The Amber Arrow

Saint Petersburg’s EXPOFORUM, a congress and exhibition center that has been long waited for and widely discussed, is finally complete, put into operation, and actively functioning.

Written by:
Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

04 December 2017

Overview

Last year, the venue of EXPOFORUM hosted the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum – a large-scale event, for which, actually, the complex was built, in order to replace the morally and physically outdated LENEXPO. Today’s EXPOFORUM has very little about it of the original project of the complex, with which Evgeny Gerasimov and Sergey Tchoban once won the international competition, and even the final approved version that passed all the expertise was also slightly altered in the course of construction. But then again, it’s only the first stage of construction that has been currently completed.

zooming — EXPOFORUM © SPEECH, Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners

The place for the center is a lucky one – it is located at the crossing of several large-scale highways, in the immediate proximity to the international airport, and at the Pulkovskie Hills, the rare case of elevation, rare for Saint Petersburg’s terrain. It is understood that good transport accessibility is one of the key assets of any international convention center. Just as important is the comfort of stay, the convenience of inner traffic, intuitive navigation, flexibility and variability of its modules, sturdy technical and material base, and, last but not least, eye-catching design: for thousands of visitors arriving to forums, exhibitions and conventions, these complexes play the role of the city’s or even the nation’s face. So it comes as no surprise that design and construction of such complexes around the world is done by the most prominent architects. It would not be an overstatement to say that the architecture of EXPOFORUM successfully solves all of the tasks mentioned above.

The face of the complex consists of five buildings that stand in a graceful arc along the Peterburgskoe Highway: two business centers, Hilton and Hampton by Hilton hotels, and a congress center, from which a long passage leads to the expo pavilions. “The location of the complex just outside the city boundary and next to the airport accounted for the necessity of creating bright and recognizable façades that would look great from remote vantage points” – explains one of the authors of the project, leader of the firm SPEECH, Sergey Tchoban. Visually, all the five façades are grouped into one smooth line, although in reality these are independent buildings that also perform different functions. The impression of unity is achieved first of all by the color: all of the façades of the complex are designed in uniform golden tones that bring up the textbook associations with the Amber Room and the “Golden Autumn” – incidentally, the town of Pushkin (named after the famous Russian poet who is believed to be the first to come up with the metaphor) is not far away either. The buildings are decorated with volumetric ceramic panels from extruded ceramics. “All the panels were made specifically for this project, including the unique curvilinear elements, which allowed us to soften the outlines of the buildings” – explains Andrey Perlich, the chief architect of the project (SPEECH).

This line is broken but once by the fully-glass façade of the congress center. According to the project, it is covered by a golden “sail” marquee 30 meters high, which must become the main architectural accept of the entire complex. It was decided not to actually build the marquee for the inauguration of the EXPOFORUM but, according to Evgeny Gerasimov, there is still hope that, as part of the second stage of construction, this element will finally occupy its due place.

All the five buildings are of the same height, although both hotels have eight floors in them, while the business centers have seven. Given the unity of form and color, the only way to show the outer individuality of the buildings was to play with the window apertures. For each of the buildings, the architects chose its own rhythm, its own principle, according to which the windows are grouped together or, conversely, get dispersed over the façade. For example, in one of the business centers, they are united in large elongated groups, two stories high, which put one in the mind of the TASS building, while in the other one the vertical and horizontal pairs alternate.

The façade of the Hampton by Hilton hotel (in the middle) is slit with circular bullseye-style openings, which, as they recede from the congress center, gather into ever-lengthening “snakes”.

The regular orthogonal grid of the windows of the Hilton hotel is livened up by golden “little staircases” that dissect the façade from top to bottom.

Pending the absence of the “golden sail”, the glass façade of the congress center is livened up by the plastique alone: against the serene glass backdrop billow three smooth horizontal “waves” – at the level of the second, fourth, and sixth floors.

There is a 500-meter passage stretching into the depth of the complex from the congress center, upon which, as the main “axis”, the three expo pavilions are strung. Andrey Perlich describes this passage – which seemingly performs a purely utilitarian function – as “the most spectacular and sophisticated part of the exhibition complex”. Its façades are up to 16 meters high, these façades being completely made of glass – specially for EXPOFORUM insulated glass units 5.5 meters high were made. To heat such a giant volume, two rows of convectors were required that were installed on the bottom and middle levels. The unique wave-shaped roof with skylights (into which LED’s are installed) saves this grandiose space from looking monotonous, which is the issue characteristic for many such passages in similar complexes around the world.

As for the expo pavilions itself, the area of each of which is over 13 000 square meters, here the architects set for themselves and solved a whole number of most challenging technical tasks. Huge tor gates, unsupported 90-meter girder spans, pull-out partitions that divide, if necessary, the halls into sections – everything in this complex is indeed state of the art. The outside façades of the pavilions, designed in the same golden tones, are decorated by the symbols of Saint Petersburg: the most famous historical buildings and monuments, ships, and palaces. The decoration uses the famous drawings by Mikhail Makhaev. The images are photo printed upon the large ceramic plates 3 millimeters thick, the interesting fact being that the printing was made on ceramic granite before heat-treating it in the furnace - a solution unique for Russia that ensures the long lifetime of the plates and images.

Currently, there are three complete pavilions; the construction of another three on the other side of the passage has yet been postponed. If they are indeed built in the long run, the giant parking lot that now occupies all the vacant space will have to go underground.

In the course of construction, on the territory of the complex were discovered the remains of the foundation of the church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, built in the XVIII century by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Quarenghi and destroyed during the Second World War. The church was completely restored by the old drawings and not it adorns the grand façade of the complex, which overlooks the Peterburgskoe Highway.

Milan, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Kwangchow – it is common knowledge what an important role is played in the life of these cities by international trade shows that take place in them almost all the year round. At the moment, it is hard to say which was primary: was it the necessity for organizing trade shows that determined the construction of expo centers in these cities or is it the other way around - the all-but-unlimited possibilities of Fiera Milano, Messe Frankfurt, KoelnMesse or Pazhou attract the organizers of the world’s largest trade shows. With the advent of EXPOFORUM, Saint Petersburg will also have a right to claim the status of a venue for such grand-scale events. Whether this will come to pass, only time can tell – but the architects have definitely done their job: now the city does have a venue worthy of hosting world-class conventions and trade shows.

04 December 2017

Written by:

Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

The Forum of Time

The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.

Report

The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom

The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.

The Snowstorm Fish

The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.