourism. Where is modern infrastructure already in place, where do only remnants of the Soviet legacy remain, and where is there still nothing – but projects are underway and soon to be completed? This article explores these questions.
Object
Woven Into Sokolniki
Over the past few years, high-rise residential construction in former industrial zones has become the main theme of Moscow architecture. Towers are springing up here and there – but the question is what kind of towers they are. The residential complex CODE Sokolniki, designed by Ostozhenka Architects, is a project where every detail has been taken care of. The authors are attentive to the history of the site, the continuity of the urban fabric, the skyline, and visual corridors. They also proposed a motif with the lyrical name “scarf”. We take a closer look at the volumetric composition and the large-scale décor “woven”, in this case, out of terraces and balconies.
Interview
Stepan Liphart and Yuri Gerth: “Our Program Is Aesthetic”
The studio of Stepan Liphart, an architect known for his distinctive signature style and one-off projects, now has a partner. Yuri Khitrov, a specialist with a broad range of competencies, will take on the part of the work that distracts one from creativity but drives the business forward. One of the aims of this partnership is to improve the urban environment through dialogue with clients and officials. We spoke with both sides about their ambitions, the firm’s development strategy, shared values, and the need for pragmatism. And why the studio is called “Liphart & Gerth” only became clear at the very end of the interview.
Object
The Copper Mirror
The varied-toned sheen of “unsealed” copper, painterly streaks and fingerprints, exposed concrete, and the unusual proportions – when you study the ZILART Museum building by Sergei Tchoban and SPEECH architects, there is plenty to talk about. However, it seems to us that the most interesting thing is how the museum’s composition responds to the realities of the district itself. The residential district has been realized as an open-air exhibition of façade statements by contemporary architects – but without public access to the inner courtyards of the blocks. This building – that is, the museum – is exactly the opposite: on the outside, it is deliberately restrained, while inside it shines spectacularly, creating its own sunbeams in any weather.
View
“Strangers” in the City
We asked Alexander Skokan for a comment on the results of 2025 – and he sent us a whole article, moreover one devoted to the discussion we recently began on the “appropriateness of high-rises” – or, more broadly speaking, “contrasting insertions into the urban fabric”. The result is a text that is essentially a question: why here? Why like this?
Interview
Dmitry Ostroumov: “To use the language of alchemy, we are involved in the process of “transmutation...
What we ended up having was an extremely unusual conversation with Dmitry Ostroumov. Why? At the very least, because he is not just an architect specializing in the construction of Orthodox churches. And not just – which is an extreme rarity – a proponent of developing contemporary stylistics within this still highly conservative field. Dmitry Ostroumov is a Master of Theology. So in addition to the history and specifics of the company, we speak about the very concept of the temple, about canon and tradition, about the living and the eternal, and even about the Russian Logos.
Object
A Glazed Figurine
In searching for an image for a residential building near the Novodevichy Convent, GAFA architects turned to their own perception of the place: it evoked associations with antiquity, plein-air painting, and vintage artifacts. The two towers will be entirely clad in volumetric glazed ceramic – at present, there are no other buildings like this in Russia. The complex will also stand out thanks to its metabolic bay-window cells, streamlined surfaces, a ceremonial “hotel-style” driveway, and a lobby overlooking a lush garden.
Report
A Knight’s Move via the Cour d’Honneur
Intercolumnium Architects presented to the City Planning Council a residential complex project that is set to replace the Aquatoria business center on Vyborgskaya Embankment. Experts praised the overall quality of the work, but expressed reservations about the three cour d’honneurs and suggested softening the contrast between the facades facing the embankment and the Kantemirovsky Bridge.
Object
Mountains, Groves, and Ancestral Towers
The year-round mountain resort Armkhi situated in Russia’s Republic of Ingushetia is positioned as a destination for calm family recreation and has well-established traditions shaped by its hundred-year history and the culture of the region. The development program prepared by the Genplan Institute of Moscow preserves the resort’s identity while expanding its offerings and introducing new types of tourist leisure. In the near future, the resort will feature a balneological center, a thermal complex, an interactive museum, an extreme park, and, of course, new ski slopes.
Object
A Small Country
Mezonproekt is developing a long-term master plan for the MEPhI campus in Obninsk. Over the next ten years, an enclave territory of about 100 hectares, located in a forest on the northern edge of the city, is set to transform into a modern center for the development of the nuclear energy sector. The plan envisions attracting international students and specialists, as well as comprehensive territorial development: both through the contemporary realization of “frozen” plans from the 1980s and through the introduction of new trends – public spaces, an aquapark, a food court, a school, and even a nuclear medicine center. Public and sports facilities are intended to be accessible to city residents as well, and the campus is to be physically and functionally connected to Obninsk.
Object
Pearl Divers
GAFA has designed an apartment complex for Derbent intended to switch people from a work mode to a resort mindset – and to give the surrounding area a much-needed jolt. The building offers two distinct faces: restrained and laconic on the city side, and a lushly ornate façade facing the sea. At the heart of the complex, a hidden pearl lies – an open-air pool with an arch, offering views of a starry sky, and providing direct access to the beach.
Object
A Satellite Island
The Genplan Institute of Moscow has prepared a master plan for the development of the Sarpinsky and Golodny island system, located within the administrative boundaries of Volgograd and considered among the largest river islands in Russia. By 2045, the plan envisions the implementation of 15 large-scale investment projects, including sports and educational clusters, a congress center with a “Volgonarium”, a film production cluster, and twenty-one theme parks. We explain which engineering, environmental, and transportation challenges must be addressed to turn this vision into reality. The master plan solutions have already been approved and incorporated into the city’s general development plan.
Object
The Amber Gate
The Amber City residential complex is one of the redevelopment projects in the former industrial area located beyond Moscow’s Third Ring Road near Begovaya metro station. Alexey Ilyin’s studio proposed an original master plan that transformed two clusters of towers into ceremonial propylaea, gave the complex a recognizable silhouette, and established visual connections with new high-rise developments on both right and left – thus integrating it into the scale of the growing metropolis. It is also marked by its own futuristic stylistic language, based on a reinterpreted streamline aesthetic.
Object
A Theater Triangle
The architectural company “Chetvertoe Izmerenie” (“Fourth Dimension”) has developed the design for a new stage of the Magnitogorsk Musical Theater, rethinking not only theater architecture but also the role of the theater in the contemporary city.
Interview
Aleksei Ilyin: “I approach every task with genuine interest”
Aleksei Ilyin has been working on major urban projects for more than 30 years. He has all the necessary skills for high-rise construction in Moscow – yet he believes it’s essential to maintain variety in the typologies and scales represented in his portfolio. He is passionate about drawing – but only from life, and also in the process of working on a project. We talk about the structure and optimal size of an office, about his past and current projects, large and small tasks, and about creative priorities.
Object
​A Golden Sunbeam
A compact brick-and-metal building in the growing Shukhov Park in Vyksa seems to absorb sunlight, transform it into yellow accents inside, and in the evening “give it back” as a warm golden glow streaming from its windows. It is, frankly, a very attractive building: both material and lightweight at the same time, with lightness inside and materiality outside. Its form is shaped by function – laconic, yet far from simple. Let’s take a closer look.
Object
Peaks of Ossetia
In North Ossetia, a new year-round tourist and recreational cluster, “Mamison”, is being built from scratch – its first section of cable car and ski slopes has already been launched. The comprehensive development plan for this territory was prepared by the Institute for the General Plan of Moscow: in the future, two tourist villages will appear here, along with slopes of varying difficulty, health resorts, and routes that will allow the visitors to explore the region’s historical and cultural heritage in greater depth.