A Welcome Intervention

Uninspiring Place

Moscow has a lot of places in it, finding yourself in which you would hardly believe that you are in a city full of architectural and cultural heritage sites. These places bear a uniquely rank-and-file, chaotic and bleak look. Most often, these “lost” places are filled with all sorts of prefab housing projects, long-abandoned industrial parks, and a whole collection of typological monsters, which, for reasons unexplained, occupy the square footage whose price rivals that of the world’s most expensive megalopolises. Such places are mostly to be found in a broad belt between the Third Transport Ring and Moscow Central Circle. Driving there without a navigator app is next to impossible, basically what you want most of all in such places is get out of them as soon as possible, and most of the streets have not only a name but also a number.

These places were on the developers’ hit parades neither in the 2000’s, when there were plenty of more prestigious locations to build upon, nor in the 2010’s when the economic crisis shifted the priorities in the direction of the Moscow area fields. Currently, the objective shortage of places for construction, coupled with the city’s town planning policy and the launch of Moscow Central Circle, gave a green thoroughfare to the projects of reforming the “lost neighborhoods” into something that is more up to date, efficient and comfortable.

zooming — "Egodom" housing complex © Sergey Skuratov ARCHITECTS

One of such areas that are currently undergoing a radical transformation is situated between the Mira Avenue and the Yaroslavl-bound railroad tracks, behind which the Sokolniki Park spreads out. The beautiful “parade” houses standing along the Mira Avenue are shielding all sorts of shabby housing projects squeezed in between the “reservations” of semi-abandoned industrial parks, large and small. In their place, multifunctional complexes are being actively built – for example, SPEECH is building here the housing complex “Serebryany Fontan” (“Silver Fountain”), and not far away from it ADM is finishing the housing complex under the name of “1147”.

Practically in the same location, at the crossing of Novoalekseevskaya and Malomoskovskaya streets, two “1st Rizhsky Alleys” and the Pavla Korchagina Street, which all together form a small square (probably, the closest term), in 2012, the developer company “Turman” invited Sergey Skuratov to design this housing complex (the coverage of his project is available here).

“Before I began working on the initial concept, I visited this location several times – the architect reminisces – And every time I would have to chase away a treacherous thought: “Uh, maybe we should give up on the idea of building here anything altogether, whatever it is?” – so unattractive and chaotic the surroundings were. I could not tell if it was at all possible to bring this place to any kind of order, in terms either of style or composition. We were to come up with a solution that would “pull” the whole neighborhood out of this town planning bog, just like Baron Munchausen pulled himself and the horse on which he was sitting out of a swamp by his own hair. So we decided to repeat this heroic feat by introducing into this all but dead environment, lying in a coma state, some bright and flashy accept that would make it come alive”.

The Dominance Concept

In the place of the future complex, there was a gas station, dilapidated buildings of a bus depot, and locksmith’s workshops. The only exception consisted in a few prefabricated residential houses and a tall (also prefabricated) tower of the GIPROSTROYMOST institute, joined by the former community center now turned into an evangelist church.

The only treasures of the neighborhood were a few surviving red-brick houses of the pseudo-Russian style on the late XIX century – the Bakhrushiny Brothers orphanage and the Alekseevskaya pumping station, most of whose territory is being filled with the buildings of the “Silver Fountain” housing complex. The charisma of the old brick houses with their characteristic white details on the red-brown façades is barely holding out against the prevailing panel and galvanized grayness, which is growing larger by the year. However, it was their presence that inspired Sergey Skuratov to actively use brick as a radical means of fighting the inertia and chaos of the surrounding environment.

Besides the material accent, the complex was in a desperate need of a just as bright territory organization solution. The main parameters of the complex were known in advance: the place was to get two tower 64 and 37 meters high (17 and 8 floors respectively). The main compositional question was how, by using the two volumes alone (these volumes being lower in height than their neighbors, especially the institute building), to pull together and organize the territory around the crossroads.

Out of the many “coordinate systems” present on the square, whose shape reminded a lopsided star, the authors chose, as the most accentuated one, the axis of the Pavla Korchagina Street, placing their complex parallel to it and parallel to the institute building, and leaving vacant the triangular space in front of the main façade of the taller building. Similar lacunes were left in front of the other buildings facing the square. Thanks to the sheer distance between them, the interdependence between the new housing complex and the institute tower is felt rather on the subconscious level than as a part of some clear-cut coordinate system. The ensemble does not add up – the elements that stand here side by side are too different in their style and value. However, thanks to a clear-cut composition, imposing volume, a powerful color design solution, and the tense inner dramaturgy, Egodom plays the part of the missing link that ties in and organizes everything around it.

The paired composition of the building is based on the classic pattern of complementing and contrasting. According to Sergey Skuratov, “what is used here is a clear architectural technique: two volumes, one vertical and one horizontal, work as the driving and the driven ones, starting a “spacial” dialogue with each other. The arising tension is enough to guarantee the complex a status of a town-planning accent that organizes the city space around it and takes the square lying in front of it to a whole new level”.

The plastic solution of each building exactly matches its role in the paired composition. The first building, the high and dominating one, in addition to its sheer size is notable for its accentuated dynamic and visual emotion. The inset in the middle of its height breaks the monotony of the even parallelepiped that grows up from the compound structure on the level of the first floor, which is part of the inner yard of the complex. The stained glass belt, slightly sunken into the “brick body”, is perceived as an air layer, above which the upper part of the building hovers as if supported by a magnet pillow. And, as if drawn by magnet flows, the other half of the building slightly pivots on its axis, putting its skewed corner in the direction of the ill-started square. This slight, but fleeting deviation from the parallel lines turns out to be enough to give a lot of extra dynamics to the entire composition.

The second building has to settle for a secondary role – its reserved plastique echoes that of the “big brother” but does not always repeat its techniques. For example, while the triangular overhang of the first volume steps outside, creating a flashy play of light and shade on the main façade, the second’s three-story part of the “rotating” section is sunken in, which can be regarded as a means to minimize the conflict with the outside environment and make the silhouette still more picturesque.

The Brick and Glass Casing

At a first glance, the façade design of the complex looks pretty simple. The material, characteristic for many projects by Sergey Skuratov – the hand-molded brick of a rich red-brown color, with its picturesqueness, materialism, and warmth – in combination with the laconic volumes of Egodom, yields a powerful impact that enhances all of the successful solutions of the spacial and volumetric composition, and at the same time shows the author’s respectful attitude towards the nearby red brick buildings, demonstrating the continuity of the tradition that they set.

“We wanted to find the right balance between the static and the dynamic components of the façade’s structure – says Sergey Skuratov – We wanted to make something that would excite. On the one hand, it shocks and provokes the surrounding space; on the other hand, it creates an effect of respectable stability that inspires confidence in people, confidence in the power of this building. As a result, we got a house that is impressive without being pompous; it is orderly but still agile”.

The brick façades develop a subtle (and sometimes even ironic) opposition of static and dynamic components, as well as volumetric and flat elements. The architects set some certain rules of the façade play and at once break them – yet they do it so tactfully that only by studying the draughts and then checking them against the real thing one can make out why originally something was meant to be this way and was ultimately altered.

The side façades are designed in a different way. The latter is essentially a clear-cut structure of vertical columns and horizontal lintels, coated with bricks, behind which a stained glass window glitters, reflecting the Moscow sky, sometimes blue, and sometimes gray, like a piece of old silverware. An interesting detail: on the side façade of the lower building and in the bottom part of the taller building, the vertical stands, row after row, go with a half-step shift. Because of the rather narrow space between the stands, one’s eye is slow to see this “geometric catch”, thanks to which on the subconscious level the façade looks more agile and alive. A significant role in achieving this optical effect is played by the narrow stanzas situated behind the brick stands. Their depth gradually wears out, giving way to mini bay windows, placed up against the brick frame.

The height of the horizontal rows also varies: from two stories in the lower part of the complex to a single story in the upper part with an overpass to the height of the attic floor (increased 2.5 times), which conceals behind the slender brick frame prestigious penthouses and spacious brick terraces, which in the future can be glazed or left as they are if the owners want to not only enjoy the surrounding views but also enjoy a breath of fresh air.

The lateral façades, which play the role of the “outposts” of the composition, the metric rhythm is more complex. Only the narrow vertical of the central part is designed similarly to the side façades – as a brick frame against a stained glass backdrop. On either side of them, in staggered order, alternate even surfaces of the brickwork and sections of the blind “grille”.

The Moscow sunshine is sure to please the city people with a lively play of light and shade, but all they could squeeze out of it, using the limited set of techniques of working with structural frameworks, stained glass windows, color and texture of the brickwork, the architects demonstrate of the façades of Egodom.

The Inside World

The two buildings of different height stand parallel to each other with a shift exactly the width of the “tower” in order to avoid the undesirable “window-to-window” effect. On the level of the first floor, the buildings are connected by a brick fence that protects the yard of the complex from the unwanted contact with the outside world and its inhabitants. The pillars of the brick fence were to follow the rhythm of the brick imposts on the façade, but for economic reasons the span of the columns was doubled, which made the intended juxtaposition hardly readable, but readable nonetheless.

An extra obstacle is created by the level difference – the territory of the inside yard is lowered three meters. This solution, already successfully utilized by the team of Sergey Skuratov’s team in the “Garden Quarters”, allows the architects to ensure the yard’s privacy and effectively structure it at the same time. The sunken-in yard is divided into a few terraces, some of which, accessible to all of the residents of the complex, are connected by staircases, and some, which are meant to accommodate for the walks of the children groups from the local kindergarten, are accessed by a special pass. According to the architects, such solution is far more preferable than a yard elevated to the roof of the podium where the residents still do not feel secure.

Yet another important argument for sinking the yard below the ground level was the architects’ desire to make double-height lobbies nine meters high. Such a space at the building’s entrance creates quite a different atmosphere and raises the status of the complex. At the “entrance” minus first floor, there are also cafés and a few premises for rent.

Underneath the whole land site, there is a two-level underground parking garage, the entrance to which is from the side of the Novoalekseevskaya Street through a large brick arch, one of the most photogenic details of the complex that, in conjunction with the opening view of the brick-and-glass buildings that look as if they were frozen in some sort of slow dance, unambiguously says to each incoming driver: “You are entering a world created by Sergey Skuratov”.

The Appropriate Bravery

At the website of the housing complex Egodom, there is a quote from Sergey Skuratov, in which he says that he regrets the fact that the Moscow architecture has very little and at the same time appropriate architecture about it. At a first glance, these two qualities should cancel each other out. One can describe as “brave” the kind of architecture that is very author-generated, architecture of a gesture, which claims dominance in the city environment. Appropriateness, on the other hand, is the kind of quality that is usually expected from a background or landscaping architecture, which is all about the tactful and delicate treatment of the already existing city environment. How can you combine these two qualities in one and the same project? This is like trying to achieve some sort of “fashionable traditionalism” or “sophisticated simplicity”. Therefore, it should be no surprise that buildings possessing two these qualities at once are few and far between. It is strange that they are there at all. Their list predictably includes buildings designed by the author of the paradoxical quote. Sergey Skuratov architecture is seemingly always about the author’s gesture – recognizable, flashy, and provocative. Nonetheless, his architecture is always appropriate. Take his “Danilovsky Fort”, for example: the bravery of the “living” plastic form and at the same time amazing adequacy to the surrounding houses of the waterfront. The same can be said about “Berkley Plaza” on the Prechistenskaya Embankment, Art-House, or the house on the Burdenko Street.

The new house on the Novoalekseevskaya Street has every right to be on this list. In this project, the author again found an optimum balance between the radical, the accentuated (the iconic), and the appropriate, as if the house is actually a part of the local architectural ensemble.

For Sergey Skuratov himself, such contrastive combinations are an integral part of his work and intrinsic part of his creations. His desire to combine things looks so natural that it isn’t even perceived as some sort of special technique or method. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that all the attempts to “put harmony to algebraic test” are cut short by Sergey Skuratov: “One doesn’t have to try to see in each of our projects some sort of rigorous methodology – it’s just not there. There are compositional principles, subjective preferences, and there is, let’s say, the author’s signature style that runs through all of my projects and constitutes the backbone of my creative personality, making my projects recognizable. What makes them different – and I deliberately try to achieve that effect – is some certain integrity, even simplicity, but just in the amount that does not render my buildings monotonous and lifeless”.

20 March 2018

Written by:
Elena Petukhova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

Faraday Grid

The project of the Omsk airport by ASADOV Architects is another concept among the 14 finalists of a recent competition. It is called “The Bridge” and is inspired by both the West Siberian Exhibition of 1911 and the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge over the Irtysh River, built in 1896. On one hand, it carries a steampunk vibe, while on the other, there’s almost a sense of nostalgia for the heyday of 1913. However, the concept offers two variants, the second one devoid of nostalgia but featuring a parabola.

Review

Midway upon the Journey of Our Life

Recently, Tatlin Publishing House released a book entitled “Architect Sergey Oreshkin. Selected Projects”. This book is not just a traditional book of the architectural company’s achievements, but rather a monograph of a more personal nature. The book includes 43 buildings as well as a section with architectural drawings. In this article, we reflect on the book as a way to take stock of an architect’s accomplishments.

Inverted Fortress

This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.

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Transformation of Annenkirche

For Annenkirche (St. Anna Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg), Sergey Kuznetsov and the Kamen bureau have prepared a project that relies on the principles of the Venice Charter: the building is not restored to a specific date, historical layers are preserved, and modern elements do not mimic the authentic ones. Let’s delve into the details of these solutions.

The Paradox of the Temporary

The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.

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.

Mirrors Everywhere

The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.

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.

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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

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.

News

Arch, Pearl, Wing, Wind

In the social media of the governor of the Omsk region, voting was conducted for the best project for the city’s new airport. We asked the finalists to send over their projects and are now showcasing them. The projects are quite interesting: the client requested that the building be visually permeable throughout, and the images that the architects are working with include arches, wings, gusts of wind, and even the “Pearl” painting by Vrubel, who was actually born in Omsk.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

​A Welcome Intervention

A Welcome Intervention