Towers above the Forest

A residential complex PerovSky upon a project of ADM bureau is being built at the border of Terletskaya Dubrava, to become the embodiment of the spirit – not the form – of city block development ideology.

Written by:
Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

15 February 2016

Object

The construction site where MP Group is building the new multi-functional residential complex is located in a unique natural environment considering the urban conditions. Not only is it separated from Entuziastov Shosse and Perovo residential districts with green territories of two hospitals and the House of Veterans of the Stage, but also, practically right by its east boarder, in a few minutes walking distance, begins the territory of Terletsky Park – a monument of landscaping with a cascade of ponds, an old forest and other joys of a park; not to mention the vast Izmaylovsky forest stretching out on the other side of the highway. This magnificent location from the point of view of ecology and future characterization, has another advantage – the architects did not have to think how to fit this project into the urban landscape due to complete absence of the latter. One of the authors of the complex under construction, Andrey Romanov, compares such objects with a submarine which exists autonomously and follows only its own rules. “The main thing – he adds, – is for the object to be by itself integral and have internal harmony”.

The main idea, on which Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova founded the project, is the subject of “own territory”, in other words – the popular city block development; after all, a street block in its essence is nothing short of a cell of urban structure proportionate to a man, inside of which the residents must get the feeling of being home. It is clear that the easiest way to construct such a cell is traditionally – to insulate the inner space with a closed boundary. But, if it is not possible the same result can be achieved with less obvious architectural methods. PerovSky residential complex consists of three 23-storey towers: however hard you try, you will not build a traditional block with such components. That is why, the architects of ADM united the towers with a two-storey stylobate. Such method has already made a good showing: the low-rise volume does not oppress the on-looker, does not overshadow the yard but successfully fulfills its role as an interlink. The architects also used it in their previous work for MR Group, a residential complex on Vorobyovy Gory.

In this case, the volume complicated on plan – pedantically repeated straight lines of the towers in one place and suddenly drawn back parabolic curves – does not only place all the necessary infrastructure – from a supermarket and cafes to a fitness center – but also serves as a barrier separating the inside territory from the outside, street space. The main lobby of the stylobate leads to one of the residential buildings. To get into the other two, one must cross the yard. The opening of the second entrance leads to the kindergarten, built with a view to both the complex residents and their neighbors. The architects moved its promenade area decorated with colored triangles outside the yard – it adjoins the outer side of the stylobate.

zooming — Multifunctional building with residential and other kinds of premises on the Shosse Entuziastov. Project, 2015 © ADM

Given the obvious stylistic similarity, the facades of the residential buildings are executed in different sculptural manners. More specifically, there is one topic and many variations. It is partially conditioned by varying apartment layout, arrangement by cardinal points, and partially – by the wish to make each tower block individual. Clinker brick is used for all the facades, but the wide color range of this material allowed to choose a specific tone for every building, animating them with less or more emphasized pixelization which creates a feeling of volume and even movement: slight garishness is better for the eye than blind monotony. The cross-beams in the inter-floor lines are placed vertically forming light unobstrusive frames which can be seen only as a slight hint through the pattern of cladding seams.

Another tool for the wall arrangement is the rhythm of the windows. Just as in their previous projects, Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova build it up in a masterful manner. In one of the towers – the red brick one – the windows arranged in vertical rows afford diagonal dynamics, echoing on every other floor with the alternation of nook-windows. The regular but dynamic pattern of the embrasures makes the wall feel lighter compensating the tangible substantiality of red brick. The second tower is brighter and more austere and regular; its embrasures concentrate notably towards the center of the facades, accenting the solidity of the corners. The third tower is even brighter, and its rhythm is complicated by horizontal alternation that turns the façade into a chess pattern. This image is supported by metal-coated horizontal elements on the tops and bottoms of the windows, vertical wooden panels (also used in the second tower) and small grill boxes for ACs.

The partition walls of the stylobate are noticeably thinner, there is more fenestration and its volume rolled out on the ground feels slender and light. A line of bright wood runs across both parts of the stylobate on its top like a continuous strip. It is inserted deeper than the prominent ribs but above the surface of the windows, conforming to the same effect of multilayer walls applied in the residential towers. In places where the flat surfaces of the stylobate facades extend the lines of tower walls, they are turned into red-brick lattice, genetically connected with the terracotta color of the first tower. In the cavities of mini-squares in front of the entrances, the architects replace the wooden rids with even thinner white ones: this “nibbled apple” effect emphasizes the openness of the entrance areas, invites to come inside, and at the same time, allows to feel the transitional character of these areas, half-enclosed in the geometrical contours of the block, but not yet outside, behind the transparent surface of the glass. The roof of the stylobate is scheduled to be planted with trees, so that the view of it from the windows will not disturb the harmony of the surrounding forest panorama.

The thing that Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova never economize on is the improvement of the living environment. It concerns not only and so much the budget, as ideas and time spent for the development. After all, besides its practical functions (benches for resting, playgrounds for playing, trees for shadowing) a correct design of building surrounding grounds solves serious macrotasks. The architects are sure that a person cannot perceive even the best façade in isolation from the landscape context. “It is a matter of goal-setting, – says Andrey Romanov. – We want to create an environment which a person would find exciting and comfortable even if many details have to be perceived subconsciously”.

PerovSky complex has to arouse curiosity right at its entrance: in front of the main lobby, there is a picturesque front square with trees, rounded benches and concentric rings or colored tiles. A similar but smaller square will appear at the entrance to the kindergarten. But, of course, the most intricate and thoroughly elaborated landscape design will fall to the complex residents. The architects plan to mound actual hills in the courtyards (since there will be underground parking lots, a certain amount of soil has to be added for planted trees), arrange playgrounds – not to mention flowerbeds, lawns and paths forming images that sometimes remind real specimen of avant-garde. The children raised in such a yard are only to be envied – they will have their own little world, with mountains, gardens, alleys and lanes. Grown-ups will also find where to rest and what to fix their eyes on in this environment. Seeing the rich landscape together with the guarding but light and see-through stylobate a passer-by will perceive it as a fragment of a well-developed city – a comfortable space of a human scale. To some extent, it can be seen as a solution to the problem of a priori “inhumane” sizes of high-rise buildings: the towers step back onto the background; from the outside, only the two-storey part can be perceived and “functions”. And even though, on returning home, the resident will feel the height of the towers, it is felt differently from up here – through the panorama of the surrounding parks and city in the perspective. And our increasingly “less comfortable” time needs both the coziness of the landscape, and the feel of “soaring over the city”.

15 February 2016

Written by:

Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

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.

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The Fortress by the River

ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.

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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.

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Generational Connection

Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.

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Three Dimensions of the City

We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived

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New “Flight”

Architects from “Mezonproject” have developed a project for the reconstruction of the regional youth center “Polyot”(“Flight”) in the city of Oryol. The summer youth center, built back in the late 1970s, will now become year-round and acquire many additional functions.

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The Yauza Towers

In Moscow, there aren’t that many buildings or projects designed by Nikita Yavein and Studio 44. In this article, we present to you the concept of a large multifunctional complex on the Yauza River, located between two parks, featuring a promenade, a crossroads of two pedestrian streets, a highly developed public space, and an original architectural solution. This solution combines a sophisticated, asymmetric façade grid, reminiscent of a game of fifteen puzzle, and bold protrusions of the upper parts of the buildings, completely masking the technical floors and sculpting the complex’s silhouette.

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Architecture and Leisure Park

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”.

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Black and White

In this article, we specifically discuss the interiors of the ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh. Interior design is a crucial component of the overall concept in this case, and precision and meticulous execution were highly important for the architects. Julia Tryaskina, head of UNK interiors, shares some of the developments.

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The “Snake” Mountain

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.

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Feed ’Em All

A “House of Russian Cuisine” was designed and built by KROST Group at VDNKh for the “Rossiya” exhibition in record-breaking time. The pavilion is masterfully constructed in terms of the standards of modern public catering industry multiplied by the bustling cultural program of the exhibition, and it interprets the stylistically diverse character of VDNKh just as successfully. At the same time, much of its interior design can be traced back to the prototypes of the 1960s – so much so that even scenes from iconic Soviet movies of those years persistently come to mind.

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The Ensemble at the Mosque

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.

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The Shape of the Inconceivable

The ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh brings to mind a famous maxim of all architects and critics: “You’ve come up with it? Now build it!” You rarely see such a selfless immersion in implementation of the project, and the formidable structural and engineering tasks set by UNK architects to themselves are presented here as an integral and important part of the architectural idea. The challenge matches the obliging status of the place – after all, it is an “exhibition of achievements”, and the pavilion is dedicated to the nuclear energy industry. Let’s take a closer look: from the outside, from the inside, and from the underside too.

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Rays of the Desert

A school for 1750 students is going to be built in Dubai, designed by IND Architects. The architects took into account the local specifics, and proposed a radial layout and spaces, in which the children will be comfortable throughout the day.

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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.

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Towers Leaning Towards the Sun

The three towers of the residential complex “Novodanilovskaya 8” are new and the tallest neighbors of the Danilovsky Manufactory, “Fort”, and “Plaza”, complementing a whole cluster of modern buildings designed by renowned masters. At the same time, the towers are unique for this setting – they are residential, they are the tallest ones here, and they are located on a challenging site. In this article, we explore how architects Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova tackled this far-from-trivial task.

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In the spirit of ROSTA posters

The new Rostselmash tractor factory, conceptualized by ASADOV Architects, is currently being completed in Rostov-on-Don. References to the Soviet architecture of the 1920’s and 1960’s resonate with the mission and strategic importance of the enterprise, and are also in line with the client’s wish: to pay homage to Rostov’s constructivism.

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The Northern Thebaid

The central part of Ferapontovo village, adjacent to the famous monastery with frescoes by Dionisy, has been improved according to the project by APRELarchitects. Now the place offers basic services for tourists, as well as a place for the villagers’ leisure.

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Brilliant Production

The architects from London-based MOST Architecture have designed the space for the high-tech production of Charge Cars, a high-performance production facility for high-speed electric cars that are assembled in the shell of legendary Ford Mustangs. The founders of both the company and the car assembly startup are Russians who were educated in their home country.

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Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor

The so-called “Mytny Dvor” area lying just behind Moscow Railway Station – the market rows with a complex history – will be transformed into a premium residential complex by Studio 44. The project consists of three parts: the restoration of historical buildings, the reconstruction of the lost part of the historical contour, and new houses. All of them are harmonized with each other and with the city; axes and “beams of light” were found, cozy corners and scenic viewpoints were carefully thought out. We had a chat with the authors of the historical buildings’ restoration project, and we are telling you about all the different tasks that have been solved here.

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The Color of the City, or Reflections on the Slope of an Urban Settlement

In 2022, Ostozhenka Architects won a competition, and in 2023, they developed and received all the necessary approvals for a master plan for the development of Chernigovskaya Street for the developer GloraX. The project takes into account a 10-year history of previous developments; it was done in collaboration with architects from Nizhny Novgorod, and it continues to evolve now. We carefully examined it, talked to everyone, and learned a lot of interesting things.

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A Single-Industry Town

Kola MMC and Nornickel are building a residential neighborhood in Monchegorsk for their future employees. It is based on a project by an international team that won the 2021 competition. The project offers a number of solutions meant to combat the main “demons” of any northern city: wind, grayness and boredom.

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A New Age Portico

At the beginning of the year, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport opened Terminal C. The large-scale and transparent entrance hall with luminous columns inside successfully combines laconism with a bright and photogenic WOW-effect. The terminal is both the new façade of the whole complex and the starting point of the planned reconstruction, upon completion of which Tolmachevo will become the largest regional airport in Russia. In this article, we are examining the building in the context of modernist prototypes of both Novosibirsk and Leningrad: like puzzle pieces, they come together to form their individual history, not devoid of curious nuances and details.

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A New Starting Point

We’ve been wanting to examine the RuArts Foundation space, designed by ATRIUM for quite a long time, and we finally got round to it. This building looks appropriate and impressive; it amazingly combines tradition – represented in our case by galleries – and innovation. In this article, we delve into details and study the building’s historical background as well.

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Molding Perspectives

Stepan Liphart introduces “schematic Art Deco” on the outskirts of Kazan – his houses are executed in green color, with a glassy “iced” finish on the facades. The main merits of the project lie in his meticulous arrangement of viewing angles – the architect is striving to create in a challenging environment the embryo of a city not only in terms of pedestrian accessibility but also in a sculptural sense. He works with silhouettes, proposing intriguing triangular terraces. The entire project is structured like a crystal, following two grids, orthogonal and diagonal. In this article, we are examining what worked, and what eventually didn’t.