Vertical Solution

Vladimir Plotkin and Roberto Meyer offered to Moscow City a new tower typology – a block consisting of a few buildings put on the “shoulders” of one another and thus forming a silhouette of a symbolically rendered letter “M”.

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

30 May 2012

Object

Architect:

Firm:

Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten

Creative Union ‘Reserve’

Object:

M-City (Project BR)
Russia, Moscow, Moscow International Business Center “Moscow-City”, building site #17-18

Project Team:
(mvsa): Roberto Meyer, Barry van Waveren, Andrew Tang, Huub Larink; (reserve): Vladimir Plotkin, Sergey Gusarev, Anton Egerev, Natalia Tolmacheva, Aleksey Platonov, Elena Kuznetsova, Anastasia Ivanova, Olga Chalova, Azat Khasanov, Olga Prosvirina

1.2012 — 4.2012

The architects decided to make this building both a landmark one (just like all of the skyscrapers) and at the same time original, i.e. make it look different from an ordinary skyscraper.

The entire building site is taken up by the nine-story high stylobate pierced with triangular openings of multi-level atria and open-air courtyards. The roof of the ninth floor is covered with green planting, and it is further on that the most interesting part begins. Instead of growing upwards in a successive fashion, just like any other city tower would, the building makes a radical change of concept: the green roof of the stylobate supports three 23-story triangular buildings spaced out by a 20 to 50 meters distance. The roofs of these three buildings, in turn, support yet another couple of triangular houses, 19 floors each. The upper mark meets the height restriction of this building site - it is 224.4 meters high. There is yet another solution, 280 meters high, where the three lower towers are 33 floors each, and the upper two - 41.

Put together, the whole building looks like a city block of several houses that stand on top of one another's shoulders like circus gymnasts or like cards in a card castle. This is, to put it mildly, an unconventional way of building up the mass: not the classic pyramid, not modernist vertical, and not even the more sophisticated "house on legs" or "mountain house", a tectonic pile-up of terraced apartments. What we see here is a city block that strides upward not with its mass but right out with its building units. At the same time, this IS a modernist block (neither "Reserve" nor MVSA would settle for less), and this is why the spaces are laconic and spaced out at a fair distance from one another. The silhouette of the building now looks a lot like the letter "M" if viewed en face from the side of the Kremlin or Kutuzovsky Avenue. It will only be fair to mention, though, that the M-shaped buildings are by no means a novelty for Moscow City, the trend having been set by the project of Moscow Mayor's office by Mikhail Khazanov, the red tower echoing the "saw tooth" of the Kremlin wall.

In the Reserve/MVSA project, however, the M letter is really "geometrized", almost made up of pixels, as if a small font on a jpeg image when stretched too much. The symbolic "M", when viewed from the side of Kutuzovsky Avenue, stands to the left from the silhouette of the City, logically preceding it and forming together with it a symbolic "M-City" - which gave the name to the entire project.

Functionally, this development, just like any other megastructure of this type, is a mixed-use one. The three-level underground parking garage plus the four parking levels above the ground form a powerful "technical belt" that also sports a number of shops and a hotel. Higher up, the stylobate is occupied by the offices that are grouped around the above-mentioned triangular atria; they are multi-level and, in the project, are covered with a glass grid and decorated with hanging plants that will remind the office employees of a tropical vacation, and to the more educated ones - of Semiramis hanging gardens. Out of the three towers of the first level, two are occupied by offices, and one - by apartments; both of the two top towers are apartment ones.

After some deliberation, the architects decided to make the façades striped, with floor decks protruding as terraces. Thus the whole building resembles the pieces of a neatly cut sliced pie: the thin slices of the terraces alternating with the glass filling. The outlines of the sliced terraces at times sink into the glass and at times stick out, turning their curious "noses" in different directions - their unobtrusive flicker creates the impression of various forms of life with the sophisticated façade system.

Architect:

Firm:

Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten

Creative Union ‘Reserve’

Object:

30 May 2012

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.

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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

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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

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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

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Overview

The U-House

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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

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Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

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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.

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The Ensemble at the Mosque

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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.

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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.

Object

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.