По-русски

Evgeny Gerasimov: we are interested in designing for Saint Petersburg

In this article, we are speaking to the architect on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the bureau “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners”: about the lineup of his studio, about the diversity of tasks that his company handles, about the specifics of its working processes, about partnership with Sergey Tchoban, and about the soviet and post-soviet architecture.

Interviewed by:
Ivan Kostin
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

26 December 2016
Interview
mainImg


Archi.ru:
– The name of your company is “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners”, these partners being Zoe Petrova and Victor Khivrich?

Evgeny Gerasimov:
– Currently, we have two more partners: Karen Smirnov and Tatyana Komaldinova. Yes, Victor Khivrich and Zoe Petrova have been with us from the very start. We go back a long way with Zoe Petrova – we worked together when still in Lenniiproject. We build our relationship just like partners should: there is a senior partner, not in terms of his age but in terms of his share in the company, and the right to vote differs accordingly. I am the one who makes the final decisions.

– How do you make your decisions?

– We have absolute democracy when it comes to discussion and absolute dictatorship when it comes to implementation. Regardless of their position, be that a young architect or an experienced chief architect of the project, when we start working on a project we consider everybody’s ideas. For each project, we create a workgroup, and, together with me, they arrive at a final decision. Once we’ve made a decision, we cannot afford to swing back and forth and turn to the options that we’ve discarded.



– Are there groups of “classics” and “modernists” in your bureau?

– No, there is no such specialization. We proceed from the location, and, of course, from the customer. And, if the customer wants traditional architecture, you either agree to do the project or just opt out of it. Of course, you can choose one style only and then stick to it, and this is worthy of respect, but, the way I see it, such approach is monotonous.





– What would you name as the main achievement of your company?

– First of all, the sheer fact of its existence; we’ve been around since 1991, and that’s quite a while! And, of course, our projects that have been implemented! Whether somebody likes them or not is a different matter. What matters is the fact that there are a large number of implemented projects that we designed, and for which, among other things, we prepared the working documents.

Our company is focused on designing buildings from the original idea down to the last detailed drawing. We do not put ourselves above the “crude” work, furthermore, we are sure that only if you prepare your working documents yourself, you get a chance to have you project built exactly the way you designed it.





– Let’s speak about your background. How did you come into architecture?

– I finished an art school, and, on the one hand, I did not see myself as a pure artist, and, on the other hand, I wanted to have a profession that would still be related to arts and drawing. Back in those days, I was still pretty vague about such things... I was born in Siberia but my childhood, until I was seven, I think, fell on Saint Petersburg. Then we left, due to family circumstances. But when I decided to take up architecture I came to Leningrad again. In 1983 I finished Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and then I worked at Lenniiproject.

– Who would you name as your teacher?

– I learned from many people. In the college, my professor was Leonid Lavrov. In Lenniiproject, I worked for a long time under the supervision of Yuri Mityurev who was to become later on the chief architect of the city. The head of the studio that I worked at was Oleg Kharchenko who was also the main architect of the city for a long time. And they don’t appoint just anyone as the chief architect of the city. This has to be the right person with a certain frame of mind, and with certain architectural and organizational skills, and I am sure that I’ve been really lucky to work under the guidance of such great people. I saw how these people could draw, think, and work; how they prepared their presentations – because we had no computers back then, and you had to draw by hand – how expertly skillful these people were with the drafting pen, ink, water colors, gouache, and how they could draw perspective drawings simply by hand.

– You founded your company back in 1991. How did it happen?

– In 1990, Mityurev and I left Lenniiproject, and he founded an architectural studio of his own. For half a year, I worked as his deputy director, but a while later we decided to go our separate ways.

– How did your company get along in the nineties? 

– It was a very romantic time, in fact. We started in a loft at the Fontanka River that had been formerly occupied by some homeless artists. We disinfested the places of rats ourselves, did all the repairs, and all the electrical work as well. It was there that we got our first computers... We started with drawing boards: water colors, wash drawings… Nobody knew anything about this stuff – how the future would look like, and what things would come along. A whole new class of clients was being formed, new housing typologies were developing, and new construction materials and technologies were introduced. We had to catch all these things on the fly. We had to learn to live and work in a new country.



– How did the idea come about of one of your earliest famous projects - that neoclassical and at the same time postmodernist house on the Kamennoostrovsky Avenue?

– This was the first project that we did for LSR Company. Yes, it was pure postmodernism because at that time we were still hungry for it. When in 1991 freedom was proclaimed, postmodernism was a field that was still unexplored by the soviet architects; we started to eagerly absorb the fruits of postmodernist aesthetics. But then again, we clearly saw the neoclassical nature of that project because it is part of the Kamennoostrovsky Avenue – right across from it, there are these masterpieces by Shchuko and Lancere. We were to complete the even side of the Kamennoostrovsky Avenue. And, as for the style of that building, yes, it is postmodernism of a neoclassical nature with details that are a bit on the rough side.





– In 2002, you got acquainted with your steady coauthor Sergey Tchoban. How did that acquaintance look to you at the time?

– I went to Berlin in order to examine its architecture that is iconic of postmodernism: Rob Krier, Mario Botta, and others, and the modern architecture of Berlin in general. Hitherto, I had never been to Berlin before. Oleg Kharchenko gave me Sergey Tchoban’s telephone number, and said that he thought it would be interesting for us to meet each other and maybe we would both benefit from it in some way. I had seen some works by Sergey, and he had seen some of mine but we had not met each other in person. So I called, Sergey invited me to his bureau, we had a short conversation, and agreed to have dinner together. We decided that we would give it a try working together, and in winter 2002 we worked on our joint project that we did for LSR – “House by the Sea”.



– How did you come up with the solution for this building? 

– Sergey and I work along the same lines. Each of us comes up with different versions, then we pick the most promising and ultimately it all comes down to one final version. Then we test our idea on the project models: they show both plan and volume, and I would even call these working project models the “sacred” basis of the design process, because it is at that period that a lot of things start to take shape. At a recent exhibition, we deliberately paid a lot of attention to it.

In the final version of “House by the Sea” we visually extended the axis of the Grebnoi Channel – “pulled it inside” and continued it. Out of all the apartments, you can see water, and trees on the other side. We used the principle of a city villa: each stairway provides access to three apartments that do not have mutual junctions, each of the apartments being oriented on three sides. We deliberately designed it in a reserved style: stone, metal profiles, and staggered windows... 


 
– What other works from the mid 2000’s would you specifically mention?

– Above all, the Saint-Petersburg Jewish community center YESOD, for which we got every possible award, and the house named Stella Maris. I don’t really feel comfortable within the confines of one style: I want to reinvent myself in the neoclassical, traditional, and modernist architecture. Both these two projects are definitely modernist. But we’ve done more projects than I care to remember. “Novaya Zvezda” on the Pesochnaya Embankment is also based on the combination of stone and glass...









– Which customers do you prefer to work with – private or state-run companies? 

– We rarely work with state-run companies. 

– And what about the projects of the Olympic committee, and the buildings of the government of the Russian Federation?

– These were all contest projects. Regretfully, we lost all these competitions. There was only one state-run order in our history - the project of the Ushakovskaya road junction. “Sudebny Kvartal” (“Court of Law Quarter”) is but the second case in our 25-year history. We prefer to refrain from working with federal budgets.







– How do you explain this? 

– The state is a rather faceless customer, and the people who are in charge of the project from their side rarely have the feeling of personal responsibility; they, come right down to it, are rather indifferent to architect in general. And we have a hard time working with a customer who is not personally interested in great architecture. So, we’d rather go for an end customer who is interested in getting a beautiful building because it will ultimately sell well.

– You won the competition “Gray Belt of Saint Petersburg”. How is this project developing now?

– We treated this competition from the very start as a show one, and, for that matter, the Committee for City Planning and Architecture did not make much of a secret of it either: they said it themselves that this competition was not of a great practical value. Basically, its idea came down to showing a beautiful picture that this city could be in the perfect world, to painting a dream: a house of your dreams, a block of your dreams, a “gray belt” of your dreams... We submitted our proposal, our idea, and then, well, let the city decide what it likes and what it doesn’t, and how to implement these things into reality.







– What projects is your company doing now?

– Currently, we are working on a few housing projects for the company “Legend”: “Legend on the Komendantsky” and “Legend on the Dalnevostochny”. The project of “Sudebny Kvartal” got the appropriate approvals recently. A few housing projects are being built for LSR. On the Krestovsky Island, the buildings named “Russian House” and “Verona” will soon be completed. We are also designing a complex of buildings on the Petrovsky Island. A few construction projects are underway in Moscow: the ZIL is being completed, and the housing project named “Tsarev Sad” (“Tsar’s Garden”) is being built across from the Kremlin on the Sophiyskaya Embankment. We are also designing a new tower on the Leningrad Avenue. The construction of a large housing project called "Europe City" is being finished on the Medikov Avenue – it will be a huge project with interesting ceramic façades.







– How do you see yourselves on the Russian architectural scene in the recent years?
 
– We have no comment about that. We appreciate that our company is probably one of the best in Saint Petersburg. Arguably, our company is one of the best in Russia as well because we get invited to high-profile competitions here, and in Moscow. “One of the best” – we are quite cool with this position. We do not make a point of becoming the only top company. We are interested in designing for Moscow – we did three projects there. We are interested in designing for Saint Petersburg. In the regions, the customers are not ready to pay adequate prices, so the tasks are less interesting.



Year after year, we work with a small circle of customers: we’ve been working for decades with LSR, LenspetsSMU. We work with Setl City, RBI, “Legend”, and other companies with whom we’ve done one or two projects. I think that an established circle of steady customers is a great thing for an architect to develop.

Evgeny Gerasimov. Photo courtesy by "Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners"
The inauguration of the exhibition for the 25th anniversary of "Eugene Gerasimov and Partners". Saint Petersburg, 11.10.2016. Photo © Ivan Kostin
Multiapartment building with inserted premises on the Morskoy Avenue © Eugene Gerasimov and Partners
Multiapartment buildings on the Komendantsky Prospect. View from the Glukharskaya Street. Project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
Administrative, business and public center "Nevskaya Ratusha". Construction, 2016. Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss. Photos © Yuri Slavtsov
Multifunctional complex "Alkon III" at the Leningradsky Avenue. Project, 2014 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
Multi-apartment building with integrated premises in Baskov Alley © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
zooming
A housing project on the Suvorovsky Avenue. Construction, 1998. Photo © Evgeny Gerasimov, A. Naroditsky
zooming
A residential building on the Kamennoostrovsky Avenue. Construction, 2000 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
zooming
A residential building on the Kamennoostrovsky Avenue. Construction, 2000. Model © M.Pavlichuk
The housing project "House by the Sea". Construction, 2008. Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, nps tchoban voss. Photo © A.Naroditsky
zooming
The housing project "House by the Sea". Visualization. Birds-eye view that allows to appreciate the architectural and town-planning solution and the effect of the gothic S-shaped curve of the complex © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, nps tchoban voss
The building of the Saint-Petersburg Jewish community center YESOD. Construction, 2006 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
"Stella Maris" housing project. Construction, 2007. Photo © A.Naroditsky
zooming
"Novaya Zvezda" housing project. Construction, 2005. Photo © K.Smirnov
Four Seasons Lion Palace Hotel. Photo courtesy by Dornbracht
zooming
The Ushakovskaya road junction. Construction, 2000 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
zooming
The building of the Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
zooming
Concept of the Parliament Center of the Russian Federation. Project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
The concept pf transforming the "Gray Belt". Consortium of three architectural companies © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss
The concept pf transforming the "Gray Belt". Consortium of three architectural companies © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss
"LEGENDA on the Dalnevostochny, 12" housing project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
Multiapartment residential complex "Europe City" at the Medikov Avenue. Project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss
Multiapartment residential complex "Europe City" at the Medikov Avenue. Project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss
A housing project in the ZIL Art complex on Moscow. Project, 2015 © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners
Congress and convention center "Expoforum" on the Peterburgskoe Highway. Construction, 2014. Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners, SPEECH, nps tchoban voss. Photo © D.Chebanenko
A project by "Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners". Decoration of the facades from natural stone and the organization of the inner yard


26 December 2016

Interviewed by:

Ivan Kostin
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov
Headlines now
Julius Borisov: “The “Island” housing complex is a unique project – we took it on with...
One of the largest housing projects of today’s Moscow – the “Ostrov” (“Island”) housing complex built by Donstroy – is now being actively built in the Mnevniky Floodplain. They are planning to build about 1.5M square meters of housing on an area of almost 40 hectares. We are beginning to examine this project– first of all, we are talking to Julius Borisov, the head of the architectural company UNK, which works with most of the residential blocks in this grand-scale project, as well as with the landscaping part; the company even proposed a single design code for the entire territory.
A Balanced Solution
The residential complex “Balance” on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt is one of the large-scale, and relatively economical (again, by Moscow standards) housing projects. Its first phase has already been built and landscaped; the work on the others is in progress. Nevertheless, it has an integral internal logic, which is based on the balance of functions, height, and even image and space composition. The proposed solutions are recognizable and laconic, so that each of them was reduced by the authors to a graphic “logo”. To see everything, you have to flip through the pages and look through to the end.
Horror Vacui
In the city of Omsk, ASADOV architects took on a very challenging task: they are developing a concept of a public and residential complex, which involves reconstructing the city’s first thermal power station standing right next to Omsk’s first fortress. This territory has already seen a lot of projects designed for it, and the residential function of this land site has been the subject of heated debate. In this article, we are examining the project in question, aimed at developing a mid-scale city fabric suited for the historical center. We also examine the above-mentioned debate. Seriously, will this project save this place or will it bring it to ruin?
A Multi-Faced Grotto
This building, seemingly small, unremarkable, semi-ruined, and not even very ancient – the Grotto in the Bauman Garden – was restored by the “People’s Architect” architectural company with all the care applicable to a heritage monument. They preserved the romantic appeal of the ruins, added multimedia content, and explored the cascading fountain, which, as it turned out, was completely preserved. Brace yourself for a long story!
First among Equals
The building of a kindergarten in the town of Beloyarsky is more than just another example of a modern educational space. Its design began a long time ago; it is located in Russia’s Far North; it is also a state-owned facility that is subject to regulations, and had to cut costs during construction (as usual). However, the design is contemporary, the layout is modern, and the building feels very fresh. The project is planned to be replicated.
Gustave Falconnier
In the “ruin” wing of Moscow’s Museum of Architecture, an exhibition of “glass bricks” by Gustave Falconnier is open. These “bricks” are essentially the predecessors of glass blocks, but more complex and beautiful. The exhibition shows genuine “bricks”, buildings composed of them, the history of the destruction of Falconnier windows in the building of the State Archives, and it also became one of the reasons to revive this unique production technology.
​Streamline for City Canyons
Stepan Liphart has designed two houses for two small land sites situated in the area surrounding the Varshavsky Railway Station, which is being intensively developed now. The sites are situated close but not next to each other, and they are different, yet similar: the theme is the same but it is interpreted in different ways. In this issue, we are examining and comparing both projects.
​The Eastern Frontier
“The Eastern Arc” is one of the main land resources of Kazan’s development, concentrated in the hands of a single owner. The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a concept for the integrated development of this territory based on an analytical transport model that will create a comfortable living environment, new centers of attraction, and new workplaces as well.
A School of Our Time
On the eve of the presentation of the new book by ATRIUM, dedicated to the design of schools and other educational facilities, based on the architects’ considerable experience, as well as expert judgments, we are examining the Quantum STEM school building, constructed according to their project in Astana. Furthermore, this building is planned to be the first one to start a new chain. The architects designed it in full accordance with modern standards but sometimes they did break away from them – only to confirm the general development rules. For example, there are two amphitheaters in the atrium, and there is an artificial hill in the yard that is meant to make the flat terrain of the Kazakhstan steppe more eventful.
The Fluffy Space
Designing the passenger terminal of the Orenburg airport, ASADOV architects continue to explore the space theme that they first introduced in Saratov and Kemerovo airports. At the same time, the architects again combine the global and the local, reflecting topics inspired by the local conceptual context. In this case, the building is “covered” by an Orenburg downy shawl – an analogy that is recognizable enough, yet not literal; some will see the reference and some won’t.
The White Fitness Center
The white health and fitness center, designed by Futura Architects at the entrance to St. Petersburg’s New Piter residential complex, provides the developing area not only with functional but also with sculptural diversity, livening up the rows of the brick city blocks with the whiteness of its seamless facades, cantilevered structures, and dynamic inclined lines.
The New Dawn
In their project of a technology park to be built on the grounds of “Integrated Home-Building Factory 500” in Tyumen Oblast – the biggest in Russia – the HADAA architects preserve not just the industrial function of the giant hangar built in the late 1980s and 90% of its structures, but also respond to its imagery. They also propose a “gradient” approach to developing the available areas: from open public ones to staff-only professional spaces. The goal of this approach is to turn the technology park into the driver for developing the business function between the industrial zones and the future residential area in accordance with the Integrated Land Development program.
​Tame Hills for New Residents
T+T Architects have reported that they have completed the landscaping project for the yard of the first stage of Alexandrovsky Garden housing complex in Ekaterinburg – the landscape complements the contextual architecture, tailored for the buyers’ preferences and downtown standards, with bold neo modernist master strokes and lush and diverse vegetation.
The Crystal of the City Block
The typology and plastique of large housing complexes move with the times, and you can sometimes find new subtleties in the scope of seemingly familiar solutions. The Sky Garden complex combines two well-known themes, forming a giant residential area consisting of tall slender towers, placed at the perimeter of a large yard, in which a crossroads of two pedestrian promenades is “dissolved”.
Sunshine, Air, and Water
The construction of the “Solnechny” (“Sunny”) summer camp, designed by ARENA project institute, has been completed, the largest summer camp within the legendary Artek seaside resort for children. It was conceived still in Soviet time, but it was not implemented. The modern version surprises you with sophisticated engineering solutions that are combined with a clear-cut structure: together, they generate Asher-esque spaces.
​Art Deco at the Edge of Space
The competition project by Stepan Liphart – a high-end residential complex executed in a reserved classicist style in close proximity to the Kaluga Space Museum – responds equally well to the context and to the client’s brief. It is moderately respectable, moderately mobile and transparent, and it even digs a little into the ground to comply with strict height restrictions, without losing proportions and scale.
​A Hill behind the Wall
The master plan of a new residential area in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, developed by the Genplan Institute of Moscow with the participation of Kengo Kuma & Associates, is based on the complexities and advantages of the relief of the foothills: the houses are arranged in cascades, and multi-level improvement penetrates all the blocks, continuing in forest trails.
Going, Going, Gone!
The housing complex “Composers’ Residences” has been built in accordance with the project by Sergey Skuratov, who won the international competition back in 2011. It all began from the image search and “cutting off all spare”, and then implementing the recognizable Skuratov architecture. It all ended, however, in tearing down the buildings of the Schlichterman factory, whose conservation was stipulated by all the appropriate agencies prior to approving Skuratov’s project. This story seems to be educational and important for understanding the history of all the eleven years, during which the complex was designed and built.
The Life of Iron
The building of the Vyksa Metallurgy Museum, designed by Nikita Yavein and Sergey Padalko, provides for the natural aging of metal – it is planned that the iron will gradually rust – at the same time utilizing the advanced type of construction, based on metal’s ability to stretch. The building will be constructed from pipes and rolled steel supplied by OMK company, as well as from recycled bricks.
​And the Brook is Flowing
ASADOV Architects have designed a master plan for developing a residential area at the outskirts of Kaliningrad: a regular grid of housing blocks is enriched by large-scale public facilities, the main “artery” of the new area being the fortification channel that regains its original function.
Off We Go!
The new terminal of the Tomsk airport is being designed by ASADOV bureau. The architects keep on developing its identity, building the imagery upon the inventions of Nikolai Kamov, whose name the airport bears. The result is laconic, light, and, as always, levitating.
Maximum Flexibility
The Multispace Dinamo, which recently opened within the Arena business center, is an example of a project that is entirely based upon cutting-edge approaches and technologies. It is managed via a mobile application, special software was created for it, and the spaces are not just multifunctional but carefully mixed up, like some kind of jigsaw puzzle that allows the office workers to mix their working routine for better efficiency.
A Factory’s Path
Last week, the new center for constructivist studies “Zotov” hosted its first exhibition named “1922. Constructivism. The Inception”. The idea of creating this center belongs to Sergey Tchoban, while the project of the nearest houses and adjusting the building of the bread factory for the new museum function was done by the architect in collaboration with his colleagues from SPEECH. We decided that such a complex project should be examined in its entirety – and this is how we came up with this long-read about constructivism on Presnya, conservation, innovation, multilayered approach, and hope.
The Savelovsky Axis
The business center, situated right in the middle of a large city junction next to the Savelovsky Railway Station takes on the role of a spatial axis, upon which the entire place hinges: it spins like a spiral, alternating perfect glass of the tiers and deep recessions of inter-tier floors that conceal little windows invented by the architects. It is sculptural, and it claims the role of a new city landmark, in spite of its relatively small height of nine floors.
Parametric Waves
In the housing complex Sydney City, which FSK Group is building in the area of Shelepikhinskaya Embankment, Genpro designed the central city block, combining parametric facades and modular technology within its architecture.
The Multitone
The new interior of the Action Development headquarters can be regarded as an attempt to design the perfect “home” for the company – not just comfortable but broadcasting the values of modern development. It responds to the context, yet it is built on contrast, it is fresh but cozy, it is dynamic, yet it invites you to relax – everything of this coexists here quite harmoniously, probably because the architects found an appropriate place for each of the themes.
Refinement No Longer Relevant
A few days ago journalists were shown the building of Bread Factory #5, renovated upon the project by Sergey Tchoban. In this issue, we are publishing Grigory Revzin’s thoughts about this project.
The Comb of Strelna
In this issue, we are taking a close look at the project that won the “Crystal Daedalus” award – the “Veren Village” housing complex in Strelna, designed by Ostozhenka. Its low-rise format became a trigger for typological and morphological experiments – seemingly, we are seeing recognizable trends, yet at the same time there are a multitude of subtleties that are a pleasure to go into. Having studied this project in detail, we think that the award is well-deserved.
A Tectonic Shift
For several years now, Futura Architects have been working with the “New Peter” residential area in the south of St. Petersburg. In this article, we are covering their most recent project – a house, in which the architects’ architectural ideas peacefully coexist with the limitations of comfort-class housing, producing a “multilayered” effect that looks very attractive for this typology.
Three “Green” Stories
In this issue, we are examining three environmental urban projects showcased by the Genplan Institute of Moscow at the Zodchestvo festival. The scale of the projects is really diverse: from gathering information and suggestions from the residents on a city scale to growing meadow grass between houses to paintings, which, as it turned out, possess power to cure trees, healing their wounded bark. + a list of kinds of plants natural for Moscow to help the developer.