Metropolitan Sequence

The housing complex “Tsarskaya Stolitsa” (“Czar’s Capital”) is one of the largest projects of redeveloping former industrial territories in the center of Saint Petersburg. “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners” was not only able to turn a derelict industrial park into a residential area full of life but also create a thought-out town-planning unit.

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

04 October 2017

Object

The land site with which Evgeny Gerasimov started working still in 2011, according to the architect himself, was essentially a lost world “in the vein of Conan Doyle”: overgrown with weeds, lopsided abandoned houses were roamed by stray dogs. And, what’s more, all this was taking place but a five minutes’ walk away from the Nevsky Prospect, next to the Moskovsky Railway Terminal, the Alexander Nevski Monastery, and the Gallery, the city’s main shopping mall.

Before the renovation, this territory was occupied by the loading bay of the station “Saint Petersburg freight Moscow” that by 2009 was transferred by the Russian Railways to the city of Shushary. The large almost-20-hectare trapeze-shaped site stretches between the Kremenchugskaya Street and the Oktyabrskaya Railroad, along which it is planned to organize a regular city street. On the Kremenchugskaya Street, the nearest neighbors of “Tsarskaya Stolitsa” are historical buildings of the Botkin Infection Clinic; some of these were built in the XIX century, some belong to the constructivist tradition. It must be also noted that there has been a lot of talk about moving the clinic outside the city center as well. From the south side, in the direction of the Bypass Channel, there is more of undeveloped land, while from the north the new residential area is opened up by the Theodor Cathedral, a cultural heritage building that was built for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. According to Evgeny Gerasimov, it was this cathedral that became the starting point, the “jewel”, for which the frame was ultimately created.

zooming — "Tsarskaya Stolitsa" housing complex © Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners

One of the main tasks that the architects were to solve was a town-planning one. It was important to organize the pedestrian and vehicle streams, make sure the new buildings do not obscure the cathedral, and, possibly, set the tone for the construction of the future neighbors. At the end of the day, the architects came up with a simple yet efficient plan: two traversal drive-through streets cut through an orthogonal in-block grid strung on the longitudinal axis of a pedestrian boulevard. The cells of this grid contain residential houses or blocks, each with a courtyard of its own. In the center, the architects left a vacant space for the future school. This way, a certain hierarchy of city streets and squares was formed: there are public spaces belonging to the city – the cathedral square and the boulevard, and there are private ones – the closed resident-only yards, and there are “intermediate” ones, i.e. streets of local importance.

Yet another task was to minimize the possible negative factors arising from the proximity of the railroad line and the infection clinic. From the railroad side, the residential buildings are fenced off by multilevel parking garages that essentially function as a giant noise screen. From the other side, the noise coming from the Kremenchugskaya Street will be dampened by the buildings of another complex: a business center, a hotel, a shopping mall, and yet another residential building is being built upon a different project developed by “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners” in collaboration with SPEECH.

Totally, “Tsarskaya Stolitsa” consists of fifteen residential buildings constructed in four stages. The first stage is dramatically different from the rest because the three closed-circuit trapeze-shape blocks that constitute it run in a radiant fan-like fashion away from the cathedral, encircling its west and south façades in an arc-shaped square. These buildings are ostentatiously austere, classical and respectable-looking – they can put one in the mind of the buildings surrounding the Mussolini square of Emperor August in Rome, even the semi-columns in these windows look like the banisters of the balconies in Rome. The base floors and the in-built cornices of light-colored Jurassic lime look really great against the background of the “body” of the buildings designed in a darker tone, one house coated with dark brown brick, another – with ceramic tiles with a subtle pattern of horizontal stripes, a third one – with ripped greenish tufa, whose play of colors on a sunny day looks like moiré ribbon. The low window sills are grouped in twos, the glass of the stanza balconies sunken in to the level of the window apertures (just like in all the other buildings of the complex). Their strict vertical rhythm is gathered into moderate horizontal registers.

The buildings that make up the square are respectable and conservative – they are just enough to create here a feeling of transition to the historical Saint Petersburg that begins right across the street behind the cathedral, on the Mirgorodskaya and Poltavskaya streets. On the other side, the rays of the two streets between the blocks are routed in such a way that the cathedral is also viewable from the railroad. And, by all means, the very appearance of a semicircular square in Saint Petersburg, at the south end of the Nevsky Prospect, cannot but resonate, at least to some extent, with the Palace Square, or the Joint Staff, looking very much like their replica or reflection. But then again, the associations are unobtrusive, and this square might just as well fit in with a whole number of arc-shaped classicist squares, all the more so because the very presence of the main accent – the temple – prompted such a solution in more ways than one.

The cathedral got a frame it truly deserved; Eugene Gerasimov was so into it that he even entered the guardian council on recreating the temple. “The meaning of this cathedral is very much of a literary type – the architect shares: the European Saint Petersburg meets its Moscow guests with a temple in the Old Russian style, as if to make sure that nobody feels like a stranger here”. The architectural image of the cathedral – which is a characteristic trait of the 1910’s temple construction – is rather eclectic: it includes Rostov, Vladimir, Pskov, and Suzdal motifs.

Thus, the first buildings of “Tsarskaya Stolitsa” pay homage to the cathedral and the historical city; they are critical for creating a smooth transition from the old to the new.

The second, third, and fourth stages are definitely a modern city. The further away from the cathedral, the bolder the façades become. The techniques are really numerous here: the play of colors and textures, combination of verticals and horizontals, optical illusions, windows of different sizes, asymmetry, and complex rhythms. The buildings turned out bright, dramatic, of the “Instagram” kind but not garish – exactly in the taste of the millennials, for whom, possibly, this entire complex was designed: living around here, you can get pretty much everywhere by foot, and even Moscow is but a train ride away, the nearby railroad and clinic being as much of a romantic twist for these people as they would have normally been a nuisance.

Buildings with the bolder design solutions will be occupied by offices: these are a luscious orange one (with differently sized windows) and a milky-white one (whose windows look as if they grow out of the building and sink into it – thanks to the technique very much like grisaille). The last residential building, the only one that does not have a courtyard here, becomes like a period in this architectural sentence.

The brightest in the whole complex are the parking garage buildings. They are decorated in two ways: with colored perforated slabs or with grilles. Totally, there are seven of them, and, as we remember, they line up along the railroad tracks protecting the residential buildings from the noise.

This railroad line that runs through this place is doubtlessly yet another genius loci. Viewed in the spaces between the houses, streams of cars are yet another horizontal accent that at some points supports the façade lines, and at some points competes with them. Together with the cathedral, the railroad fills the area with sound: the muffled horns and the dispatcher’s voice, and then the real magic of the sound of the tolling bells reflecting from the walls. This gives you a feeling that is as unusual and fresh as it is long-forgotten.

Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl would have probably been pleased with “Tsarskaya Stolitsa”. The sidewalks here are uncommonly wide by Saint Petersburg standards, and they are protected from the traffic by special pillars. The pedestrian and vehicle streams are comfortably divided. The buildings look really human-proportionate. The closed yards are completely secured, while the streets have “eyes” of their own: the windows and balconies overlook both courtyards and pedestrian sidewalks and promenades which, in all likelihood, will soon be bustling with life: all the ground floors are public ones, almost all of them are covered by the banners announcing the openings of future cafés, studios, and salons. From these banners one can also draw a conclusion that this area will be populated by people with different income levels: one can see here the “Pyaterochka” discounter, a premium-class dentist office, steak houses, and bakeries. The apartments range from studios to five-room ones, reasonably priced by Saint Petersburg standards.

“Tsarskaya Stolitsa” is one of the largest projects of renovating and redeveloping former industrial parks of Saint Petersburg (a similar story happened on the Petrogradskaya Side where Evgeny Gerasimov and Sergey Tchoban designed the “Europe-City” complex). The past of this place is still readable. There is tall weed shooting up between the new buildings; at some places the houses stand pushed against concrete fences, brand-new façades neighbor on hangars, wooden warehouses, and even balls of barbed wire. But it’s clear that pretty soon this place will “comb itself up”, and its surroundings will eventually follow suit. “Tsarskaya Stolitsa” is promising to become an attraction point for most diverse city flows. And gracefully combining these flows is probably exactly what any city must be about.

04 October 2017

Headlines now

The Mirror of Your Soul

We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.

Part of the Ideal

In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.

Object

The Fortress by the River

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

Object

In the Rhombus Grid

Construction has begun on the building of the OMK (United Metallurgical Company) Corporate University in Nizhny Novgorod’s town of Vyksa, designed by Ostozhenka Architects. The most interesting aspect of the project is how the architects immersed it in the context: “extracting” a diagonal motif from the planning grid of Vyksa, they aligned the building, the square, and the park to match it. A truly masterful work with urban planning context on several different levels of perception has long since become the signature technique of Ostozhenka.

Object

Generational Connection

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

Object

Three Dimensions of the City

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

Object

New “Flight”

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

Object

The Yauza Towers

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

Object

Architecture and Leisure Park

For the suburban hotel complex, which envisages various formats of leisure, the architectural company T+T Architects proposed several types of accommodation, ranging from the classic “standard” in a common building to a “cave in the hill” and a “house in a tree”. An additional challenge consisted in integrating a few classic-style residences already existing on this territory into the “architectural forest park”.

Overview

The U-House

The Jois complex combines height with terraces, bringing the most expensive apartments from penthouses down to the bottom floors. The powerful iconic image of the U-shaped building is the result of the creative search for a new standard of living in high-rise buildings by the architects of “Genpro”.

Object

Black and White

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

send.project

The “Snake” Mountain

The competition project for the seaside resort complex “Serpentine” combines several typologies: apartments of different classes, villas, and hotel rooms. For each of these typologies, the KPLN architects employ one of the images that are drawn from the natural environment – a serpentine road, a mountain stream, and rolling waves.

send.project

Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

The project of a small business center located near Tupolev Plaza and Radio Street proclaims the necessity of modern architecture in a specific area of Moscow commonly known as “Nemetskaya Sloboda” or “German settlement”. It substantiates its thesis with the thoroughness of details, a multitude of proposed and rejected form variants, and even a detailed description of the surrounding area. The project is interesting indeed, and it is even more interesting to see what will come of it.

Object

Feed ’Em All

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

Object

The Ensemble at the Mosque

OSA prepared a master plan for a district in the southern part of Derbent. The main task of the master plan is to initiate the formation of a modern comfortable environment in this city. The organization of residential areas is subordinated to the city’s spiritual center: depending on the location relative to the cathedral mosque, the houses are distinguished by façade and plastique solutions. The program also includes a “hospitality center”, administrative buildings, an educational cluster, and even an air bridge.

send.project

Pargolovo Protestantism

A Protestant church is being built in St. Petersburg by the project of SLOI architects. One of the main features of the building is a wooden roof with 25-meter spans, which, among other things, forms the interior of the prayer hall. Also, there are other interesting details – we are telling you more about them.

Object

The Shape of the Inconceivable

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

send.project

Rays of the Desert

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

Object

The Dairy Theme

The concept of an office of a cheese-making company, designed for the enclosed area of a dairy factory, at least partially refers to industrial architecture. Perhaps that is why this concept is very simple, which seems the appropriate thing to do here. The building is enlivened by literally a couple of “master strokes”: the turning of the corner accentuates the entrance, and the shade of glass responds to the theme of “milk rivers” from Russian fairy tales.

send.project

The Road to the Temple

Under a grant from the Small Towns Competition, the main street and temple area of the village of Nikolo-Berezovka near Neftekamsk has been improved. A consortium of APRELarchitects and Novaya Zemlya is turning the village into an open-air museum and integrating ruined buildings into public life.

Object

Towers Leaning Towards the Sun

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

Object

In the spirit of ROSTA posters

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

send.project

The Northern Thebaid

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

send.project

Brilliant Production

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

Object

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

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

Object

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

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

Object

A Single-Industry Town

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

Object

A New Age Portico

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

Object

A New Starting Point

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

Object

Molding Perspectives

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