APEX Architects: “New Shukhovs and Shekhtels must come around”

APEX Architects read the “Creative BIM” course in MARCH School. Maria Fadeeva has taken the time to find out just what “Creative BIM” is all about, and what would have architecture looked like without computers.

Interviewed by:
Maria Fadeeva
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

15 March 2018

Interview

Enginenriya

In the early February, MARCH school conducted a three-day course “BIM in a project bureau: where to start?” This was the start of a joint experiment organized by MARCH (“Moscow Architectural School”) and APEX Architects to reconsider the role of technologies in the process of designing and educating – educating both architects and those who manage the designing process. The second stage (which is going to be much longer) will be a three-month intensive “Creative BIM”, in the course of which its authors, Olga Lebedeva, Ivan Anokhin, and Andrew Dermeiko, want to recreate a full-fledged team design process from initial sketches to a working virtual model, which will allow the students to implement their project – a summer pavilion for ArtPlay – in real life. The construction will be partnered by Gradas, Guardian, Schüco, and Kaptekhstroy. Below we are trying to delve into the specifics of the announced experiment.

Archi.ru
– I would like to start our conversation from getting a clear idea of what subject you are teaching here. Just what is “Creative Building Information Modeling” all about? I have always thought that building information modeling is a purely practical technology and there’s nothing “creative” about it – rather, it can be used for turning your architectural project into the working documents.

Andrew Dermeiko:
– Our goal is to demonstrate how the creative process of developing your architectural proposal or concept, and the purely technical process of preparing the working documents, can be tied in with each other. Our course is focused on the designed project, and, accordingly, the new possibilities that the contemporary software yields will be studied in terms of their necessary practical application to the ideas that will be generated by the students. Consequently, the research and the choice of the right type of software will go a long way to prompt new directions for developing the concept.

As a consequence of the marketing policy conducted by vendors and producers of software, as well as because of the inconsistency of the online information, people are getting an impression that BIM is “some kind of software”. In reality, however, BIM is essentially a technology that consists of a range of software products, which allow the user to work with this technology, this range being rather broad. And what we want to do is examine, within the framework of our course, various computer programs, so that our students, developing this or that architectural model, could then forward the materials directly to the construction company: to the contractor and to the manufacturer.

Ivan Anokhin:
– To us, the BIM environment is a single space for creativity, a virtual world, in which all of the stakeholders of the process coexist on a win-win basis. Our course does not provide for studying all these programs as a mere set of tools; what it is meant to do is simulate the operation of a project group: from the concept stage to cuttint the ribbon at the inauguration of a new building. Precisely because of that we first do a short intensive about implementing BIM into a project firm. At the same time, it is still true that, in terms of “rigor” of this technology, the requirements for the digital hygiene of this environment are very strict – this is not your Autocad or a paper sheet, upon which you can draw a plan and then copy it to verify it against some other layout. We will try to show the principles of working in such conditions on the basis of the experience accumulated by APEX not only in project design but also in project management, and remote interaction between the colleagues, including international communications.

– As I understand, this is the approach, thanks to which your company operates on the market so effectively. So, why are you going to teach others your “secrets of the trade” that help you get an upper hand over your competition?

Olga Lebedeva:
– APEX is a versatile company, and this educational branch is yet another stage of our development and widening the set of our skills. At the expense of this course, our employees get involved with educational activities: reading lectures, developing the course programs, teaching as such, and participating in the intermediate exhibitions as members of the judging panel...

Andrew Dermeiko:
– In addition, this is a means of influencing the information field, an opportunity to move our branch and economics forward, however posh this may sound.

Ivan Anokhin:
– To us as an actively developing company it is interesting to broaden our horizons in the modern technologies and share our knowhow with our fellow tradespeople. Such an educational product is unique on the market.

Olga Lebedeva:
– Among other things, this course is also an opportunity for us to widen our employee base, having provided the education and the basis for the team work. Meaning – you can always improve your knowledge of software but the understanding of the process from beginning to end and the ability to work with a team and the production are the really valuable skills of the employees.

– What is your personal motivation for developing and implementing this course?

Ivan Anokhin:
– I’ve been doing art projects for years, and I’ve been taking part in educational seminars. It’s interesting to me to apply my experience in the BIM format which allows you to create high-technology projects.

Andrew Dermeiko:
– To teach is to learn twice over; you get your own mind straight. This is an extra occasion to sort things out in your head. Besides, it’s been a long time since I taught outside of APEX, and I need to learn what the market is doing, including for correcting the course of the company.

– Olga, as far as I know, you do not have teaching experience, don’t you?

Olga Lebedeva:
– Not within the framework of a higher educational institution, I don’t, but I’ve been thinking about starting it for a long time. Within the framework of one firm, this a constant process of learning things and sharing your knowledge with your team. I’ve accumulated a formidable experience; over the 14 years of my career I have worked in many large Moscow-based firms, I studied at the Columbia University, I saw and personally experienced a huge variety of working and teaching methods. I want to do some sharing now.

I’m also fascinated by the idea of demonstrating, in such a short span of time, the whole working process from idea to implementation – because usually this takes up more than a year, and with large-scale projects even several years. I want to show that every working stage – a concept, a project, documentation draft, production and construction – everything is interesting and you can enjoy this process.

The temptation of using a large number of computer programs, especially at the end, when you play the role of the client – this is also not the last of my incentives. And, of course, the opportunity for implementing your project in collaboration with some serious partners who are ready to provide you with the best materials and top-quality production – something you could only dream of. Hadn’t I been one of the coauthors of the course, I would sign up for it myself.

– Andrew mentioned a broad range of products that constitute the BIM environment. How many of them are there, and what percentage are you using in your course?

Andrew Dermeiko:
– There is an international nonprofit organization Building Smart, which develops and supports IFC, a universal neutral exchange format that ensures compatibility of software products in the BIM environment. At their website, there is a complete list of all the programs that are certified to work with this format. Currently, this list includes more than 50 positions, and it’s being constantly renewed and updated. Plus, there is a certain typology: some programs are created for designing, i.e. for creating information, others – for the analysis thereof, still others – for managing and transforming this information, and so on.

Ivan Anokhin:
– It is worth mentioning that besides specialized software, there are programs that can be also plugged into this environment, for example, the good old Excel. It fits in very nicely and it comes in handy for parametrizing, information retrieval, and making description.

Andrew Dermeiko:
– And it also allows the user to submit the information in a client-friendly format. And this is very important. And we are speaking not only about the programs but also about the team work, ways of exchanging information, getting, generating, and managing it. There is a whole bunch of scenarios.

In our course, we are planning to touch upon seven or eight programs.

– The mentioning of the very notion of information appeals to me as a journalist. However, doesn’t this sound a little too abstract for a casual listener in terms of architecture as a material object consisting of windows, doors, and bricks?

Andrew Dermeiko:
– But these also cannot exist without parameters! Actually, when we do a classic hand-drawn draft, what we see is a bunch of lines, and how we read them only depends on our interpreting this set of lines as a wall, this other set of lines as a door jamb, and so on! What fills them with meaning? Yes, one’s ability to read: somebody put this information on the list, and somebody else deciphered it.

Ivan Anokhin:
– What makes the informational model of a building different from a draft is the fact that we can operate not only the three dimensions but also such parameters as time, financial model, and whatnot. If the model is properly fine-tuned, it is possible to retrieve rather large data files – from specifications or layouts of non-typical elements to cost sheets and time graphs.

– Judging by your descriptions, BIM as a technology has already established itself as a self-sufficient environment, and we shouldn’t hold our breath for it to change the architectural world completely. Or am I wrong, and the innovative potential of this environment is far from exhausted?

Andrew Dermeiko:
– On the one hand, nobody is talking about any new groundbreaking new-age software, and the competition is mostly based on fine-tuning minor details. On the other hand, if we are to speak about BIM’s influence on architecture, the transformation of the construction stage is only just beginning: the use of 3D printers, construction robots, and more. BIM as a database contains a far greater potential for the future automation of construction than the good old draft. Although it won’t happen overnight, we are in for some quite interesting changes.

– What if BIM suddenly disappears? Will it make your architecture any different?

Olga Lebedeva:
– My architecture will hardly be different. Back in my college years, I would do quite sophisticated projects without any computer until my fifth year. Of course, if BIM is suddenly gone, all of the mathematical calculations will be a lot harder to make – but I will draw more, enjoy the process of tracing plans with my own hands, and the number of unnecessary drafts will shrink dramatically. And, of course, there will be more building models.

As for the architecture of a project bureau, large complexes, large scales, large reconstruction projects and engineering structures – yes, all of these things do depend on the speed of processing and putting out the documentation, on the amounts of data processed, on the high precision of drafts of all the complementary sciences, and a single base of all of the stakeholders. And here you cannot imagine such a process without the BIM environment. Such architecture will simply cease to exist because the whole process will be so stretched in time that it will become no longer feasible.

Ivan Anokhin:
– Generally, my architecture will remain the same. An architectural image is first of all the result of who we are – it is born in our minds, in our imagination. At the moment, the process of working with paper only refers to the initial stages of forming the image.

The computer provides you with quite a broad set of tools to test your ideas for sustainability. Here is another question, though: the digital technologies dramatically shorten the designing time frames, which is not always a good thing, by the way. On the one hand, BIM speeds up your work, and this is one of the requirements of the market. On the other hand, speeding up your working process is not at all always a synonym for efficiency and effectiveness. A healthy balance is necessary. In fact, finding this balance between the amounts of time invested into forming the image, filtering out the ideas, thinking about how each unit would work and about the technology of the entire process – all of that would answer your previous question about the development prospects. New Shukhovs and Shekhtels must come around.

If BIM disappears I will happily fall back on my pencil but I’ll still be missing the freedom of abstract form making and the simplicity of solving routine tasks.

15 March 2018

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.

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.