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Factory Renovation

Six projects competing for the reconstruction of Confectionery and Bakery Factory “Prostor” in the district Cheremushki

26 September 2014
Contest Results
mainImg
Architect:
Alexey Goryainov
Mikhail Krymov
Firm:
Arch Group
DNK Architectural Group
Arkhstroydesign ASD
Mosproekt-2
Object:
The architectural concept for the reconstruction of the Baking Factory «Prostor» in Moscow
Russia, Moscow

Project Team:
Architects: Mikhail Krymov, Alexey Goryainov, Irina Kochuk, Diana Zhegulina

5.2014 — 6.2014
The factory is situated at the crossing of Akademika Skryabina and Ferganskaya streets in the south-east of Moscow. The factory was built in 1987 and it now consists of three buildings: the production building, the “domestic” building, and the office-and-academic building. Now it is an unsightly construction a la the 1980’s – the horizontal segmentation, typical for the industrial buildings, in combination with low-quality building materials make up the usual coloring for the outlying districts. The renovation must turn the factory into the architectural centerpiece of the area. Its main feature, however, is the fact that it does not withdraw its enterprise in order to give place to residential facilities and offices – the factory is being modernized instead. In the last few years, it is the first reconstruction without function altering.

On September 25, the judging panel of the competition selected the winners. The first prize is shared by two consortiums “Mosproject-2” and “Progress” – and Alexey Ivanov’s studio “Arkhstroydesign ASD” – working with MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE. So the second place was not assigned to anyone. The third place was awarded to “Arch Group”, the forth place – to DNK Architectural Group, the fifth place – to Polyansky’s  Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design and sixth – to the A2OM + Spectrum duet. The designer has been chosen after some talks with the client.
***

First place
“Mosproject-2” and architectural bureau “Progress”.
Pyotr Anurin, Anna Kopeina, Nataljya Mastelerzh, Ivan Sakara, Nata Tatunashvili, Anastasiya Tikhomirova, Polina Filippova

Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»



The authors consider the 80s architecture to be substandard, at the same time respectfully appreciating the strong special-volume construction, the calibrated rhythms of the facades and the recognizable architectural style. The problem, according to the architects, is the low quality of the construction work and materials. All this creates the impression of “fatigue” of the buildings that have lived up to our time with shabby or hastily remodeled facades all covered with ACs, cellular antennas and random signboards.

Thus, the architects suggested no changes in the facades or the buildings themselves. Instead, they decided to bring about the original intentions of their creators – CNIIEP n. a. B.S. Mezentsev.


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»

In the meantime, new volumes will be added to the old buildings. They will be veneered with glass and aluminum (solid structural glazing, divided by vertical aluminum frames at five feet intervals) neatly built in the existing modernistic composition mainly due to the 1980’s proportions. One floor will be added to the “domestic” building. Formed by the late Soviet tessellated panels, the current facades  will be replaced by the new, similar ones, only without any visible joints.

Special attention is paid to the territory development and reorganization. The highest priority is given to common areas. The entrance from the Ferganskaya Street, accentuated by a canopy, leads to a shop, a café on the first floor of the domestic building and to the main factory gangways. The technology and the logistics of the factory work will not be changed. The exits and entrances will remain in the same places, as well as the existing parking lots that are to be planted with trees. The architects have also thought over the illumination and intentionally made it even, without accented spots.


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Mosproject-2» + «Progress»
***
 
Yet another first place 
Alexey Ivanov’s studio “Arkhstroydesign ASD” + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE

Unlike the authors of the previous project, in this case the architects do not see the factory buildings as bearing a “sensible image”, except for the memory of building culture and typology of that time. That is why they suggest a significant change in the appearance of the buildings, their facades in particular. The basic element of the new facades are fiber-reinforced cement panels (4 ft * 4 ft * 0,3 in) with carved symbols of working processes in the factory buildings. Each block gets its “own” color. There are no panels here – the walls get painted.

The convergence of the factory territory with the surrounding buildings, getting rid of the barriers, has become the main idea of the land improvement. Both the inside part of the factory and the adjacent urban territory will be organized.


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 1st and 2nd places © «Archstroydesign ASD» + MANIPULAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE

 
***
 
Third place
Arch Group


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 

The office block is turned into a glass tower. The rest buildings are masked behind the new facades. Their texture indicates the confectionery specialization of the factory, in that way or another. The largest façade is made of special fabric with the texture of dough and the fingerprints reminding of the bakers’ manual labor. The semitransparent façade material lets the light easily into the building. From the outside, however, it does not seem transparent at all and creates an illusion of a solid surface. Another façade type is made of a perforated material, reminding the texture of sliced bread. 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 3rd place © "Arch Group" 
***

Fourth place
DNK Architectural Group


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group" 

The domestic block was enlarged by two floors. A bit extended, alike to the “mountain peak”, this angle becomes the spatial landmark – it can be easily seen from the crossroads. In order to unite the factory complex with the city the authors suggest the outside modernized park be broadened up to the crossroads opening up the facades the administrative and domestic buildings and providing direct access to the complex from the Akademika Skryabina Street. The first floors of the blocks are glazed. The main entrance in the domestic block is being shifted closed to the center of the vestibule inside. The entrance to the shop is planned to be made at the end-wall of the administrative building, so that it would lead out to an open space of the parking lot, where the main entrance is.

There will be a park with lanes and platforms between the street and the production building. The enterprise territory is separated from the park with a transparent fence of vertical steel profiles – so that the façade of the production block would be open to the park.


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 4th place © "DNK Architectural Group"
***
 
Fifth place
Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design

The territory of the factory is being significantly enlarged with outbuildings and superstructures in this project. A baker’s shop is added to the structure of the incoming group. New entrances and parking lots for personnel and visitors are being made. The existing parking lot is being planted with trees. The modernization includes causeways, minor architectural forms and illumination. The authors are also working on a new transit pedestrian path, connecting Akademika Skryabina and Ferganskaya streets.

Perforated metal sheets and structural glass are proposed as the two main materials. The facades are being winterized.


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place © Polyansky Moscow Institute of Art and Architecture Design


Contest project for the reconstruction of the Confectionary and Bakery Factory "Prostor" 5th place ©&
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Architect:
Alexey Goryainov
Mikhail Krymov
Firm:
Arch Group
DNK Architectural Group
Arkhstroydesign ASD
Mosproekt-2
Object:
The architectural concept for the reconstruction of the Baking Factory «Prostor» in Moscow
Russia, Moscow

Project Team:
Architects: Mikhail Krymov, Alexey Goryainov, Irina Kochuk, Diana Zhegulina

5.2014 — 6.2014

26 September 2014

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Object
In Orbit of Moscow City
The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.
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The Altai Ornament
The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.
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Pro Forma
Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.
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The Arch and the Triangle
The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.
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Health Factory
While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.
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The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest
The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.
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Grace and Unity
Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.
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Daring Brilliance
In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.
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A Twist of the Core
A clever and concise sculptural solution – rotating each floor by N degrees – has created an ensemble of “dancing” towers: similar yet different, simple yet complex. The designers meticulously refined a single structural node and spent considerable effort on the column construction – after that, “everything else was easy”. The architects also rotated the core walls on each floor to maximize the efficiency of the office spaces.
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The Sculpting of Spring Forest Matter
We’ve been observing this building for a couple of years now: seemingly simple, perhaps even unassuming, it fits in remarkably well with the micro-district context shaped by the Moscow MCD road junctions. This building sticks in the memory of everyone who drives along the highway, even occasionally. In our opinion, Sergey Nikeshkin, by blending popular architectural techniques and approaches of the 2010s, managed to turn a seemingly simple structure into a statement “on the theme of a house as such”. Let’s figure out how this happened.
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Water and Wind Whet the Stone
The Arisha Terraces residential complex, designed by Asadov Architects, will be built in a district of Dubai dedicated to film and television production. To create shaded spaces and an intriguing silhouette, the architects opted for a funnel-shaped composition and nature-inspired forms of erosion and weathering. The roofs, podium, and underground spaces extend leisure opportunities within the boundaries of a man-made “oasis”.
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Elevation 5642
The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a comprehensive development project for three ski resorts in the Caucasus, which have been designated as special economic zones of the tourism and recreation type. The first of these zones is Elbrus. The project includes the construction of new ski runs, cable cars, and hotels, as well as the modernization of stations and improvements to the Azau tourist meadow. To expand the audience and enhance year-round appeal, a network of eco-trails is also being developed. In this article, we provide a detailed breakdown of each stage.
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The IT Town
Taking the example of the first completed phase of the “U” district, we examine how the new neighborhood in Innopolis will be organized. T+T Architects and HADAA formed a well-balanced and ingenious master plan with different types of housing, a green artery, a system of squares, and a park in the town’s central part.
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The Heart Lies Within
The second-phase building of the Evgeny Primakov School already won multiple awards while still in the design stage. Now that it’s completed, some unfinished nuances remain – most notably, the exposed ceiling structures, which ideally should have been concealed. However, given the priority placed on the building’s volumetric composition, this does not seem critical. What matters more is the “Wow!” effect created by the space itself.
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Magnetic Forces
“Krylatskaya 33” is the first large-scale residential complex to appear amidst the 1980s “micro-districts” that harmoniously coexist with the forests, the river, the slopes, and the sports infrastructure. Despite its imposing scale, the architects of Ostozhenka managed to turn the complex into something that can be best described as a “graceful dominant”. First, they designed the complex with consideration for the style and height of the surrounding micro-districts. Second, by introducing a pause in its tallest section, they created compositional tension – right along the urban planning axis of the area.
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Orion’s Belt
The Stone Khodynka 2 office complex, designed by Kleinewelt Architekten for the company Stone, is built with an ergonomic layout following “healthy building” principles: natural light, ventilation, and all the necessary features for an efficient office environment. On the outside, it resembles – like many contemporary buildings – an iPhone: sleek, glowing, glass-and-metal, edges elegantly rounded. Yet, it responds sensitively to the Khodynka context, where the main theme is the contrast between vertical and horizontal lines. The key intrigue lies in the design of the “stylobate” as a suspended passage, leaving the space beneath it open for free pedestrian movement.
Interview
Grigory Revzin: “It Was a Bold Statement Made on the Sly. Something Won”
In this article, we discuss the debates surrounding the circus competition and the demolition of the CMEA building with the most renowned architectural critic of our time. A paradox emerges in the process: while nostalgia for the Brezhnev era seems to be in vogue in Russia, a landmark building – the “axis” of the Warsaw Pact – has been sentenced to demolition. Isn’t that strange? We also find out that wow-architecture has made a comeback as a post-COVID trend. However, to make a truly powerful statement, professionals still remain indispensable.