City Block of High Culture

In this issue, we are showcasing the four projects which took part in the competition that was held in the beginning of 2017 and was dedicated to renovating the complex of buildings of the former Sytin printing house into a residential complex.

Written by:
Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

11 December 2017

Contest Results

The construction territory is essentially a city block delineated by the Pyatnitskaya and Valovaya Streets, and the 2nd and 3rd Monetchikovsky alleys, for the exception of the building standing on the corner of the Pyatnitskaya Street and the Garden Ring and the Lighthouse business center. Currently, this is the property of the “First Exemplary Printing Works”, the heir of the once-famous Sytin’s printing company. This very part of the Zamoskvorechye district is one of Moscow’s most “prayed-in” spots: suffice it to say that long before the printing house was built here, this was the place where the playwright Alexander Ostrovsky lived; as for the buildings themselves, they witnessed many historic moments, including the bloody ones – it was here that the Moscow strike of 1905 started, during which the place was almost burned down to the ground. Its role as a cultural heritage site is just as important: this printing house printed nearly a quarter of all the Russian publications, and was visited at one time or another by all the key figures of the Silver Age of the Russian literature. The complex that was supposed to be renovated into a premium class residential city block consists of three buildings erected at the brink of XIX-XX centuries, one building that was built in the 1930’s, and a few minor ones of no historical value, in whose stead new construction was going to take place. The main building – 71, Pyatnitskaya Street, with a gothic entrance and figured attics, an acclaimed masterpiece of Moscow’s Art Nouveau style, built in 1903 – was originally designed by the architect Adolph Erichson and the engineer Vladimir Shukhov; in the soviet time, its fourth floor got a buildup that significantly distorted the authors’ original idea. These two people also designed the red-brick Building 3 which stands inside the yard – it appeared in 1912 and housed the apartments of the employees of the company; the building that stands along the Valovaya Street was built by the architects Rybinsky and Voskresensky a little bit earlier, in 1888, and originally functioned as a tenement house. All the historical buildings were to be renovated with full reconstruction of their inside space into residential premises; the construction of mansards and penthouses was also planned. The building of soviet origin was to be renovated; its framework to be kept intact. All the later structures were to be replaced by new buildings.

Four Moscow-based architectural firms took part in the competition: Kleinewelt, ABV, DNK, and Wall. The competition was won by Kleinewelt Architekten. Then the construction was canceled.

Kleinewelt

zooming — Competition project for renovating the Sytin Printworks into a premium-class apartment and housing complex. Sytin Printworks Museum © Kleinewelt Architekten

The concept of this literature-oriented project is built upon the combination of different imagery systems based on the creative works of five Russia’s greatest men of letters – Tolstoy, Gogol, Esenin, Mayakovsky, and Blok – within the framework of a single city block. According to the authors’ idea, such saturated cultural content must take the complex to a whole new level, as far as its premium quality is concerned, which proceeds from the interpretation of material and emotional comfort, and the possibility for each of the potential clients to choose the kind of atmosphere that appeals personally to him. Based on serious scientific research, the restoration of the historical façades is tactfully augmented by laconic buildups of penthouses; the authors design the plastique of the new buildings in broad strokes, putting together large cubes with sunken-in recessions, or hefty stone slabs that symbolize the new epoch and new artistic statement. As for the center of public life of this city block, it must become the yard space devoted to Diaghilev Russian Seasons.

More on the project by Kleinewelt Architekten

***

ABV

Together with restoring the appearance of the historical buildings, the authors of the project laid stress on developing a diverse range of apartments. As for the difficult charade formed by the Shukhov columns, Erichson windows, vaulted ceilings, and modern requirements for residential property, the architects were only able to solve it by stepping away from the technical specifications. The architects brought the silhouette of the main building back to its original outline by shifting the mansard inwards; the façade was designed in gray and beige tones with intricate sculptured decor. The extended façade of the building standing on the 2nd Monetchikovsky Alley was divided into four parts that can be visually perceived as independent buildings; the new building on the corner of the block, quite new in its architecture, is decorated with colorful Art Nouveau ornaments which refer us to the epoch when the historic buildings of the complex were built.

More on the project by ABV

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DNK ag

The imagery of the project is based on the theme of a printing house in its most direct meaning – a place where books are printed. The relief as the basis of book printing, the structure of a letter case, fragments of engraved plates and ornaments – all these attributes of book-printing business turned into architectural and decorative techniques that unite the historical and newly-built buildings of the complex into a single whole. The building which stands on the 2nd Monetchikovsky Alley embodies the link of time: the framework that the authors keep intact looks as though it “breaks through” the new façade that has been dressed upon it. In order to make sure that the building is not perceived as a monotonous one, the architects proposed three different versions of arranging the coffers on the façade, while on the mansard level the building’s silhouette is broken into three parts by the cutaways of the terraces. As for the building that stands inside the yard, the authors propose to build it up with a mansard of ostentatiously modern shape with a jagged line of the façade, which would thematically connect this city block to the neighboring buildings, while the yard landscaping is graced with elements of castle architecture.

More on the project by DNK ag

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Wall

The authors of the project propose to use such a new by Moscow standards technique as “semi-private space”. Leaving part of the yard in full power of the residents of the complex, they turn the rest of the territory into the so-called “black path”, marked by contrastive paving. Starting from the Garden Ring, it leads to a newly-built sculpture of a building that the architects treat as the cornerstone of this city block defining its identity. This is a trapeze-plan glass volume with a slanting roof, dissected into slender verticals by black pylons. The same kind of plastique is applied to the façades of the renovated “soviet” building on the 2nd Monetchikovsky Alley. As far as the historical buildings are concerned, the architects are planning to restrict themselves to maximum preservation and restoration of the aesthetics of the existing construction.

***

11 December 2017

Written by:

Lilya Aronova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

Object

Beneath the Azure Sky

A depository designed by Studio 44 will soon be built in Kenozersky National Park to preserve and display the so-called “heavens” – ceiling structures characteristic of wooden churches in the Russian North, painted with biblical scenes. For each of these “heavens”, the architects created a volume corresponding in scale and dimensions to the original church interior. The result is a honeycomb-like composition, with modules derived directly from the historic monuments themselves, allowing visitors to view the icons from the historically accurate angle – from below, looking upward. How exactly this works is the subject of our story.

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The Power of Lines

The building at the very beginning of New Arbat is the result of long deliberations over how to replace the former House of Communication. Contemporary, dynamic, and even somewhat zoomorphic in character, it is structured around a large diagonal grid. The building has become a striking accent both in the perspective of the former Kalinin Avenue and in the panorama of Arbat Square. Yet, unfortunately, the original concept was not fully realized. In 2020, the Moscow ArchCouncil approved a design featuring an exoskeleton – an external load-bearing structure, which eventually turned into a purely decorative element. Still, the power of the supergraphic “holds” the building, giving it the qualities of a new urban landmark with iconic potential. How this concept took shape, what unexpected associations might underlie the grid’s form, and why the exoskeleton was never built – all this is explored in our article.

News

Resort on the Kama River

Wowhaus has developed a project for the reconstruction of Korabelnaya Roshcha (“Mast Grove”), a wellness resort located on the banks of the Kama River.

Object

Nests in Primorye

The eco-park project “Nests”, designed by Aleksey Polishchuk and the company Power Technologies, received first prize at the Eco-Coast 2025 festival, organized by the Union of Architects of Russia. For a glamping site in Filinskaya Bay, the authors proposed bird-shaped houses, treehouses, and a nest-shaped observation platform, topping it all with an entrance pavilion executed in the shape of an owl.

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The Angle of String Tension

The House of Music, designed by Vladimir Plotkin and the architects of TPO Reserve, resembles a harp, and when seen from above, even a bass clef. But if only it were that simple! The architecture of the complex fuses two distinct expressive languages: the lattice-like, transparent, permeable vocabulary of “classical” modernism and the sculptural, ribbon-like volumes so beloved by today’s neo-modernism. How it all works – where the catharsis lies, which compositional axes underpin the design, where the project resembles Zaryadye Concert Hall and where it does not – read in the article below.

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How Historic Tobolsk Becomes a Portal to the Future

Over the past decade, the architectural company Wowhaus has developed urban strategies for several Russian cities – Vyksa, Tula, and Nizhnekamsk, to name but a few. Against this backdrop, the Tobolsk master plan stands out both for its scale – the territory under transformation covers more than 220 square kilometers – and for its complexity.

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St. Petersburg vs Rome

The center of St. Petersburg is, as we know, sacred – but few people can say with certainty where this “sacred place” actually begins and ends. It’s not about the formal boundaries, “from the Obvodny Canal to the Bolshaya Nevka”, but about the vibe that feels true to the city center. With the Nevskaya Ratusha complex – built to a design that won an international competition – Evgeny Gerasimov and Sergei Tchoban created an “image of the center” within its territory. And not so much the image of St. Petersburg itself, as that of a global metropolis. This is something new, something that hasn’t appeared in the city for a long time. In this article, we study the atmosphere, recall precedents, and even reflect on who and when first called St. Petersburg the “new Rome”. Clearly, the idea is alive for a reason.

Object

On the Wave

The project of transforming the river port and embankment in the city of Cheboksary, developed by the ATRIUM Architects, involves one of the city’s key areas. The Volga embankment is to be turned into a riverside boulevard – a multifunctional, comfortable, and expressive space for work and leisure activities. The authors propose creating a new link with the city’s main Krasnaya (“Red”) Square, as well as erecting several residential towers inspired by the shape of the traditional national women’s headdress – these towers are likely to become striking accents on the Volga panorama.

Interview

Valery Kanyashin: “We Were Given a Free Hand”

The Headliner residential complex, the main part of which was recently completed just across from Moscow City, is a kind of neighbor to the MIBC that doesn’t “play along” with it. On the contrary, the new complex is entirely built on contrast: like a city of differently scaled buildings that seems to have emerged naturally over the past 20 years – which is a hugely popular trend nowadays! And yet here – perhaps only here – such a project has been realized to its full potential. Yes, high-rises dominate, but all these slender, delicate profiles, all these exciting perspectives! And most importantly – how everything is mixed and composed together... We spoke with the project’s leader Valery Kanyashin.

Object

The Keystone

Until quite recently, premium residential and office complexes in Moscow were seen as the exclusive privilege of the city center. Today the situation is changing: high-quality architecture is moving beyond the confines of the Third Ring Road and appearing on the outskirts. The STONE Kaluzhskaya business center is one such example. Projects like this help decentralize the megalopolis, making life and work prestigious in any part of the city.

send.project

Perpetuum Mobile

The interior of the headquarters of Natsproektstroy, created by the IND studio team, vividly and effectively reflects the client’s field of activity – it is one of Russia’s largest infrastructure companies, responsible for logistics and transport communications of every kind you can possibly think of.

Object

Water and Light

Church art is full of symbolism, and part of it is truly canonical, while another part is shaped by tradition and is perceived by some as obligatory. Because of this kind of “false conservatism”, contemporary church architecture develops slowly compared to other genres, and rarely looks contemporary. Nevertheless, there are enthusiasts in this field out there: the cemetery church of Archangel Michael in Apatity, designed by Dmitry Ostroumov and Prokhram bureau, combines tradition and experiment. This is not an experiment for its own sake, however – rather, the considered work of a contemporary architect with the symbolism of space, volume, and, above all, light.

Object

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.

send.project

Semi-Digital Environment

In the town of Innopolis, a satellite of Kazan, the first 4-star hotel designed by MAD Architects has opened. The interiors of the hotel combine elegance with irony, and technology with comfort, evoking the atmosphere of a computer game or maybe a sci-fi movie about the near future.

Object

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.

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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.

Interview

Grigory Revzin: “What we should do with the architecture of the seventies”

Soviet modernism came in two flavors: the good, author-driven kind, and the bad, standardized kind. The good kind was “on the periphery”, while the bad kind was in the center – geographically, in terms of attention, scale, and everything else. Can we demolish it? “That would be destroying public consensus out of thin air”. So what should we do? Preserve it, but creatively: “Bring architecture into places where it hasn’t yet appeared”. Treat these buildings not as monuments, but as urban landscape. Read our interview with Grigory Revzin on the pressing topic of saving modernism – where he proposes a controversial, yet really intriguing, way of preserving 1970s buildings.

Overview

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.

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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.

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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.

Object

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.

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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.

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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.

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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”.

Object

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.

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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.

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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.

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New Aeroflot Office: Lightness, Play, Comfort

Even if you have no plans to fly with Aeroflot anytime soon, their new office at 2A 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street is still worth a visit for its interior design alone.

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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.

​City Block of High Culture

In this issue, we are showcasing the four projects which took part in the competition that was held in the beginning of 2017 and was dedicated to renovating the complex of buildings of the former Sytin printing house into a residential complex.

City Block of High Culture