Wooden Stones

The conceptual project by Totan Kuzembaev and the Sokolsky woodworking integrated plant is meant to demonstrate the diversity of design solutions that use wooden CLT panels, and the possibilities for combining these panels with concrete structures, including the field of renovating the Soviet-era five-story houses instead of tearing them down completely.

Written by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

26 April 2018

Object

The concept of a multistory wooden cluster named “Wood City” was developed by Totan Kuzembaev Architectural Studio at the request of the Sokolsky woodworking integrated plant, part of Segezha Group. The project is of the “paper” kind to some extent, its purpose being to demonstrate, at the example of a specific platform, the potential of wooden multistory housing construction with the use of the CLT (cross laminated timber) panels. It is not accidental that the name of this visionary project echoes that of the famous Finnish project “Wood Town”, which was developed in 1997 by the University of Oulu; it was about popularizing wooden construction in Finland, and the project was a success: today, Finland builds multistory residential houses with a large share of wooden structures used in their construction. In Russia, however, the idea of multistory wooden construction is still waiting for the amendments to the existing construction rules and regulations, as well as for steady production of the building materials.

As a demonstration platform, the architects chose a Moscow micro-district named “Kamushki” (which literally translates as “Little Stones”), lying north of the Moscow City business center. In 2006, the Creative Union “Reserve” designed a housing and business complex here; today, the brick five-stories got into the housing renovation program – in their stead, Totan Kuzembaev designed houses of his own, and for some buildings on the corner he even proposed a possibility of reconstruction (without being torn down) by building new independent structures – wooden casings for the old buildings – and improving the living conditions by expanding the floor space and adding a mansard floor. This in fact was the development of the idea that was widely discussed in 2017 immediately after the renovation program was announced: why tear things down if we can reconstruct them? It is clear that not everyone is chuffed at the prospect of getting his beloved home torn down.

The opportunities for reconstruction combined with widening of the floor space are demonstrated in houses #20, 18, 3 and 5 in the southern part of the territory, between the 1st and 2nd Krasnogvardeiskiy drives and the Antonova-Ovseenko Street: a few five-story houses, which form here the perimeter of a large yard, are turned by Totan Kuzembaev into a city block united by a concrete public first floor. At first, the five-story houses are reconstructed, and after that they get a buildup of wooden mansards or penthouses; the spaces between the buildings are filled with wooden structures which close the perimeter and take this city block to the scale of “Stalin-construction” houses.

zooming — Wood City housing complex © Totan Kuzembaev Architectural Studio

In his project, Totan Kuzembaev deliberately proposes different types of structures and layouts. In the north corner, in the area where houses #33, 31 and 11 are situated, there is a concrete parking lot with an apartment building, which in terraced steps “cascades” down its roof – pretty much the way BIG did it in the Guide to the Ørestad district of Copenhagen, only in this instance the originality of Totan Kuzembaev’s idea consists in a combined construction plan of wood and concrete.

Nevertheless, it is not only the parking lot that is made of concrete. All the houses here rest upon the podiums of concrete ground floors that contain public functions: cafés, shops, children’s clubs and everything that is naturally expected from the modern urban environment.

The houses that are made fully from wood, barring the first concrete floor, are subdivided into several types in accordance with their construction: panel type – made from CLT panels, modular – made from prefabricated modules, panel/modular and panel/framework ones – the latter combine panels and beams of glued wood.

And, if we are to speak about the layouts, the western part, which is closer to the Third Transport Ring, gets yet another city block of varying height, built with a panel/modular technology, which completes the group of renovated houses. This is a sectional house, and at the joints its sections are separated by concrete firewalls in order to make the building really fireproof. But then again, CLT panels are fireproof as it is because this is a massive structure – says the Vice President of Segezha, Dmitry Rudenko.

The western block, unlike the southern one, is of ostentatiously varying height: it sports romantic pitched roofs, separated by green terraces on the level of the fifth floor. Glittering from behind the tree trunks, the glass of the window panes on the bottom floors creates an effect of a “hanseatic town” hovering in a cloud of greenery.

However, neither the austere and dense block that is reconstructed from the surviving five-story buildings, nor the light winsome little city with pitched roofs come close to the towers that the architect placed in the middle: three Aztec pyramids with a cutoff top are (panel) and four panel/framework houses with “dancing” floors (the framework is needed to support the dance) and panoramic windows on all of the floors. And five modular houses, in which many of the volumes stand out like building blocks in a toy construction set, making a parade of the possibilities of the wooden cantilevered structures, which are definitely richer than those of concrete. These buildings look like avant-garde structures, whose purpose is to surprise people with their diversity. However, in addition to the spectacular plastic solutions – and we are stressing it here – each of them is tied to a specific type of construction elements set, demonstrating its advantages and potential.

The play of the volumes is further supported by the children’s playgrounds/art objects in the yards.

***

“It was the architects’ initiative to propose several types of houses, and now we can see the new housing units, built in the spaces between the already existing buildings, organically turn this micro-district, built back in the 1960’s, into a modern city block. There was no question about who should become the author of this project. Totan Kuzembaev is a true virtuoso in the field of wooden construction, he understands it and he feels it like nobody else does – Dmitry Rudenko says – In this country, there has been a lot of talk about wooden housing construction but this notion most of the time comes down to a single cottage built with the use of traditional technology from logs, or, at best, from glued timber, while wooden structures have been long since been used in the housing construction all over the globe, just as in the construction of public and office buildings. In order to showcase the real potential, we decided to take a venue in Moscow and use it as an example of a city block, in which modified wood is extensively used, specifically, CLT as the most promising material, whose operational properties are as good as those of concrete. We want to show that it’s about modern architecture, and not about village huts. The Wood City project is a part of the global strategy because just coming up with the idea of a city block does not yet mean building it. It is necessary not only to change the construction rules and regulations with regard to the new materials but, in the light of the prospects for such changes, launch the production of such materials by building new integrated house construction factories that would make houses from wood instead of concrete”.

“So far, we are only dreaming of wooden high-rises, and in many countries they are a reality. For our company, which has been working in the field of wooden architecture for a long time, this project became an opportunity to work with “quite different wood”. The new wood-based materials, just environmentally friendly as wood itself, and the appearance of a modern wooden city block are just as important as the appearance of a new park in the city” – Totan Kuzembaev says.

Oh, and by the way, about ecology! Wood as such is an environmentally friendly and sustainable material. In addition, the modular structures are capable of making the very construction process more ecological: due to the fact that they are only assembled together on the construction site, there will be neither dust nor dirt around. About the abundance of greenery that the project provides for: it is there in the yards, on the new roofs and even on the balconies, in accordance with the Singapore principle “place green plants wherever possible”. This must enhance the environmental message of the project: according to estimates, within twenty four hours the Earth grows enough trees to provide building materials for the construction of a wooden city block eight stories high. This green wooden block looks against the contrastive background of the Moscow City business center as a welcome oasis. According to the project, trees are also planted along the perimeter of the block, creating a “green screen” between the houses and the busy city highways.

Therefore, Wood City became an alternative, though slightly utopian, to the traditional Moscow approach to renovation. The height here only reaches 9 floors.

***

“We have material classification standards for metal, brick, concrete, and even glass – says the coauthor of the project Olzhas Kuzembaev – However, so far, there are no such classification standards for wood, it is only being developed now. When the construction rules include the classification for wooden structures and materials, this will hail the beginning of the new era of industrial-scale wooden construction.

All of the technologies that we proposed are basically ready to be used on an industrial construction scale. Which, in addition to the obvious economic benefits, contains a positive social aspect as well: it decreases the need for unskilled labor. Besides, this country currently exports more than 90% of industrial wood; abroad, it already considered as a high-technology material. And this in inefficient from the macroeconomic standpoint. In this project, our mission was to show that the industry of wooden housing construction can be just as up-to-date as the construction of any other materials, and in some aspects, even surpass them”.

Indeed, it does not look probable that Wood City can be implemented any time soon but the future is being brought closer to us by the issued in the late March of 2018 second edition of set of rules for the multi-apartment and public buildings with the use of wooden structures (rules for design and construction), which already cover the new wood-based materials. Still, the question remains open about certifying the modified wood-based materials, which are widely used in construction in many countries, such as CLT (that Wood City is built from), LVL and MXM. While all of these Issues are being settled, the wooden high-rises could be built on project specific technical conditions – in any case, our architects are ready for this.

26 April 2018

Written by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

​Wooden Stones

Wooden Stones