An Ornament without Prejudices

Unlike most houses belonging to the so-called elite market sector and designed in pseudo-classical style, “Residence in Vsevolozhsky” has been planned in the spirit of art deco.

Written by:
Marya Snejinskaya
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

16 March 2016

Object

Architect:

Firm:

Mezonproekt http://www.mezon.pro

Since the times of the construction boom, new projects in the district of Ostozhenka – under the code-name “Golden Mile” – are fairly rare. There are almost no spare land sites left, and demolishing one of the historic monuments of 18-19 centuries set here with an incredible density has long become not as easy as it had been at the time of the Council of Ministers: then whole blocks of “slum dwelling” were replaced with new brick and even modular prefab houses.

However, as it turned out, there are still some hidden reserves: in the first lane from the center, between Ostozhenka and Prechistenka, on the territory, which two centuries ago was occupied by the mansion house of Vsevolozhskiy family, they found a building of 1980's constructed for an electric substation of an automatic telephone station, and which has been deserted in the recent years. It fell into the hands of “Leader-Invest” company which specializes in residential real estate of upper-middle class. Besides, in this case, the format was imposed by the location itself: a compact land-lot with a view on Kremlin and the surrounding architectural monuments from the 18th up to the 21st centuries. It was decided to build a clubhouse in Vsevolzhsky lane 5.

Generally speaking, the epoch when clubhouses were popular in Moscow downtown area, is already in the past. The demand for madly expensive living area in houses with no more than 30 apartments after two last crises has notably decreased. So the task of the architects of Mezonproject bureau was larger than just a design of a six-storey house with 21 apartments on a patch of land of a bit more than 0.1 hectares. On the one hand, the house had to comply with all the generally accepted standards of “elite dwelling”, and on the other – stand out from the similar buildings and possess competitive advantages.

zooming — “Residence in Vsevolozhsky”. Main facade © Mezonproject

First of all, the architects provided for spaces between the new object and the firewalls of the neighboring houses. In the early 20th century, when the both neighbor-houses were built, it was decided to adjoin the houses to each other for space saving purposes, and the Soviet automatic telephone station was constructed in the same manner. In this case, it had been done differently and the architects consider that this solution will do good: “We have let the sunlight in a dark lane on the north of the building – tells Ilya Mashkov. – Now the sun will get inside through the gaps, and the building itself will make a better impression, because this way, we’ve got the end facades and used the corners to their better effect”.

The second step of Mezonproject was to choose the stylistics of the future house: as it is known, developers of elite dwelling prefer more or less averaged historicism, but in this case, having dwelled upon the original variants of interpretations of more plastic modern, the architects suggested to the client ornamented art-deco. Chief architect of Moscow, Sergey Kuznetsov, supported them in this matter and noted during the consideration of the project, that richly decorated architecture is very much in the spirit of the capital. The main thing is to conform with all the stylistic canons and properly elaborate all the details.

So, the architects focused on the details. The outer walls of the building are variegated with geometric ornaments: in some places, they will be cut into surfaces of natural travertine, in others, engraved on copper sheets, and in some places, they will be encrusted in oak panels. Alongside with the unparalleled depth of the stone processing which is available thanks to modern technologies, ornamental panels of copper alloys play a great role in creating the decorative image. The architects emphasize their noble color, closer to bronze, without the reddishness. In time, they are supposed to age beautifully, turning dark and covering with patina. Decorating the framings of the windows and French balconies, these copper panels will take up 15% of the whole wall surface.

Another dominating feature of the facades along the lane will be the entrance lobbies. The main entrance with the special emblem of the house hanging above the door is made slightly pushed inside, whereas the stone carved framing is, on the contrary, projected forward. On top of it, almost by the upper cornice, is another indispensable attribute of a clubhouse, besides the emblem: a copper plate with the construction year written in Roman numbers. There will also be an entrance into the underground parking garage from the side of the front façade.

It should be mentioned here that there is almost no historical art deco architecture in Moscow. Researchers compare this style with the architecture of the early Stalin period of the 1930s. Hints of art deco are found in the works of Aleksey Dushkin, in the interiors of Kropotkinskaya and Mayakovskaya metro stations, but the Moscow variant of the style is more austere, and historically quickly transfers into renaissance decoration a la Zholtovsky. The rich art deco with the use of ornaments as such (almost of any origin, for example, Egyptian or styled geometrical) gradually appeared in Moscow in 2000-s, even though not very often, due to the same orders for clubhouses.

At the same time, the authors managed to fit into the context: both the closest geographical and historical ones. Looking from Prechistenka, the rows of metal-framed three-edged bay-windows present a paraphrase of the corner protrusion of Kostyakova’s house, famous for the fact that professor Preobrazhensky bought some Krakow sausage here. The bay-windows build up a shadow of the 1910s building multiplied by six. Their purpose is to include the house into the rhythm of this small but very complete part of the city.

Its predecessor, the automatic telephone station, looked completely different. And yet, its façade that appeared in the period of 80s modernism mixed with classic, in its own way reflected the wish of its authors to fit in context of the street. The rhythm of its white-stone facades was strictly vertical, and by the way, not foreign to ideas of art deco. The image was completed with a line of golden inserts in the upper part, turning the pragmatic industrial building into a jewelry box. Sure, in the 80s no one could have the opportunity to get the jewelry box idea into shape, but now, comparing the two tasks, it may seem that the clubhouse has “grown through” its predecessor, moving the dense verticals apart with its bay-windows, enriching it with metal and carving, preserving the familiarity of elevation marks and partly the color, rhythm, and the contours of the facade structure where the entrance used to be marked with a canopy, and now, has turned into a portal. This is what forms historical continuity: the residents of the house might know nothing about it, but it may be very important for the city.

The yard façade is more modest. The tall windows of two staircase risalits “open up” the steps and remind of constructivist methods; however the cutting on the framings brings us back to the ornamented style. The architects plan to arrange a winter garden in the part of the lobby adjoining the yard. This will unite the house with its little garden and partly compensate for the small size of it (600 m2): it could not be otherwise with the automatic telephone station which was classified as an industrial building. Nevertheless, according to the project, the yard will place a comfortable closed green zone that will not only offer place for the residents to walk and play with children among lawns, flowerbeds and bushes. Full-fledged play- and sports-grounds for which the given area does not suffice, will be replaced by cozy areas equipped for active recreation.

In the cold season, you will not even have to go outside: the architects preliminarily schedule a club library and a wine bar on both sides of the double-high entrance vestibule. At one point, the developer was inclined to succumb to a fashionable trend and invite a western “star” to decorate them. But eventually, it was considered that the project turns out to be quite outstanding as it is. So, the interiors of all the public areas, including the parking lot, a lounge for drivers and an animal care room, is being developed by the architects of Mezonproject – and once again, with elements of art deco. The floors in front rooms will be made of natural stone, the coffered ceiling – covered with stuccowork and the walls – with decorative plaster and stained glass a la Lalique.

3d up to 6th floor apartments will be sold undecorated: the Russian experience of working with clubhouses shows that “imposed” interiors are not very popular among potential buyers. Apartment areas vary from 100 plus to almost 250 m2. The layouts allow to buy and unite several apartments on one floor. Windows in every apartment face two or three sides, and the most impressive views can be seen from the penthouses on the top floor: here, the Conception Convent, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and even the towers of Kremlin spread out before you.

Rare panoramas and location, flexible apartment layout, advanced vital service systems and developed infrastructure – all these features are typical for a clubhouse format. “Residence in Vsevolzhsky” can be distinguished by the effort to fit the urban environment – which has a rare integrity for Moscow – and simultaneously draw attention with its ornamental uniqueness that is meant to make the “carved jewelry box” both rich and special. This is significant for a house of this class, especially in the time of the economic recession.

Architect:

Firm:

Mezonproekt http://www.mezon.pro

16 March 2016

Written by:

Marya Snejinskaya
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

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.

Object

Exposed Concrete

One of the stages of improving a small square in the town of Lermontov was the construction of a skatepark. Entrusting this part of the project to the XSA team, the city gained a 250-meter trick track whose features resemble those of land art objects – unparalleled in Russia in both scale and design. Here’s a look at how the experimental snake run in the foothills of the Caucasus was built.

Object

One Step Closer To the Dream

The challenges of getting all the mandatory approvals, an insufficient budget, and construction site difficulties did not prevent ASADOV Bureau from achieving its main goal in the realization of the school project in the town of Troitsk – taking another step away from outdated notions of educational spaces toward creating a fundamentally new academic environment.

Object

Chalet on the Rock

An Accor hotel in Arkhyz, designed by A.Len, will be situated at the gateway to the resort’s main tourist hubs. The architects reinterpreted the widely popular chalet style while adding an unexpected twist – an unfinished structure preserved on the site. The design team transformed this remnant into an exciting space featuring an open-air pool and a restaurant with panoramic views of the region’s highest mountain ridges.

Interview

Sergey Skuratov: “By and large, the project has been realized in line with the original ideas”

In this issue, we talk to the chief architect of Garden Quarters, looking back at the history and key moments of a project that took 18 years to develop and has now finally been completed. What interests us most are the transformations that the project underwent during construction, and the way the “necessary void” of public space was formed, which turned this remarkable complex into a fragment of a whole new type of urban fabric – not just at the horizontal “street” level but in its vertical structure as well.

Object

A Unique Representative

The recently concluded year 2024 can be considered the year of completion for the “Garden Quarters” residential complex in Moscow’s Khamovniki. This project is well-known and, in many ways, iconic. Rarely does one manage to preserve such a number of original ideas, achieving in the end a kind of urban planning Gesamtkunstwerk. Here is a subjective view from an architecture journalist, with an interview with Sergey Skuratov soon to follow.

Object

Field of Life

The new project by the architectural company PNKB (an acronym for “Design, Research, and Advisory Bureau”), led by Sergey Gnedovsky and Anton Lyubimkin, for the Kulikovo Field Museum is dedicated to the field as a concept in its own right. The field has long been a focus of the museum’s thorough and successful research. Accordingly, the exterior of the new museum building is gentler than that of its predecessor, which was also designed by PNKB and dedicated specifically to the historic battle. Inside, however, the building confidently guides the visitor from a luminous atrium along a spiral path to the field – interpreted here as a field of life.

Object

A Paper Clip above the River

In this article, we talk with Vitaly Lutz from the Genplan Institute of Moscow about the design and unique features of the pedestrian bridge that now links the two banks of the Yauza River in the new cluster of Bauman Moscow State Technical University (MSTU). The bridge’s form and functionality – particularly the inclusion of an amphitheater suspended over the river – were conceived during the planning phase of the territory’s development. Typically, this approach is not standard practice, but the architects advocate for it, referring to this intermediate project phase as the “pre-AGR” stage (AGR stands for Architectural and Urban Planning Approval). Such a practice, they argue, helps define key parameters of future projects and bridge the gap between urban planning and architectural design.

Review

Living in the Architecture of One’s Own Making

Do architects design houses for themselves? You bet! In this article, we are examining a new book by TATLIN publishing house. This book – unprecedented for Russia – features 52 private homes designed and built by contemporary architects for themselves. It includes houses that are famous, even iconic, as well as lesser-known ones; large and small, stylish and eccentric. To some extent, the book reflects the history of Russian architecture over the past 30 years.

Object

A City Block Isoline

Another competition project for a residential complex on the banks of the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod has been prepared by Studio 44. A team of architects led by Ivan Kozhin concluded that using a regular block layout in such a location would be inappropriate and developed a “custom design” approach: a chain of parceled multi-section buildings stretching along the entire embankment. Let’s explore the features and advantages of this unconventional method.

Report

Competition: The Price of Creativity?

Any day now, we’re expecting the results of a competition held by the “Samolet” development group for a plot in Kommunarka. In the meantime, we share the impressions of Editor-in-Chief Julia Tarabarina, who managed to conduct a public talk. Though technically focused on the interaction between developers and architects, the public talk turned into a discussion about the pros and cons of architectural competitions.

Object

Terraced Design

The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.

A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments

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

Contest Results

The Volga Regatta

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

Object

Life Plans

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

Object

A New Track

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

Report

Four Different Surveys

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

Report

Scheduled Evolution

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

Object

The Golden Crown

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

News

Flexibility and Integration

Not long ago, we covered the project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential complex, designed by APEX. Now, we’ve been shown different fence concepts they developed to enclose the complex’s private courtyards, incorporating a variety of public functions. We believe that the sheer fact that the complex’s architects were involved in such a detail as fencing speaks volumes.

Object

A Step Forward

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

Object

Gold in the Sands

A new office for a transcontinental company specializing in resource extraction and processing has opened in Dubai. Designed by T+T Architects, masters of creating spaces that are contemporary, diverse, flexible, and original, this project exemplifies their expertise. On the executive floor, a massive brass-clad partition dominates, while layered textures of compressed earth create a contextually resonant backdrop.

Object

Layers and Levels of Flight

This project goes way back – Reserve Union won this architectural competition at the end of 2011, and the building was completed in 2018, so it’s practically “archival”. However, despite being relatively unknown, the building can hardly be considered “dated” and remains a prime example of architectural expression, particularly in the headquarters genre. And it’s especially fitting for an aviation company office. In some ways, it resembles the Aeroflot headquarters at Sheremetyevo but with its own unique identity, following the signature style of Vladimir Plotkin. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in the Moscow agglomeration town of Zhukovsky, supplemented by recent photographs from Alexey Naroditsky – a shoot that became only recently possible due to the fact that improvements were finally made in the surrounding area.

Object

Light and Shadow

In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.

View

Casus Novae

A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.

Report

Treasure Hunting

The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.

Object

Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water

In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.

Object

Fir Tree Dynamics

The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.

Object

A Brick Shell

In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.

Report

Word Forms

ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.