По-русски

Two shopping "parks" built by UNK project

Efficient organization of the designing process enabled the architects of UNK Project to subject the architecture of two shopping centers to a single recognizable image despite the differences in their scale and construction conditions.

07 July 2015
Object
mainImg

The project of the large shopping and entertainment complex "Atlaspark" in the town of Zhukovsky has been handled by UNK Project for about a year. The land site is located in the lowland near a very sharp bend of the small Bykovka River the landscaping of which has recently been taken up by the town's municipal council. And, while formerly the townspeople used to have to make their way to the water through the fences and deadfall, now this place is getting a long pedestrian promenade, landscaping work is being done, the river water is getting purified, and a new road is being built that will connect the riverfront to the residential areas. If we are to add to this the proximity of this land site to the new freshly-built residential complex that is in a dire need of infrastructure objects of all kinds, the location of the shopping center is as advantageous as it can ever get. 

In their search for the optimum solutions, the architects specifically proceeded from the location of the building that made it necessary to create not just an entertainment object but the city's new activity center with a large park and various recreation spots. The image of the bending river proved to be the strongest here. Thus the architects came up with a light natural shape looking like a bird that hovers over the water with its wings spread wide or maybe a white ocean yacht plowing the sea. The main idea was not just inscribing the building into its green surroundings but make it a part of the park and its continuation. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky © UNK project
Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky. Construction © UNK project


When they had already developed a detailed concept of the complex, the architects were faced with a new and somewhat unexpected challenge: inspired by the image that they came up with, the customer asked them to design in this same style yet another shopping center located at the outskirts of Moscow area's town of Odintsovo. The challenge consisted in the fact that its framework, parallelepiped in shape and thus very far from "flying", had already been built, and now the architects were to somehow apply and adjust the new image to the already existing basis. 

Unlike the spacious site in Zhukovsky, the Odintsovo site is tightly squeezed between the existing residential buildings and the noisy Mozhaisk Highway. A few years ago it was planned that a supermarket would be built here within a walking distance for the people living in the nearby houses. A framework was erected full of all the design mistakes one could possibly think of: the wrong seat, the incorrectly organized entrance, the inner space inefficiently organized, and the shopping premises of an unjustified size, averaging from 300 to 500 square meters. All of this, given the realities of today's life, made the shopping center unsustainable. 

And on this very basis or, to be more exact, on this framework, the architects were to create a second "Atlas", as bright and as striking. At first, the mission seemed practically impossible. As Julia Tryaskina, who took the responsibility for all the work on re-designing the insides of this "prodigy" complex, shares, finding the right solution was quite a tall order. Because it is one thing designing something from scratch, on a spacious land site next to an active natural landscape, and it is quite a different thing having to deal with the pre-built concrete "box" of quite a different scale, namely, a tenth of the size of its "elder brother", trying to endow it with the features of the latter's trademark style.

By the time the work on the Odintsovo project started, Zhukovsky's "Atlaspark" already had a completed outlook: the low-rise streamlined building with three above-ground and two underground floors following the intricate lines of the land site's terrain. When viewed from above, the "blanket" of the flat awning above the usable roof looks like a casually thrown veil touched a little by the wind. There are two tennis courts on the roof, a few jogging tracks, an open-air panoramic terrace belonging both to the restaurants and the swimming pool, as well as a skating rink in the wintertime. The awning partially covers the three main volumes "spun" around the common entrance gallery and naturally lit atrium spaces, the largest of which is situated immediately behind the central entrance, the consecutive atriums growing smaller in size. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky © UNK project


On the plan, all the three blocks that, apart from the shopping premises, include an eight-hall movie theater, a fitness club, a children's playing room, and various cafes and restaurants, when viewed together with the communication nucleus, look like water-polished pebbles washed ashore by the tidal wave. The largest and the heaviest one took up the position right next to the water, another, more slender and elongated, looking a bit like a moored boat, is turned with its face to the town - it proudly bears the name and the logo of the complex. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky. Plan of the first floor © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky. Plan of the second floor © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky. Plan of the third floor © UNK project


Incidentally, the entire color solution of the complex - golden and purple - grew up from the "Atlas" logo. The deep purple color is always a bright accent, and, in this particular case, not just an accent but a colorful outburst of white and golden 3D panels that refer us by association to the same "water" image. Together with the large glass showcases, the 3D panels glitter in the sunlight, enhancing the striking impression. The third, and the most "uncut" stone that ends on one of its sides in a square-plan volume stands perpendicular to the two others. Its rounded end is turned to the river. Its clear-cut facade is turned to the residential houses. Such position allows for not only neatly "inscribing" but even "embossing" the large sophisticated building into the borders of the land site, following the curve of the river bend, completing the overall picture and bringing it to balance.

In all the three entrance areas, including the riverside one, the awning of the roof rests upon a forest of slender columns. Tilted at different angles, they look a lot like brushwood, with trunks that are still slender but already crowned by lush foliage. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky. Central entrance © UNK project
***

In Odintsovo, on the other hand, water and vegetation gets replaced by concrete jungle but here the Zhukovsky design solution looks quite appropriate, if a little bit more reserved. Transferring the style and the mood to the rigid geometric framework proved not that difficult at the end of the day: the same berth of the "hovering" roof that has now become strictly rectangular but in the same style - only partially - covers the building. The same protruding awning with a forest of "tree trunks" of the pillars that support the plaque of the roof accents the visitors' attention on the entrance groups. The decoration is based on the same materials and trademark colors as in Zhulovsky. The resemblance of the two projects is also stressed by the visual fracturing of the facade into several independent volumes with a thought-out concept of placing the commercial and information billboards. Everything looks light, delicate and almost weightless. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas" © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas" © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas" © UNK project


What was by far more challenging was finding the solutions for the building's inside problems. First of all, the authors needed to consider its "seat" - particularly in view of the elevation gain of the land site. Strange as it is, the preceding project only provided for one entrance to the building, the one from the street side, because of which the people living in the area adjacent to the building from the opposite side, would have to circle it around in order to get inside, making an uphill climb. Julia Tryaskina proposed to organize yet another entrance from that side for the locals. Leaving the central entrance in its original place - next to the Mozhaisk Highway - the architects added yet another one on the residential area side equipping it with an escalator for those that want to get to the grand entrance quicker. 

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas". Plan of the first floor © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas". Plan of the second floor © UNK project


Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas". Plan of the third floor © UNK project


On the inside, the dead-end corridor got replaced with a pass-through perimeter gallery. Along its outer border, small shops are lining up, while in its center there is an atrium with the elevator group that gives the idea about the overall size of the complex and literary calls on to the visitors to go further upstairs. Next to it, there are the "island" stores. Making these drastic changes to the plan of the complex, the architects had to relocate all the escalators, exits, and entrances, as well as change the configuration of the stairways. As a result, there was nothing left of the previous project besides the outside bearing walls - but the plan got clear-cut logic and the efficiency of all of its solutions without which a modern shopping center just cannot be successful. The functional capability of the complex also got enriched - not to the degree that it is in Zhukovsky but it can still offer a great selection of stores - from the supermarket to the "children's paradise", as well as a gym, restaurants, and cafes.

Shopping and entertainment center "Atlas" © UNK project


zooming
Interiors of the shopping and entertainment center "Atlas" in Odintsovo and "Atlaspark" in Zhukovsky © UNK project


As far as the interior design solutions are concerned, just like in the cases of the facades, both projects show easily recognizable features. Essentially, it is only the scale that differs. Used to the full extent in Zhukovsky, the theme of the park bleeding into the interior of the building is successfully implemented within the walls of the Odintsovo shopping center. It also has in it quite the "park" trails on the floor designated by the rich purple color, and the benches in the form of snow-white chunks, lots of light and green verdure. Framed in wooden lamellae, the glass-covered fragments of the ceiling refer us to the image of a garden pergola. In Zhukovsky, under the awning of such symbolic pergolas that let in a sufficient amount of ambient light the architects decided to plant living trees. The stretch ceiling with a glittering effect that spreads the light is turned into a semblance of sky in fluffy clouds. The atriums, at some places crossed with overpasses, are permeated with numerous round bull's eyes but the real sky and the rays of sunlight only get inside through the glass domes overhead. 

What is interesting is the fact that the traditional natural materials neighbor here on the most up-to-date ones while the natural balanced colors give way to almost garish ones. The sci-fi futurist quality of the image of the park is felt particularly strong in the design solution of one of the atriums in Zhukovsky where the architects recreated a picture of an unusual garden with giant fruits hanging down from its ceiling. Because of these persistent inclusions one gets mixed feelings: you cannot really tell if you have found yourself in a park of the future or miraculously ended up at some orbital station and you are now wandering in space on the verge of shock and delight. 

The construction of both shopping centers is already underway and in some time the futuristic spaces will be able to take in the first visitors.


07 July 2015

Headlines now
Inverted Fortress
This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.
The Paradox of the Temporary
The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.
The Forum of Time
The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.
Mirrors Everywhere
The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.
The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom
The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.
The Snowstorm Fish
The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.
The Mirror of Your Soul
We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.
Part of the Ideal
In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.
The Fortress by the River
ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.
In the Rhombus Grid
Construction has begun on the building of the OMK (United Metallurgical Company) Corporate University in Nizhny Novgorod’s town of Vyksa, designed by Ostozhenka Architects. The most interesting aspect of the project is how the architects immersed it in the context: “extracting” a diagonal motif from the planning grid of Vyksa, they aligned the building, the square, and the park to match it. A truly masterful work with urban planning context on several different levels of perception has long since become the signature technique of Ostozhenka.
​Generational Connection
Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.
Three Dimensions of the City
We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived
New “Flight”
Architects from “Mezonproject” have developed a project for the reconstruction of the regional youth center “Polyot”(“Flight”) in the city of Oryol. The summer youth center, built back in the late 1970s, will now become year-round and acquire many additional functions.
The Yauza Towers
In Moscow, there aren’t that many buildings or projects designed by Nikita Yavein and Studio 44. In this article, we present to you the concept of a large multifunctional complex on the Yauza River, located between two parks, featuring a promenade, a crossroads of two pedestrian streets, a highly developed public space, and an original architectural solution. This solution combines a sophisticated, asymmetric façade grid, reminiscent of a game of fifteen puzzle, and bold protrusions of the upper parts of the buildings, completely masking the technical floors and sculpting the complex’s silhouette.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
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.