Moscow Institute of Architecture: best "School" projects

In this issue, we continue to feature the best projects done by the students of Moscow Institute of Architecture under the supervision of their academic advisors Vsevolod Medvedev, Mikhail Kanunnikov, and Zurab Basaria

Written by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

19 November 2014

Overview

"Nest for the Orphans" project. Boarding school in Moscow's Nizhnie Mnevniki. Author: Polina Yavna, 4th year student of "PROM" department

As part of their term projects, the 4th year students of the "PROM" department were offered to prepare a "School" project, and not just any school but a specialized institution, such as a school for children with disabilities, a juvenile correctional facility, or a foster care home. This was quite a tall order because the students were to consider the specifics of such institutions, such as the protective envelope and the strict group division of the teenagers in the correctional institutions. This is why the students were to first of all comprehend the special regime and mode of life inside such a facility so as to design its training and production center correctly. Just as complex are the specifics of the foster care home. In this case, the students were to provide not only for the school as such but for the residential premises as well. And it was also quite a challenge for the beginner architects to design the school for the disabled children. The students were to delve into a whole range of rigorous communicational, social, and sanitary specifications.

The design venues were represented by the real land sites in Moscow and its nearest suburbs: the derelict "pioneer camps", the correctional facilities in need of reconstruction, or the unused school or orphanage buildings.

Vsevolod Medvedev, one of the leaders of the team, shared that the line-up of the project was deliberately expanded in comparison with the basic task set by the institute. Apart from the drawings, the students were for the first time around required to make a presentation video that would fully demonstrate the possibilities of their projects. But the most challenging task, probably, was that of understanding, feeling, and trying to make a positive difference in society's attitude to the young orphans, disabled people, and juvenile offenders.

Usually, based on the results of the defense of the students' projects, the professors would hold an internal competition, awarding the prize-winning places and accordingly giving the valuable gifts. But this time it was decided to change the usual order of things: the judging panel singled out five equally worthy works - and these are the works that we feature in our current issue.

Polina Yavna "Nest for the Orphans"

Orphan Boarding School in Moscow's Nizhny Mnevniki.

"Nest for the Orphans" project. Boarding school in Moscow's Nizhnie Mnevniki. Author: Polina Yavna, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The author of the project sets before her a task of creating the ideal environment for the children that were deprived of their parents' love. As a solution, a bright architectural image is proposed, that looks very much like a bird's nest - warm, cozy, and securely protected from the adverse factors of the cruel world outside. The "nest" association runs through the whole project. On the plan, the building has an elliptic shape. The first floor functions as the peculiar "foundation" upon the circle of which the walls of the school grow leaving inside the large courtyard that rests on the used roof on the level of the first floor. To this same place (i.e. to the courtyard) the architect takes the volume of the gym, and the swimming pool, the latter being smooth and round as an egg. The spiral facades look indeed like the twigs woven into a nest. The likeness is enhanced by the proposal to raise the main body of building, i.e. its third and fourth floors on numerous slender metallic supports and five broad "legs" that will include the staircase and elevator blocks. As a result, the "nest" looks as if it was hanging up in the air above the green hill where this hill is in fact the first floor of the school hidden behind the green facade.

"Nest for the Orphans" project. Boarding school in Moscow's Nizhnie Mnevniki. Author: Polina Yavna, 4th year student of "PROM" department

"Nest for the Orphans" project. Boarding school in Moscow's Nizhnie Mnevniki. Author: Polina Yavna, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The functional set of the building includes everything that is necessary for comfortable living and successful studies - one will find here the spacious classrooms and student lounges, a separate elementary-school facility, and the spacious cafeteria, and the rest area commanding a view of the city, and the cozy residential area. The courtyard has in it an open-air amphitheater, as well as the game and sport grounds. On the embankment of the Moskva River, there is also a quay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXvXw918_uo

Yana Ostapchuk. "Juvenile Correctional Facility"

Juvenile correctional facility in Moscow's Bolshaya Pereyaskavskaya Street

"Correctional Facility". Moscow, Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya Street. Author: Yana Ostapchuk, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The institution is designed for deviant children and teenagers. The peculiarity of this education institution is all about the fact that it is not just a school but a place of permanent residence and rehab of the young people.

The complex consists of several interconnected buildings and occupies a rather large territory - which allows for placing all the necessary functions there. For example, the longest building that stretches along the street includes the classrooms, student lounges, and hobby club premises. The entire third floor is occupied by the residential rooms and is linked to the rehab building with an overpass. Yet another volume is designed for the professional training and extra training.

"Correctional Facility". Moscow, Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya Street. Author: Yana Ostapchuk, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The street facades of the complex are decorated with an openwork grille structure whose pattern is a bit reminiscent of a zebra's stripes. It this sophisticated pattern that "belts" the entire complex that forms its image that, according to its author, is meant to embody the process of positive change and rehabilitation of the young offenders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up21gKM5-u8

Anna Tuzova. "Boarding School for the Orphans"

Foster care home in Moscow, Metrogorodok, Otkrytoe Shosse

"Foster Care Home". Moscow, Metrogorodok, Otkrytoe Shosse. Author: Anna Tuzova, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The foster care facility is located on the territory of the former Foster Care Home №87 which is now a neuropsychiatric clinic №44. The land site neighbors on the national park named "Losiny Ostrov" ("Elk Island), a residential area, and a few forest ranges. The existing buildings of the foster home will be included into the new complex and then renovated. Yet another two buildings will be built from scratch - they will house the residential premises for the students and the necessary medical facilities.

"Foster Care Home". Moscow, Metrogorodok, Otkrytoe Shosse. Author: Anna Tuzova, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The plan of the volume of the school look like ribbon loosely tied into a bow or maybe two clenched hands which, according to the author, is meant to symbolize tender loving care. The facades are an azure mosaic picture that is composed of the triangular-shaped elements of Venetian blinds. The project provides for all the necessary functions, including the hybrid library, a concert hall, and creative studios. For the very young, a direct exit into the courtyard from the classrooms is provided. The volumes of the studios and the sport nucleus have a usable roof that commands a fine view of the woodland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ROMaESYUbk

Alena Gruzinova. "School for Disabled Children"

A school and a rehabilitation center in the Odintsovo District of Moscow Region

"School for disabled children". Odintsovo District, Moscow Region. Author: Alena Gruzinova, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The school is designed in the place of the former Polushkino health house located next to the operating city clinic. The perforated facades of the complex create a life-affirming architectural image and protect its interior from the direct sunlight, filling the classrooms with soft ambient light. The array of the classrooms is at times interrupted by atrium spaces decorated with stained-glass artwork of sunscreen glass that also provides for the optimum lighting.

"School for disabled children". Odintsovo District, Moscow Region. Author: Alena Gruzinova, 4th year student of "PROM" department

The students of this school are children with locomotor system deficiencies; this is why the project includes a cyclic plan of finding one's way around the entire school's territory by using a network of ramps and underpasses that let the kids to effortlessly move from one part of the building to another. The load-per-age-bracket has also pre-calculated: it determined the functional zoning and the planning of the school. The very young, for example, will study on the first floor alone, while the kids that are a little older will occupy the second level. Depending on the age of the students, the height and the length of the ramps also varies - in this project, they become not only a means of locomotion but also a symbol of gradual development and moving up physically and spiritually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i-_mMtreAk

Anna Petrova. "Correctional Facility"

The reconstruction of Atlyatsk juvenile correctional facility in Chelyabinsk Region

"Correctional Facility". Chelyabinsk Region. Author: Anna Petrova, 4th year student of "PROM" department

As a venue for designing, the now-closed-for-reconstruction Alyatsk correctional facility was chosen in the Chelyabinsk Region. The land site with an area of 12 hectares was divided into two parts: the girls' and the boys'. The center includes a residential complex, the school and professional training center buildings, information center, as well as the administrative and medical block. The single-story has a direct link to the training facility; in its very middle, there is a courtyard covered with a glass roof.

Forming the strict and austere image of the center, the author of the project uses the technique that consist in cutting away these or those volumes from the main bulk of the building. In their stead, there appear either courtyards, cut inside the square stylobate, or the terraces of the residential block, or fragments of the usable roof that are turned into the walking zones for the teenagers living in the maximum security regime in the disciplinary isolation cells.

Along the perimeter of the site and along all the buildings, there are galleries that, according to the author's plan, will, on the one hand, stand for the path that would lead the young offenders and, on the other hand, would help to give the structure an "organized" feel, which is particularly important in the conditions of the strict regime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poDLFU91K-Q

19 November 2014

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.

Object

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

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.

Object

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.

Object

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

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

Architecture and Leisure Park

For the suburban hotel complex, which envisages various formats of leisure, the architectural company T+T Architects proposed several types of accommodation, ranging from the classic “standard” in a common building to a “cave in the hill” and a “house in a tree”. An additional challenge consisted in integrating a few classic-style residences already existing on this territory into the “architectural forest park”.

Overview

The U-House

The Jois complex combines height with terraces, bringing the most expensive apartments from penthouses down to the bottom floors. The powerful iconic image of the U-shaped building is the result of the creative search for a new standard of living in high-rise buildings by the architects of “Genpro”.

Object

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.

send.project

The “Snake” Mountain

The competition project for the seaside resort complex “Serpentine” combines several typologies: apartments of different classes, villas, and hotel rooms. For each of these typologies, the KPLN architects employ one of the images that are drawn from the natural environment – a serpentine road, a mountain stream, and rolling waves.

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Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

The project of a small business center located near Tupolev Plaza and Radio Street proclaims the necessity of modern architecture in a specific area of Moscow commonly known as “Nemetskaya Sloboda” or “German settlement”. It substantiates its thesis with the thoroughness of details, a multitude of proposed and rejected form variants, and even a detailed description of the surrounding area. The project is interesting indeed, and it is even more interesting to see what will come of it.

Object

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.

Object

The Ensemble at the Mosque

OSA prepared a master plan for a district in the southern part of Derbent. The main task of the master plan is to initiate the formation of a modern comfortable environment in this city. The organization of residential areas is subordinated to the city’s spiritual center: depending on the location relative to the cathedral mosque, the houses are distinguished by façade and plastique solutions. The program also includes a “hospitality center”, administrative buildings, an educational cluster, and even an air bridge.

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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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.