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​Five cases of working with industrial architecture – by ASD Architects

Aleksey Ivanov shares about his experience of working with industrial architecture projects at the example of five cases, different both conceptually and functionally.

10 February 2017
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1. Industrial architecture: renovation “the way everyone likes it”

Reconstruction of the building on the Timura Frunze Street. Implementation, 2005 © Arkhstroydesign


“Ten years ago our company did a project of reconstructing the façades of Building 11 belonging to the “Red Rose” factory located on the Timura Frunze Street. We view this project as the most typical case of renovating industrial facilities. After a factory is shut down its former buildings are remodeled into housing, offices, exhibition halls, or even museums.

In the course of discussing the project with our client, we defined the three main tasks. The first one was to keep intact the view that opens up from the Zubov Side-street on the Vsevolzhsky Estate that starts a beautiful sightseeing axis from the Garden Ring. Second – we wanted to accentuate the modern treatment for industrial architecture. And, finally, we wanted to come up with a cool-looking “development drawing” front consisting of the red-brick houses standing along the Timura Frunze Street. In order to achieve the first task, we proposed to build a transparent fence made of glass panels. As for the “modernization” effect, we achieved it by using what we called a hi-tech metallic “stool” that marked the main entrance to the future bank. In order to recreate the historical view of the complex, we removed the later-on layers of paint and exposed the brickwork. This way, losing, to a certain degree, in its tectonic quality, the wall took on the modern aspect of a hi-tech fence”.
 
2. A boiler-house as a popular art object

The boiler-house building. Implementation, 2008 © Arkhstroydesign


“In the course of our work on the project of the boiler-house in the Pavshinskaya flood plain, our client came up with a task of making a cool-looking art object, and he was ready to invest extra money into it, too. As a result, we indeed got a truly photogenic art object that keeps attracting the attention of movie makers and TV crews alike. Our boiler-house has already served as a backdrop in a few different movies, for example, in 2014 Anna Melikyan shot her movie “Zvezda” (“The Star”) there. This boiler-house became a true catalyst for various creative activities.

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The shooting of "The Star" movie by Anna Melikyan against a backdrop of the boiler-house 2014 © Arkhstroydesign


We achieved this effect by using the possibilities that the equipment and the hardware inside the boiler-house provided us with. The hardware already looks beautiful as it is – the cast-iron (and now steel) boilers with stainless steel pipes, the intertwined bridges and stairways. All this equipment looks like contemporary design. For each of the boilers, we installed a special “showcase” window, and created a switchboard operator’s office that opens up on the façade in a huge circular window. In order to make the composition still more dramatic, we coated the building with red and dark-brown Belgian hand-molded bricks that go a long way to recreate the image of an old industrial building that has seen much service”.

The boiler-house building. Implementation, 2008 © Arkhstroydesign

 
3. Industrial architecture as a residential area

The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. View from the Zapadnaya Street. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


“Seven years later this same client turned to us with a proposition to do a boiler-house on the Sadovaya Street in a Moscow-area town of Odintsovo. Our attitude towards technology as a work of art remained the same but this time we decided to recreate the image of an industrial building as part of residential environment.

The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


In order to alleviate the brutalist aspect that is inherently there in most of industrial projects, we moved the boiler facility inside the land site, placing an extra volume in front of it. The resulting inside yard was turned into a restaurant. And as for the switchboard operator facility, we turned it into an office building with a fitness center and other administrative functions. With the addition of extra buildings, the boiler-house turned into a multifunctional project that can be viewed as a museum or a housing project, or an office center – in other words, as something typically urban”.

The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


The administrative and office building with a heating boiler-house in the town of Odintsovo. Master plan. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign

 
4. A boiler facility as a city park

The central heat distribution station in Odintsovo © Arkhstroydesign


“And again, in the town of Odintsovo, we remodeled a boiler facility into a heat supply substation as part of a twenty-story building. The location the boiler-house standing on the viewing axis of the Marshala Biryuzova Street required some appropriate design and decoration. What suggested itself was a vertical that would fix the crossing of the pedestrian routes and echoing these pedestrian routes with a few green zones and parks surrounding this building. We decided to raise the boiler-house to the status of the center of the single park zone. Regretfully, this project was to remain on paper”.

The central heat distribution station in Odintsovo. Master plan © Arkhstroydesign

 
5. Industrial architecture as a means of forming an architectural ensemble

Reconstruction of the bakery and confectionery complex "Prostor". Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


“Contest for the best proposal on reconstructing some of the facilities and façades of “Prostor” Factory that we won working in a team Manipulazione Internazionale in 2015, while still in the project documentation stage, grew into a large-scale reconstruction project that included the addition of several new buildings, in the framework of which we corrected the logistics structure and planning of the territory. In order to avoid getting in the way of the production process, we decided to place a couple of two new buildings on the depth of the yard, where the storage buildings are situated. This is how the south border of the land site got a building with a dormitory for the employees and maintenance facilities, as well as a cold storage building and a storage building for packing materials.

Reconstruction of the bakery and confectionery complex "Prostor". Entrance group. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


On the yard side, we built new basements that support an extra six-story annex with production and storage functions. The changes were also made to the production facility that got a buildup. The first floor got a specialized store running along the perimeter of the complex”.

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Reconstruction of the bakery and confectionery complex "Prostor". The facades of operations and production buildings. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


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Reconstruction of the bakery and confectionery complex "Prostor". The facades of operations and production buildings. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


Reconstruction of the bakery and confectionery complex "Prostor". Master plan. Project, 2015 © Arkhstroydesign


10 February 2017

Headlines now
Champions’ Cup
At first glance, the Bell skyscraper on 1st Yamskogo Polya Street, 12, appears strict and laconic – though by no means modest. Its economical stereometry is built on a form close to an oval, one of UNK architects’ favorite themes. The streamlined surface of the main volume, clad in metal louvers, is sliced twice with glass incisions that graphically reveal the essence of the original shape: both its simplicity and its complexity. At the same time, dozens of highly complex engineering puzzles have been solved here.
History never ends
The old railway station in Kapan, a city in southern Armenia, has been given new life by the Paris-based design firm Normal Studio. Today, it serves as a TUMO center.
A Deep, Crystal Shine
A new luxury residential development by ADM architects is set to rise in the Patriarch’s Ponds district, not far from Novopushkinsky Square. It will replace three buildings erected in the early 1990s. The project authors, Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova, have placed their bets on the variety among the three volumes, modern design solutions, and attention to detail: one of the buildings will feature smoothly curved balconies with a ceramic sheen on their undersides, while another will be accented by glass “sculpture” columns.
A Roadside Picnic of Urban Planning Theorists
Marina Egorova, head of Empate Architectural Bureau, brought together urban planning theorists – the successors of Alexey Gutnov and Vyacheslav Glazychev – to revive the substance and depth of professional discourse. At the first meeting, much ground was covered: the participants revisited the theoretical foundations, aligned their values, examined a cutting-edge case of the Kazan agglomeration, and concluded with the unfathomable intricacies of Russian land demarcation. Below, we present key takeaways from all the presentations.
Perspective View
CNTR Architects has designed a business center for a new district in Yekaterinburg, aiming to reduce the need for commuting and make the residential environment more diverse. The architectural solutions are equally focused on creating spatial flexibility, comfortable working conditions, and a memorable image that could allow the building to become a spatial landmark of the district.
Malevich and Bathhouses, Nature and High-Tech
The Malevich Bathhouse complex is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025 on the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway. The project, designed by DBA-GROUP under the leadership of Vladislav Andreev, is an example of an unconventional approach to the image of a spa in general and of a bathhouse in particular. Deliberately avoiding any kind of allusion, the architects opted for streamlined forms with characteristic rounded corners, a combination of wood with bent glass, and restrained contemporary shapes – both inside and out. Let’s take a closer look at the project.
Rather, a Tablecloth and a Glass!
After many years, the long-abandoned Horse Guards Department building in St. Petersburg has finally received the attention it deserves: according to a design by Studio 44, the first restoration and adaptation works are scheduled to begin this year. Both the intended function and the general scope of works imply minimal alteration to the complex, which has preserved traces of its three-century history. All solutions are reversible and aimed, above all, at opening the monument to the city and immersing it in a lively social scene – hence the choice of a cultural center scenario with a strong gastronomic component.
​Materialization of Airflows
The Nikolai Kamov International Airport in Tomsk opened at the end of August last year. We have already written about the project – now we are taking a look at the completed building. Its functionality is reinforced by symbolic undertones: the architects at ASADOV sought to reflect local identity in the architecture as fully as possible.
The City as a Narrative
Sergey Skuratov’s approach to large urban plots could best be described as a “total design code”. The architect pays equal attention to the overall composition and the smallest of details, striving to ensure that every aspect is thoroughly thought out and subordinated to the original vision. It’s a Renaissance-like approach, really – a titanic effort demanding remarkable willpower and perseverance. The results are likewise grand – architecture that makes a statement. This article looks at the revived concept for the central section of the Seventh Heaven residential district in Kazan, a composition so thoroughly considered that even the “gradient of visual emphasis” (sic!) across the facades has been carefully worked out. It also touches on the narrative idea behind the project – and even the architect’s own doubts about it.
A Garden of Hope for Freedom
In October, at the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, the Prison Yard Garden opened on the site that had served as a prison from the 18th century until the Khrushchev Thaw. The architectural concept was developed by NOῨD Short Film, and the landscape design by the MOX landscape bureau. In fact, there are two gardens here – very different ones. We try to understand whether they evoke the right emotions in visitors, while also showing the beauty of June’s ruderal plants in bloom.
A Laconic Image of Time
The Time Square residential complex, built on the northern edge of St. Petersburg, appears more concise and efficient than its neighbor and predecessor, the New Time complex. Nevertheless, the architect’s hand is clearly felt: themes of “black and white”, “inside and outside”, and most notably, the “lamellar” quality of the facades that seems to visibly “eat away” at the buildings’ mass – everything is played out like a well-written score. One is reminded of both classical modernism and the so-called “post-constructivism”.
The Flower of the Lake
The prototype for the building of the Kamal Theater in Kazan is an ice flower: a rare and fragile natural phenomenon of Lake Kaban “froze” in the large, soaring outlines of the glass screens enclosing the main volume, shaping its silhouette and shielding the stained-glass windows from the sun. The project, led by the Wowhaus consortium and including global architecture “star” Kengo Kuma, won the 2021/2022 competition and was realized close to the original concept in a short – very short – period of time. The theater opened in early 2025. It was Kengo Kuma who proposed the image of an ice flower and the contraposition of cold on the outside and warmth on the inside. Between 2022 and 2024, Wowhaus did everything possible to bring this vision to life, practically living on-site. Now we are taking a closer look at this landmark building and its captivating story.
Peaceful Integration on Mira Avenue
The MIRA residential complex (the word mir means “peace” in Russian), perched above the steep banks of the Yauza River and Mira Avenue, lives up to its name not only technically, but also visually and conceptually. Sleek, high-rise, and glass-clad, it responds both to Zholtovsky’s classicism and to the modernism of the nearby “House on Stilts”. Drawing on features from its neighbors, it reconciles them within a shared architectural language rooted in contemporary façade design. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done.
An Interior for a New Format of Education
The design of the new building for Tyumen State University (TyumSU) was initially developed before the pandemic but later revised to meet new educational requirements. The university has adopted a “2+2+2” system, which eliminates traditional divisions into groups and academic streams in favor of individualized study programs. These changes were implemented swiftly – right at the start of construction. Now that the building is complete, we are taking a closer look.
Penthouses and Kokoshniks
A new residential complex designed by ASADOV Architects for the Krasnaya Roza business district responds to its proximity to 17th-century landmarks – the chambers of the Hamovny Dvor and St. Nicholas Church – as well as to the need to preserve valuable façades of a historic rental house built in the Russian Revival style. The architects proposed a set of buildings of varying heights, whose façades reference ecclesiastical architecture. But we were also able to detect other associations.
Centipede Town
The new school campus designed by ATRIUM Architects, located on the shores of a protected lake in the Imeretian Lowland Ornithological Reserve, represents an important and ambitious undertaking for the team: this is not just a school, but a Presidential Lyceum for the comprehensive development of gifted children – 2,500 students from age 3 through high school. At the same time, it is also envisioned as a new civic hub for the entire Sirius territory. In this article, we unpack the structure and architecture of this “lyceum town”.
Warm Black and White
The second phase of “Quarter 31”, designed by KPLN and built in the Moscow suburb town of Pushkino, reveals a multifaceted character. At first glance, the complex appears to be defined by geometry and a monochrome palette. But a closer look reveals a number of “irregular” details: a gradient of glazing and flared window frames, a hierarchy of façades, volumetric brickwork, and even architectural references to natural phenomena. We explore all the rules – and exceptions – that we were able to discover here.
​Skylights and Staircase
Photos from March show the nearly completed headquarters of FSK Group on Shenogina Street. The building’s exterior is calm and minimalist; the interior is engaging and multi-layered. The conical skylights of the executive office, cast in raw concrete, and the sweeping spiral staircase leading to it, are particularly striking. In fact, there’s more than one spiral staircase here, and the first two floors effectively form a small shopping center. More below.
The Whale of Future Identity
Or is it a veil? Or a snow-covered plain? Vera Butko, Anton Nadtochy, and the architects of ATRIUM faced a complex and momentous task: to propose a design for the “Russia” National Center. It had to be contemporary, yet firmly rooted in cultural codes. Unique, and yet subtly reminiscent of many things at once. It must be said – the task found the right authors. Let’s explore in detail the image they envisioned.
Greater Altai: A Systemic Development Plan
The master plan for tourism development in Greater Altai encompasses three regions: Kuzbass, the Altai Republic, and Altai Krai. It is one of twelve projects developed as part of the large-scale state program bearing the simple name of “Tourism Development”. The project’s slogan reads: “Greater Altai – a place of strength, health, and spirit in the very heart of Siberia”. What are the proposed growth points, and how will the plan help increase the flow of both domestic and international tourists? Read on to find out.
The Colorful City
While working on a large-scale project in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district – one that has yet to be given a name – Kleinewelt Architekten proposed not only a diverse array of tower silhouettes in “Empire-style” hues and a thoughtful mix of building heights, creating a six-story “neo-urbanist” city with a block-based layout at ground level, but also rooted their design in historical and contextual reasoning. The project includes the reconstruction of several Stalin-era residential buildings that remain from the postwar town of Kuntsevo, as well as the reconstruction of a 1953 railway station that was demolished in 2017.
In Orbit of Moscow City
The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.
The Altai Ornament
The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.
Pro Forma
Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.
The Arch and the Triangle
The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.
Health Factory
While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.
The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest
The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.
Grace and Unity
Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.
Daring Brilliance
In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.