Written by:
Julia Tarabarina

Silicon park in Siberia

Architectural concept of specific economical zone in Tomsk, completed by architects from ABD early this year, summarizes experience of construction of offices and business-parks which is considerable in this architectural company. From the combination of this experience and urban-planning task there shaped a "park of high technologies”, which combines capabilities of a fine modern office and popular today architecture with the old good idea of a garden-city

11 November 2008

Объект Архитектура

Architect:

Firm:

ABD architects

Object:

Architectural concept of technology development special economic zone, Tomsk
Russia, Tomsk

Project Team:
B.Levyant, B.Stuchebrukov, S.Kruchkov, N.Barabanov, L.Mikishev, V.Lagunov, E. Shestakova, Y.Golubeva, A.Gorovoi, I.Levyant in participation of M. Zinina

5.2007 — 8.2007

client-developer: OAO "OEZ TBT "Tomsk"

Specific economical zone is a special territory where some taxes and custom charges are lower for development of an important for the country sector. Today, there are 15 special economic zones in Russia, four of them are technology development special economic zones. There is also tourist and industrial, probably, soon there will be such port areas. Technology development zones are like "scientific" elite and their comparison with Soviet scientific towns seems quite proper. Though very likely it is more productive would be comparison to the well-known American “Silicone valley”.

So, there are four new scientific towns planned in Russia where taxes will be lower in order to develop science and to introduce it into production. For the state account there will be constructed engineering communications and first buildings. Then investors-residents will be building, but they will have to do that according to the general musterplan. Having in return comfortable conditions and tax privileges. There are three such towns are based in the European part – in Zelenograd, Dubna and Petersburg. And there is the only one in Siberia, in Tomsk.

Tomsk was a reasonable choice. The city is well-known for two things – lacy wooden architecture and scientific discoveries. Recently, for example, Tomsk scientists have invented a new method of restoration of destroyed brain tissue. This city has 8 universities and an Academic town which belongs to the Siberian department of the Russian Academy of Science. It is located within the city, but on a plan looks like a military base – it is surrounded with forests and just one road is connecting it with the city. Outside academic town is like typical Brezhnev city block – it has common 5storey buildings of grey silicate brick dashed by spots of wild cedar forest.

New Tomsk scientific town be located nearby the existing one, to the southeast from it, and will take a part of reserve territories of the Siberian Russian Academy of Science (in total 192 ha). The nearest neighbors are countryside sites which is actively bringing under this green part of the city, and also forests protected by ecologists and wandering small river Ushaika running into Tom river. Therefore the district is registered as urban, it looks quite countryside and bucolic. Besides, it is academic – the new scientific town is under construction beside the old one and looks like its extension.

The masterplan developed by the architectural company of Boris Levyant, diligently uses all aldvantages of the district, as well as the protected forests, three large fragments of which will be a part of new scientific town. And also a complex relief with difference about 60 m – following irregularity of landscape, architects have planned five kinds of nature zones, including an Alpine village on one of the "natural" branches of the small town.

Frankly, somehow it is strange to call it a town – so picturesque this new growth in the project of architects ABD is. Unlike a scientific town surrounded from the three sides by roads like walls, territory of special economic zone, to the contrary, is thread on its basic route like an axis. This main route, under which there will pass key underground communications, is transformed into a boulevard with trees and wide green strip, dividing roads in the middle into left and right strips. Around of the basic route there are sites of main working buildings – they will be occupied by residents OEZ (there are already 90 applications received). According to design, working buildings will be of two type: office (for programming specialist and IT-specialists) and scientific-technical, for pilot productions.

In east part the basic route branches out into two, echoing outlines of the site in order to regularly fulfill the entire territory. Near the crossroad and in two other spots the architects have planned "social and service" areas that have everything that makes life of working people comfortable: cafes, shops, sports halls, fitness, saunas and so forth. Public centers are placed so that from any part of working territory it was easy to reach them. Each center joins a natural zone so that one after sports activities could take a walk in the open air.

Aside the main axis there is planned the second additional one – the road leading to the residential zone and uniting residential buildings around. Both axes are curving picturesquely bent, following equally the relief and twists of complex outlines of the site – at the same time supporting image of unostentatious quiet natural picturesqueness.

Residential space is a separate topic. The thing is that the law does not allow constructing residential buildings in special economic zones. However, people who will work there, need to have a place to live. The state customer suggested not project residential spaces at all, saying that employees can get to the workplace from Tomsk. But Boris Levyant managed to convince the client that it is more convenient for workers of IT-sphere to live nearby the workplace, many of experts will probably be invited. The houses were designed as aparthotels for temporary living, there are 2 types – cottages and 5storeyed houses.

Boris Levyant defines genre of the project as a “park of high technologies” – like business-parks, in designing and construction of which architects ABD have a significant experience (business-park in Krylatskoe is already completed, business-park “the Western gate” on crossing of highway Mozhaiskoe and MKAD now is under construction). This experience in Tomsk has got new, greater scale and as consequence – new quality which could be described as “town-planning".

Easy to sea, having broadened frames of the typology business-park, architects from ABD have designed version of an ideal city for a special economic zone. It is most close to the idea of a garden-city which appeared in XIX century and which have been exciting minds of town-planners for all further time. Nature in this project is cultivated, but rather in English manner, than in French, with preservation and even underlining its naturalness. They let it inside the settlement, leaving in the form of a small forest, or turn into Alpine village and providing residents inhabitants with variety of impressions. Also it gives sensation of open space and some degree of freedom. The garden-city borders with the English garden and further smoothly passes into the Siberian wood.

There are another peculiarities to be marked. First, the project is definitely urban-planning – here on an empty space will be if not “city in city”, then a new microdistrict with its own laws and own customs. Secondly, architects ABD design it from their extensive experience of office and business-park constructing. Their architectural concept they filled with economic appendix, with financial structure and the analysis of project’s profitableness. With a huge number of figures and tables. This is called the concept of territory progress – and is beyond architectural work. “This project is rather of economical and political kind” – said Boris Levyant. So, the experience of architectural company ABD which a lot and effectively is engaged into construction of offices, working with the state project passed in the new quality. Constant interest of architects to adjacent spheres allowed them to approach the town-planning task from different points, and the work went out of architectural borders. When it comes to such specific economical urban-planning of a special economic zone, this must be considered fine. In other words, if we really want those large foreign investors would come to Tomsk from the high technology spheres then ABD architects have been a lucky choice.

Architect:

Firm:

ABD architects

Object:

11 November 2008

Headlines now

Review

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.

Object

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.

Report

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.

Object

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.

A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments

We continue our coverage of the competition projects for the residential district that the development company GloraX plans to build along the embankment of the Rowing Channel in Nizhny Novgorod. ASADOV Architects approached the concept through a deep dive into local identity, using storytelling to pinpoint a central idea for the design: the master plan and composition are imagined as if a meteorite had struck a “proto-Kremlin”. Sounds weird? Find more details below!

Contest Results

The Volga Regatta

GloraX plans to develop a residential complex spanning 14 hectares along the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod. The winning design in a closed-door competition, created by GORA Architects, features housing typologies ranging from townhouses to terraced high-rise slabs, a balance of functions, diverse ways of engaging with the water, and even a dedicated island (no less!) for the city residents.

Object

Life Plans

The master plan for the residential district “Prityazheniye” (“Gravity”) in Naberezhnye Chelny was developed by the architectural company A.Len, taking into account the specific urban planning context and partially implemented solutions of the first phase. However, the master plan prioritized its own values: a green framework, a system of focal points, a hierarchy of spaces, and pedestrian priority. After this, the question of what residents will do in their neighborhood simply doesn’t arise.

Object

A New Track

We took a thorough look at D_Station, a railcar repair depot dating back to 1906, recently reconstructed while preserving its century-old industrial structure, upon the project by Sergey Trukhanov and T+T Architects. Though work on the interiors – set to house restaurants and public spaces – is still underway, the building’s exterior already offers plenty to see. Visitors can explore the blend of old and new brickwork, appreciate the architect’s unique interpretation of ruin aesthetics, and enjoy the newly built pedestrian route that connects the Citydel Business Center’s arches to Kazakova Street.

Report

Four Different Surveys

The “Explore the City” competition, organized this year by the Genplan Institute of Moscow, stands out as a pretty unconventional one for the architectural field but aligns perfectly well with the character of urban planning work. The winning project analyzed contemporary residential complexes, combining urban planning insights with a realtor’s perspective to propose a hybrid approach. Other entries explored public centers, motivations for car ownership, and housing vacancy rates. A fifth participant withdrew. Here’s a closer look at the four completed works.

Report

Scheduled Evolution

ASADOV Architects unveiled the EvyCenter pavilion, a microcultural hub for fostering personal growth, organizing workshops, and doing gymnastics. Additionally, this pavilion serves as a prototype for a scalable country house, drawing inspiration from the “Loskutok” project, and constructed from CLT panels in a factory. This marks the beginning of a developer project initiated by the architectural firm (sic!), which is seeking partners to expand both small Evy settlements and even larger Evy cities, which are, according to Andrey Asadov, aimed at fostering the “evolutionary” development of the people who will inhabit them.

Object

The Golden Crown

The concept for a dental clinic in Yekaterinburg, developed by CNTR Studio, revolves around the idea of a “mouth full of gold”: pristine white porcelain stoneware walls are complemented by matte brass details. To avoid an overly literal interpretation, the architects focused on the building’s proportions, skillfully navigating between sunlight requirements and fire safety regulations.

News

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.

Object

A Step Forward

The HIDE residential complex represents a major milestone for ADM architects and their leaders Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova in their quest for a fresh high-rise aesthetic – one that is flexible and layered, capable of bringing vibrancy to mass and silhouette while shaping form. Over recent years, this approach has become ADM’s “signature style”, with the golden HIDE tower playing a pivotal role in its evolution. Here, we delve into the project’s story, explore the details of the complex’s design, and uncover its core essence.

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.