Mirrors and Fir Trees

A new office center will be built in the place of the former antibiotics factory – the architects have a task of preserving a few existing buildings, and, more importantly, the fir trees that were planted here more than half a century ago.

Written by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

07 September 2017

Object

Firm:

4izmerenie http://www.4izmerenie.ru/

The territory of the former antibiotics factory is situated on the Nagatinskaya street, a seven minutes’ walk away from the metro station and 350 meters off the Moskva River waterfront. Across the river stands the former ZIL plant. This territory is full of promise, it is being actively developed now but so far the former factory or, to be more precise, the Government Research Centre for Antibiotics, is surrounded by industrial parks on either side: on its west, from the metro station side, stands the pharmaceutical factory “Ferane”, and on its west there is a sewing factory.

The main buildings of the future business center were erected back in 1953, the same year as the fir trees were planted. For a long time, this publicly owned antibiotics factory was the nation’s largest but in the 1990, after the buildings were transferred into private ownership, it was closed down; currently, some of the buildings are rented out, others fell into decay and stand empty. Nonetheless, the central building and its two wings (between which a little fir park is situated) are still in a pretty decent condition. One can easily read a symmetrical composition with an inner yard turned to the Nagatinskaya Street.

zooming — "Yolki-Park" multifuctional complex © The Fourth Dimension

The idea of transforming the old factory into a modern office and shopping center occurred to the owners chiefly because of the transformation activities going on at the neighboring territories. The main impulse was given by the ZIL plant renovation and the program of developing the waterfront lands of the Moskva River. The northwest and northeast borders of the land site in question will become new streets – which will instantly make the territory of the former Government Research Centre for Antibiotics open and permeable. The territory of the neighboring Ferane factory will get a few residential blocks. The role of the community center of this, yet-nonexistent, residential area will be played by the “Yolki-Park” center (literally translating as “Fir Park” but rhyming pretty accurately with “Gorky Park” in Russian – translator’s note) – this is the working name of the complex that the designers came up with.

One of the authors of the concept is an architect and a pedagogue Oscar Mamleev. His proposal became an alternative to the earlier project that provided for tearing down all the buildings and cutting down all the trees. Oscar Mamleev was able to convince the investors in the necessity of preserving not only the fir trees (which are of doubtless natural and historical value) but also the central building and its wings – although these do not boast a status of a cultural heritage site, they still play an important town-planning role in the ensemble of the Nagatinskaya Street. As for the new commercial areas, Oscar Mamleev proposed to place them in the depth of the site behind the central building keeping the existing average height of construction. The client was inspired by the idea, and for further design, the architectural firm “Chetvertoe Izmerenie” (“The Fourth Dimension”) was invited.

The project consists of three basic constituent parts: restoration, renovation, and new construction – explains one of the company leaders, Vsevolod Medvedev. Special attention was given to the administrative building. Despite the absence of any abundant decor, this building can be referred to the legacy of Stalin-era architecture: well-balanced composition and window proportions, impressive interiors with a double-height lobby, columns with column caps, and a grand staircase convince us that this building must be preserved as the monument of urban environment of the 1950’s – the architect stresses. We are not speaking about any scientific restoration in this case but the project still provides for restoration of the façades and repair of the inner premises with adjustments necessary for them to perform the new functions.

The four-story buildings flanking the yard, according to Vsevolod Medvedev, were preserved significantly worse than the central one, and therefore required more effort. It was decided that one of them would be renovated to become a small hotel, the other – an office building. After the reconstruction, both buildings will become one story higher. The brickwork of the façades will be preserved. The authors propose to paint it dark gray, stretching on top of it a “shirt” of composite textile industrial-use fabric. At night, the semitransparent shroud will be softly backlit from inside, accentuating open galleries running along the perimeters of the buildings.

As for the territory of the front yard with its fir trees, the architects propose to turn it into a public city space. Instead of the tall fence that currently runs along the Nagatinskaya Street, there will be small transparent pavilions with shops, cafes, recreation zones and open-air terraces. From here, anybody can step over into the landscaped park. This solution was particularly important in view of the large flow of pedestrians headed for the metro station.

In the depth of the site, behind the main building, where now there are factory structures to be torn down, the architects are planning to make new construction. A building with a rectangular plan is designed as a broad “mono-volume” put up against the central building. “We deliberately designed the modern part in such a laconic way – Vsevolod Medvedev explains – In our project we looked to bring out the merits of the historical building. The new construction, which was not to exceed the seven floor limit, was only to become a backdrop for it. For this reason, we took the simplest rectangular form, cut it lengthwise and crosswise with atriums, and then put it back together like a 3D jigsaw puzzle”.

What the architects ultimately got was four compact independent blocks connected on the level of the four bottom floors. One of the atriums cuts the volume lengthwise filling it with ambient light and accentuating the main entrance to the new building from the side of the west façade. The central atrium crosses the volume from north to south, supporting the direction of the movement of the pedestrian flow from the park and the historical building to the new office center. As for the connection between old and new volumes, the authors of the project provide it by means of a “ramp” bridge. It starts in the park, then cuts through the historical building on the level of the second floor, runs it through, getting into the atrium of the new building that commands the river views, and lets people out of the building through the north entrance. As Vsevolod Medvedev notes, the bridge not only unites the complex but also supports an important town-planning axis. “This bridge that came around as a result of the necessity to compensate for the height drop and to tie in the historical and new parts, as well as make the complex more permeable, this bridge follows the direction of the axis that proceeds to one of the boulevards of the ZIL territory, and its main centerpiece – the Khani Rashid “Gateway” tower – Vsevolod Medvedev says – the atrium of the new building will command a great view of the entire panorama of the opposite bank of the Moskva River”. Looking to concentrate people’s attention on the historical part, the architects were still able to come up with a reserved yet quality solution for the façades of the new building. For coverage, structural glazing is used. The west and north façades (the ones that are turned to the river and the designed streets) look a little more dramatic thanks to the curved glass that creates soft reflections. Along their entire perimeter, the façades are dissected with vertical “flutes”, because of which the reflections, being deflected and distorted, become very flexible and capable of changing the building’s image depending on the weather conditions and ambient light. It is obvious that, apart from tactful treatment of the history of its location, the main merit of “Yolki-Park” is its openness. All the buildings are easy to walk from end to end or circle along the perimeter under the awnings of the street galleries. The bottom floors, which are essentially fully transparent shop windows, are occupied by retail stores, cafes, a fitness center, and a swimming pool. The whole territory of the complex is vehicle-free. The underground parking capable of serving the office workers and visitors of the complex will be built underneath the new building, without encroaching on the territory of the park and the existing buildings. And, as bonus for the future office workers, there are inside yards and green terraces on a usable roof of the new building on the 4th and 6th floor levels.

“Yolki-Park” is the perfect answer to the question: what should be contextual architecture like in the case when the nearest surroundings are yet unknown and not even being designed: it is neutral to the point of mimicry; instead of reflecting, it dissolves the yet-nonexistent neighbors. If the surroundings turn out to be great, this architecture will not get in their way, and, if otherwise, they will be not worth reflecting anyway... This architecture reacts to uncertainty with uncertainty. On the other hand, in respect to what is really known to be valuable, it is definitely respectful: it keeps whatever it can, be that buildings or trees, it fixes the views of the most famous panoramas, and it works on cohesiveness and permeability as opposed to the closeness of the industrial past. The project is aimed at the future; furthermore, it is already walking into the future, combining the known and the indefinite.

Firm:

4izmerenie http://www.4izmerenie.ru/

07 September 2017

Headlines now

Object

Home Base

Working on the new building for Letovo Junior School – opened to students in autumn 2025 in the MSU Valley – the architects of UNK, following the client’s vision, subordinated both façades and interiors to the theme of “home”. Multiple variations of pitched roofs, a city skyline traced across glass balustrades, wooden textures, and a whole series of micro-spaces for retreat within public areas are all at the disposal of primary and middle school students. We take a closer look at the new school building – and at how it interprets current trends in educational environments.

Object

Doubles Match

The architecture of the Tennis Palace built in Luzhniki Olympic Complex, designed by Arena Design Institute, was shaped by three factors: the proximity of the brutalist Druzhba Arena, the closeness of the Moskva River and the metro bridge overpass, as well as the specifics of the function – tennis courts require large spans, abundant light, yet at the same time protection from direct sunlight. The architects divided the building into several blocks, playing on contrast, which is further emphasized by the façades developed in collaboration with TPO Reserve and Vladimir Plotkin.

Object

Microdynamics of Macroprocesses

Given the proximity of the multifunctional complex SOLOS to Sokolniki Park and to a major transport hub, Kleinewelt Architekten embedded in the design of the two high-rise towers a sense of dynamism more characteristic of natural phenomena than of man-made objects. Without the authors’ diagrams, this logic is not easy to decipher, although the eye immediately detects a pattern and tries to grasp it. It seems to us that one tower contains the impulse of a bud about to open, while the other evokes the movement of a lithospheric plate. Let us try to unravel it together.

Report

The Space of Post-Cubism

Sergei Tchoban and Alexandra Sheiner, of Studio CHART, created for the exhibition of “post-cubist” sculpture by Beatrice Sandomirskaya – a talented and even “mainstream” artist, yet almost unknown even to art historians – a space akin to her sculptural language: solidly built, confidently stereometric, and subtly expressive. It curves, emphasizing the mass of the sculpture, envelops the viewer, and guides them from one perspective to another, from a generic “shrine” to a “Madonna”.

Object

The Value of Open Space

For the site near the Barrikadnaya Metro Station, Sergey Skuratov developed five projects between 2020 and 2025. Two of them were ones that won the client’s invitation-only competitions. The fifth was recently selected by the Mayor of Moscow for implementation. The project is vivid and sculptural, expressive, eye-catching, and engaging – very much in line with the spirit of our time. And yet, this project is mid-rise rather than tall. In its northwestern part, near the metro and Druzhinnikovskaya Street, it shapes a comfortable urban environment. On the opposite side, it opens up, allowing sunlight into the courtyard and creating a spatial pause within the dense city fabric. How it is organized, what geometric principles underlie it, and why it takes this form – all this is explored in our article.

Coming From the Cold

The ArchBukhta Festival remains one of the few events in Russia where participants go through the entire process of creating an architectural object – from concept to construction. And they do so on the shores of Lake Baikal, in dedication to it. This year, GAFA took part and shared its experience: a local legend, a team-specific design code, friendship, as well as ice skating and endurance in freezing temperatures all contributed to gaining something more than just an award.

Object

Symphony of Water and Brick

The Alter residential complex, designed by Stepan Liphart and built on a bend of the Okhta River, is an example of a “drawn house”: the number of original architectural details is virtually immeasurable. As a result, ribs, projections, and recesses create a picturesque silhouette even without a significant variation in height. Both composition and material respond to the proximity of the river and to the red-brick factory building dating back to the early 20th century. The project was also significantly shaped by recommendations from the city’s chief architect. More details in our article.

Object

The Penguin House

The building with a curved façade on Brestskaya Street is one of the manifestos of Russian neomodernism of the early 2000s, a sculpture – this is how Anatoly Belov interprets it, speaking of “breaking from the modernist canon and the contextual approach”. We do not fully agree with the author, but his perspective is an interesting one.

Object

Wave and Vertical

The premium residential complex designed by GAFA for a site in the Khoroshevsky District responds to multiple constraints – the arc of a planned roadway, the water protection zone of the Khodynka River, and insolation requirements – through inventive massing. The composition is built on the interplay of two spatial layers: an elongated perimeter block and three towers concealed behind it generate the silhouette and key viewpoints, while also adding semantic depth reinforced by the façade solutions. Another defining feature is a large private courtyard, complemented by a citywide linear park.

Object

Office on Trubnaya

We continue publishing projects by Valery Kanyashin. A building once described, a quarter century ago, as an example of “quiet modernism” has remained just that in some people’s memory. According to Anatoly Belov, its main quality is its unobtrusiveness. The architects from Ostozhenka say the leading role here is played by context and landscape – the change in elevation. Yet is it really so inconspicuous?

Object

The First International

With this publication, we begin a series of texts dedicated to works by the late Valery Kanyashin, one of the founders of Ostozhenka Architects. As it happens, the projects he was involved in largely illustrate our understanding of the firm and its history. The first project in this series is the International Moscow Bank on Prechistenskaya Embankment.

in memoriam

In Memory of Valery Kanyashin

On Friday, February 27, architect Valery Kanyashin passed away – co-founder of Ostozhenka Architects and the author of many significant buildings in Moscow. We publish a text by Anatoly Belov in memory of Valery Kanyashin.

Report

Hypertext in Space

As part of the exhibition “What We Have We (Do Not) Keep”, Sergey Tchoban, the Museum of Architecture, and the CHART studio experiment with an eco-conscious approach to exhibition design, with thematic cross-references and even with publicistic reflections on the necessity of preserving modernism, the roots of contemporary architecture, and the birth of ideas. All of this makes the exhibition, with its light and transparent design, look quite innovative. The elements – both “material” and conceptual – are familiar, yet their combination is far from conventional.

Object

The Outline of “Foundation”

In their competition proposal for the Fili transport hub, the consortium led by Alexey Ilyin proposed an “inhabited arch” – a form that is simple yet complex. The architects emphasize that even at the competition stage, the project’s feasibility was fully calculated, taking into account the minimal nighttime closures of Bagration Avenue. How was this achieved? With what functions? Let us take a closer look. In our view, the building would have suited the heroes of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels perfectly.

Object

The Flying Horizontal

“A house in the spirit of Wright”, as architect Roman Leonidov describes it, pointing to his source of inspiration, was built on a challenging wedge-shaped site. To achieve a sense of intimacy and secure good views from the windows, the entire volume had to be shifted toward the far boundary, turning the house “back” to the neighboring mansions. The main façade demonstrates time-tested techniques often employed by the company: articulated horizontals, a weightless roofline, and a triad of materials – light plaster, dark slate, and warm wood.

Object

Needles of Horizon Contemplation

The “House of Horizons”, designed by Kleinewelt Architekten in Krylatskoye, is carefully thought out at the stereometric level – from the logic of how the volumes interlock (and, conversely, how gaps are articulated between them) to the triangular balconies that give the building its striking, slightly bristling silhouette.

News

The Red Thread

A linear park project prepared by Alexey Ilyin studio for the improvement of a riverbank in one of the residential districts seeks to reconnect people with nature. Two levels of the embankment invite visitors to contemplate the landscape while at the same time protecting the riverbank from excessive human impact. The “aerial street” links functional zones and the opposite banks, creating new points of attraction along the way: balconies, bridges, and even a “grotto”.

Object

Spindle and Thread

The concept of the Waver residential complex in Yekaterinburg draws inspiration from the past of the Parkovy district. In order to preserve the memory of the late-19th-century flax spinning mill once located here, the architectural company KPLN turns to the theme of textiles and weaving. The project’s main expressive device is a system of ribbons made of perforated weathering steel – a material that, in such volumes, has arguably not yet been used in Russian residential projects.

Overview

From Ski Resorts to Year-Round Recreation Clusters

In mid-December, several architectural firms gathered to discuss a “seasonal” topic: the prospects for the development of domestic ski tourism. Where is modern infrastructure already in place, where do only remnants of the Soviet legacy remain, and where is there still nothing – but projects are underway and soon to be completed? This article explores these questions.

Object

Woven Into Sokolniki

Over the past few years, high-rise residential construction in former industrial zones has become the main theme of Moscow architecture. Towers are springing up here and there – but the question is what kind of towers they are. The residential complex CODE Sokolniki, designed by Ostozhenka Architects, is a project where every detail has been taken care of. The authors are attentive to the history of the site, the continuity of the urban fabric, the skyline, and visual corridors. They also proposed a motif with the lyrical name “scarf”. We take a closer look at the volumetric composition and the large-scale décor “woven”, in this case, out of terraces and balconies.

Interview

Stepan Liphart and Yuri Gerth: “Our Program Is Aesthetic”

The studio of Stepan Liphart, an architect known for his distinctive signature style and one-off projects, now has a partner. Yuri Khitrov, a specialist with a broad range of competencies, will take on the part of the work that distracts one from creativity but drives the business forward. One of the aims of this partnership is to improve the urban environment through dialogue with clients and officials. We spoke with both sides about their ambitions, the firm’s development strategy, shared values, and the need for pragmatism. And why the studio is called “Liphart & Gerth” only became clear at the very end of the interview.

Object

The Copper Mirror

The varied-toned sheen of “unsealed” copper, painterly streaks and fingerprints, exposed concrete, and the unusual proportions – when you study the ZILART Museum building by Sergei Tchoban and SPEECH architects, there is plenty to talk about. However, it seems to us that the most interesting thing is how the museum’s composition responds to the realities of the district itself. The residential district has been realized as an open-air exhibition of façade statements by contemporary architects – but without public access to the inner courtyards of the blocks. This building – that is, the museum – is exactly the opposite: on the outside, it is deliberately restrained, while inside it shines spectacularly, creating its own sunbeams in any weather.

View

“Strangers” in the City

We asked Alexander Skokan for a comment on the results of 2025 – and he sent us a whole article, moreover one devoted to the discussion we recently began on the “appropriateness of high-rises” – or, more broadly speaking, “contrasting insertions into the urban fabric”. The result is a text that is essentially a question: why here? Why like this?

Interview

Dmitry Ostroumov: “To use the language of alchemy, we are involved in the process of “transmutation...

What we ended up having was an extremely unusual conversation with Dmitry Ostroumov. Why? At the very least, because he is not just an architect specializing in the construction of Orthodox churches. And not just – which is an extreme rarity – a proponent of developing contemporary stylistics within this still highly conservative field. Dmitry Ostroumov is a Master of Theology. So in addition to the history and specifics of the company, we speak about the very concept of the temple, about canon and tradition, about the living and the eternal, and even about the Russian Logos.

Interview

MB-PROJECT: “Every new project is a challenge”

In this issue, we speak with Dmitry and Oleg Shurygin, founders of the company MV-PROJECT, which has extensive experience in designing theater and entertainment buildings as well as working with cultural heritage sites.

Object

A Glazed Figurine

In searching for an image for a residential building near the Novodevichy Convent, GAFA architects turned to their own perception of the place: it evoked associations with antiquity, plein-air painting, and vintage artifacts. The two towers will be entirely clad in volumetric glazed ceramic – at present, there are no other buildings like this in Russia. The complex will also stand out thanks to its metabolic bay-window cells, streamlined surfaces, a ceremonial “hotel-style” driveway, and a lobby overlooking a lush garden.

Report

A Knight’s Move via the Cour d’Honneur

Intercolumnium Architects presented to the City Planning Council a residential complex project that is set to replace the Aquatoria business center on Vyborgskaya Embankment. Experts praised the overall quality of the work, but expressed reservations about the three cour d’honneurs and suggested softening the contrast between the facades facing the embankment and the Kantemirovsky Bridge.

Object

Mountains, Groves, and Ancestral Towers

The year-round mountain resort Armkhi situated in Russia’s Republic of Ingushetia is positioned as a destination for calm family recreation and has well-established traditions shaped by its hundred-year history and the culture of the region. The development program prepared by the Genplan Institute of Moscow preserves the resort’s identity while expanding its offerings and introducing new types of tourist leisure. In the near future, the resort will feature a balneological center, a thermal complex, an interactive museum, an extreme park, and, of course, new ski slopes.

Object

A Small Country

Mezonproekt is developing a long-term master plan for the MEPhI campus in Obninsk. Over the next ten years, an enclave territory of about 100 hectares, located in a forest on the northern edge of the city, is set to transform into a modern center for the development of the nuclear energy sector. The plan envisions attracting international students and specialists, as well as comprehensive territorial development: both through the contemporary realization of “frozen” plans from the 1980s and through the introduction of new trends – public spaces, an aquapark, a food court, a school, and even a nuclear medicine center. Public and sports facilities are intended to be accessible to city residents as well, and the campus is to be physically and functionally connected to Obninsk.

Object

Pearl Divers

GAFA has designed an apartment complex for Derbent intended to switch people from a work mode to a resort mindset – and to give the surrounding area a much-needed jolt. The building offers two distinct faces: restrained and laconic on the city side, and a lushly ornate façade facing the sea. At the heart of the complex, a hidden pearl lies – an open-air pool with an arch, offering views of a starry sky, and providing direct access to the beach.

​Mirrors and Fir Trees

A new office center will be built in the place of the former antibiotics factory – the architects have a task of preserving a few existing buildings, and, more importantly, the fir trees that were planted here more than half a century ago.

Mirrors and Fir Trees