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« It is necessary to keep to the Tver type eclecticism ».The session of the town-planning committee at mayor of Moscow

On Wednesday, the 1st of November, the public town-planning committee at mayor of Moscow took place, where the projects of formation of the Kutuzovskij prospectus and construction of ten hotels were discussed, among authors were Zacha Hadid, Alexander Asadov, Paul Andreev, Sergey Kiselyov

01 November 2006
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The  session has begun with a minute of silence in honour of memory of architect Evgenie Grigorevich Rozanova.

The first question on the agenda became the discussion of projects of a partial reorganization of Kutuzovskij prospectus and following it the Mozhajskogo highway between the Third transport ring and Moscow Circular automobile highway. This town-planning project was already discussed and has been rejected with the decision to lead competition which final result will be defined also by the committee. Today three from five projects presented on this competition were discussed.  

As a whole projects are close, but there are also differences. The first (International architectural academy MAAM) connects high-altitude buildings in central compositions around of crossing highways. The second (Moscow research and a project institute of objects of culture, rest, sports and public health services the Mosproject-4, architectural bureau Vorontzova) has much in common with the first. It also keeps opened The Apple garden and Poklonnaja mountain, however the skyscrapers here are scattered separately, «as giants», instead of connected in units. In the third project the more dense building concentrated basicaly in the territory of Poklonnoj mountain has been offered.  

In opinion of the majority acted, there are lacks in all three projects. Buildings are strongly pressed to the prospectus, limiting opportunities of its further development, entrance to city is strongly built up which, in opinion of all acted, should be only accented. Also too massive have recognized the prospective building around of Poklonnoj mountain which in the offered kind will reduce visual scale of district, will lower its town-planning and, the main, ideological value.  

As a result U.M.Luzhkov has approved the first project as the concept, having suggested to consider some ideas of the second, actually - to make houses "more interesting": « … we have an  unusual competition here, it is not a building or a group of buildings, but the whole prospectus, and one of the most prestigious … », and to keep the entrance to the city open. According to the mayor, « … we do not pursue the square meters, the first place is allocated to the architecture of the city! ».  

At the session 10 projects of hotel buildings have been considered.
The scale project presented by a workshop of Alexander Asadova, assumes construction above the railway between Savelovskim and Belarus stations, an office-hotel complex with present mountain-skiing descent above it. On a plan the complex should change considerably a town-planning situation in the area divided by tracks on two parts badly connected among themselves - Tver, is closer to the center, and Butyrskaja, behind the stations.
Besides the project includes expansion of the nearest streets, and the complex is supposed to be put on a new line. After long disputes of necessity of a sport center in the city centre outside of green zones, questions of its aesthetics and advantage, mayor has told, that he liked the study of highways, overlapping of ways and use of space above them, but « mountain-skiing descent, as they say, neither here nor there, this project approaches more for the Sochi anniversary, for example. And if we shall put forward the project only because there is an investor we shall find application of its billion ».  

Then the project of a hotel by Zahi Hadid was disscused, which is supposed to put on an axis between Moscow International Center "Moscow-city" and the center, as a prelude of City, not building it in the basic group of skyscrapers. The hotel will be placed in two towers, in horizontal stylobate showrooms are planned. The height of the hotel comes nearer to an average height of the City, 46 and 52 floors. The project has been accepted almost unanimously, with the unique amendment - have offered to create smoother transition from the City, to change places the arrangement of towers from a greater to a smaller one.  

The project of a high-altitude buildings (Open Company " Arch ") in area of Three stations, on Kalanchovskaja area, in a gleam between a tower of the Yaroslavl station and a hotel Moscow has been rejected because of the infringement of balance between already available high-altitude towers of station, hotel and Stalin many storied building. And also existence of the house on this place of 1930th which can quite serve as small hotel on 40 numbers.   

Also the amendments to the project of hotel already discussed earlier on Paul Andreeva's Pushkin area (Tver, 16/2) on a place of « Houses of the Moscow news » have been made. As the town governor has noted, the facades « are primitive and monotonous, it is necessary to adhere to the Tver type eclecticism ». The project has remained not accepted because of a disagreement in a question of a parity of car places - has been decided to reconsider specifications for hotels.  

In area of China-town, in a quarter 5, on a place of " shabby economic constructions not having a historical value » the committee has approved the construction of three hotels (State Unitary Enterprise " Mosproject-2 ") which « on the scale are entered in historical building and offer domestic territories as much as possible accessible to public ».  

In area of Tsaritsyn Borisovskih ponds U.M.Luzhkov has approvingly accepted Paul Andreeva's landscape hotel (State Unitary Enterprise " Mosproject-2 ", a workshop 14), having noticed, that « … only without a flat roof, not 5th floor and with a reference point on Tsaritsino's », that means white-red execution.  

One more project by Paul Andreev which has recently received the gold diploma of "Architecture", the project of hotel in the beginning of highway of Enthusiasts, on entrance to historical city centre, mayor has approved, but has specially asked not to take a column with an inscription « it is three versts up to Moscow », and it is better to transfer it on more appreciable place that « it was possible to estimate distance ». The project was decided to not accept, and in addition to discuss it with the inhabitants of area.  

Concerning the hotel in area Kuskovskii park, on crossing of street Perovskoj and the Svobodnui prospectus, presented by Open Company « Kiselyov and partners », the decision of mayor was following – it should not be above 43 meters, to increase the amount of car places having expanded underground garage.  

Near to Vladimir Plotkin's completed "Air bus", also with a view on the park of Timirjazevskoj academy the construction of the multipurpose Greek center «Ellada» is supposed which on its scale does not concede to the neighbour already become famous (about 30 floors). The project presented by a workshop «LVA», has appeared to be shown insufficiently in detail, there were many questions with its site and mayor has transferred more careful discussion on following session.



01 November 2006

Headlines now
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vertical Civilization
Genpro considered the development of the vertical city concept and made it the theme of their pavilion at the “ArchMoscow” exhibition.
Marina Yegorova: “We think in terms of hectares, not square meters”
The career path of architect Marina Yegorova is quite impressive: MARHI, SPEECH, MosComArchitectura, the Genplan Institute of Moscow, and then her own architectural company. Its name Empate, which refers to the words “to draw” in Portuguese and “to empathize” in English, should not be misleading with its softness, as the firm freely works on different scales, including Integrated Territorial Development projects. We talked with Marina about various topics: urban planning experience, female leadership style, and even the love of architects for yachting.
Andrey Chuikov: “Optimum balance is achieved through economics”
The Yekaterinburg-based architectural company CNTR is in its mature stage: crystallization of principles, systematization, and standardization helped it make a qualitative leap, enhance competencies, and secure large contracts without sacrificing the aesthetic component. The head of the company, Andrey Chuikov, told us about building a business model and the bonuses that additional education in financial management provides for an architect.
The Fulcrum
Ostozhenka Architects have designed two astonishing towers practically on the edge of a slope above the Oka River in Nizhny Novgorod. These towers stand on 10-meter-tall weathered steel “legs”, with each floor offering panoramic views of the river and the city; all public spaces, including corridors, receive plenty of natural light. Here, we see a multitude of solutions that are unconventional for the residential routine of our day and age. Meanwhile, although these towers hark back to the typological explorations of the seventies, they are completely reinvented in a contemporary key. We admire Veren Group as the client – this is exactly how a “unique product” should be made – and we tell you exactly how our towers are arranged.
Crystal is Watching You
Right now, Museum Night has kicked off at the Museum of Architecture, featuring a fresh new addition – the “Crystal of Perception”, an installation by Sergey Kuznetsov, Ivan Grekov, and the KROST company, set up in the courtyard. It shimmers with light, it sings, it reacts to the approach of people, and who knows what else it can do.
The Secret Briton
The house is called “Little France”. Its composition follows the classical St. Petersburg style, with a palace-like courtyard. The decor is on the brink of Egyptian lotuses, neo-Greek acroteria, and classic 1930s “gears”; the recessed piers are Gothic, while the silhouette of the central part of the house is British. It’s quite interesting to examine all these details, attempting to understand which architectural direction they belong to. At the same time, however, the house fits like a glove in the context of the 20th line of St. Petersburg’s Vasilievsky Island; its elongated wings hold up the façade quite well.
The Wrap-Up
The competition project proposed by Treivas for the first 2021 competition for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025 concludes our series of publications on pavilion projects that will not be implemented. This particular proposal stands out for its detailed explanations and the idea of ecological responsibility: both the facades and the exhibition inside were intended to utilize recycled materials.
Birds and Streams
For the competition to design the Omsk airport, DNK ag formed a consortium, inviting VOX architects and Sila Sveta. Their project focuses on intersections, journeys, and flights – both of people and birds – as Omsk is known as a “transfer point” for bird migrations. The educational component is also carefully considered, and the building itself is filled with light, which seems to deconstruct the copper circle of the central entrance portal, spreading it into fantastic hyper-spatial “slices”.
Faraday Grid
The project of the Omsk airport by ASADOV Architects is another concept among the 14 finalists of a recent competition. It is called “The Bridge” and is inspired by both the West Siberian Exhibition of 1911 and the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge over the Irtysh River, built in 1896. On one hand, it carries a steampunk vibe, while on the other, there’s almost a sense of nostalgia for the heyday of 1913. However, the concept offers two variants, the second one devoid of nostalgia but featuring a parabola.
Midway upon the Journey of Our Life
Recently, Tatlin Publishing House released a book entitled “Architect Sergey Oreshkin. Selected Projects”. This book is not just a traditional book of the architectural company’s achievements, but rather a monograph of a more personal nature. The book includes 43 buildings as well as a section with architectural drawings. In this article, we reflect on the book as a way to take stock of an architect’s accomplishments.
Inverted Fortress
This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.
Transformation of Annenkirche
For Annenkirche (St. Anna Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg), Sergey Kuznetsov and the Kamen bureau have prepared a project that relies on the principles of the Venice Charter: the building is not restored to a specific date, historical layers are preserved, and modern elements do not mimic the authentic ones. Let’s delve into the details of these solutions.
The Paradox of the Temporary
The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.
The Forum of Time
The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.
Mirrors Everywhere
The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.
The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom
The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.
The Snowstorm Fish
The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.
The Mirror of Your Soul
We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.
Part of the Ideal
In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.
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.
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.
​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.
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
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.
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.