Ekaterina Gren: “Architecture is a jigsaw puzzle that consists of tasks and limitations”

Ekaterina Gren, the chief architect of GC «OLIMPROEKT» Ltd., speaks about the formative years of her division, the importance of a dialogue with the developers, and about the architect’s mission.

Interviewed by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

17 July 2018

Interview

The architectural and project division of the company was launched relatively recently – in 2013. Can you please share how you went about organizing your work in the conditions of the cutthroat competition on the market? What was your strategy?

The strategy was based on the high quality of execution, quick response time, and the professionalism of the decisions that we made on every level: from conceptual ideas to actual implementation. Regardless of where my project is situated, however big or small it is, I treat it as the most important and interesting one in my career. I always try to think out of the box and come up with unconventional architectural and town planning solutions. And, of course, an important factor in our company’s establishing itself as an “architect” is our special kind of relationship with developers and marketing experts that we have when we work on our projects. From the very start, we go to the bottom of things to understand what our task is about, find out who they are building this project for, and discuss the budget. A correctly organized dialogue, in which the client and the architect are both hearing each other out, is the unmistakable key to success. It is important to solve the problem that the developer has, and do this with a unique architectural solution, too. You can create an interesting housing project using very simple solutions, and as for uniqueness, it’s not only about expensive façade or interior decoration materials; uniqueness can consist in the organization of space, both on the level of the master plan, and on the level of each of the apartments.

However, I think that our main key to success is our team. I try to foster in our every specialist keen attention to detail and overall quality. My pet phrase that I use when we discuss this or that issue with my colleagues is: “Think of this project as you would think of your future home. Imagine yourself living in this housing complex, walking around it, parking your car here, being surrounded by these façades... Would you want to live here? And if your answer is no, then we will have to search for the solution that will make you answer yes”.

Yes, there are indeed plenty of architectural firms out there, and designer companies, too, and the competition is tough. But I just don’t squander my energy on these thoughts – I don’t even have the time for that. And this is why I never thought about any company as my competition. I just start working and I get involved with the project, I treat it as my child that I have to bring up and to whom I have to give the best of me.

What experiments are developers ready to make in terms of you proposing unconventional architectural solutions?

You know, the more you work on housing stock projects, the more interesting it gets. Due to the fact that there is also a tough competition among the developers as well, the architects have been getting their hands on the tools they once could not get – meaning, high-quality decoration materials, unconventional planning solutions, interesting landscaping ideas. And if the developer is knowledgeable about the market situation, he understands the value of these tools and he is ready to experiment, for example, in the field of landscaping because he realizes that you cannot just “sell an apartment”; what you ultimately want to do is create a comfortable living environment, an important element of which is the yard territory. And currently there is a demand on the market for designing the yards as local public spaces with an opportunity for using various kinds of greenery, custom-designed hardscaping objects, modern European equipment, sport fields and playgrounds.

And it is also important to note that the developers quite willingly make experiments in the area of façade decoration materials and landscaping. Sustainability is the hot trend of today: wooden boardwalks, clinker brick and natural stone are replacing fiber cement and ceramic granite.

What other new trends in architecture can you name in terms of market promotion of housing projects?

Today, developers, designers and architects alike are paying more attention to the pedestrian accessibility and transparency of the environment; more attention is paid to the façade design, plastique, and materials, they try to work with every project on an individual basis. Well, there is nothing exactly groundbreaking about this approach but the very attitude towards the details of a master plan and the volumetric and planning solutions has become more responsible. The competition is ultimately won by the projects that put people’s interests above everything else. It is important for an architect to be able to get across to the developers and their marketing team which solutions will be the best for the future residents.

Today, your company’s portfolio consists chiefly of high-rise housing projects. How do you solve the problems that usually accompany the typology of mass housing?

Most people associate mass housing with prefabricated houses, standardized planning solutions, high density of population, and lack of parking space.

Our projects, on the other hand, are all about the diversity of the floor plans of the apartments. People will be getting an opportunity to choose the housing that fits exactly their tastes: some people like more intimate confined spaces, some people love open space – we all are different, and our preferences are different. And as for the problem with the parking space, including the parking places for the guests’ cars – well, it has long since been solved by the underground parking levels. This makes it possible to create clean and cozy yards that are completely vehicle-free. Such solutions go a long way to make each of the residents of the complex and their families to feel comfortable. Because everyone remembers very well the yards, sidewalks and playgrounds all clogged up with cars, when you can’t get rid of a feeling that you live in a parking lot – no place to take a walk or just go outside and read a book.

And the greater the construction density of this or that specific land site, the more interesting the architect’s task is! There are various ways to solve this task: you can make it visually lighter by making units with different numbers of floors, gaps in the façade line, different stylistic solutions and the colors that you use.

What does the term “comfortable environment” mean to you?

To me, this is a certain atmosphere that the architect creates for the resident: starting from his way home down to his apartment. The feeling of complete harmony when nothing causes you any discomfort, when you feel satisfaction from the sheer fact of being inside this place… The project must be comfortable for living and at the same time be at peace with the surrounding nature. And “harmonious environment” is not just about the choice of the façade design and floor plans – it is a sum total of various architectural solutions. For example, the territory must be functionally structured in a smart way: the entrance zone to the residential complex and the yard space must be separated from the public zone. The public level must be filled with public functions, and a developed social infrastructure must be there.

Does your company have any plans for going beyond the confines of your “specialty” on multifunctional residential complexes, and, if you do, what direction would be interesting for you to develop?

Our company doesn’t have any “specialty” in residential complexes – rather, this just has to do with the current trends of the real property market. Housing stock is something that is currently being built in tremendous amounts, and there is more demand for it than for offices or even shopping malls. Currently, we have public buildings being designed as well, and I hope that we will have more of such projects, including sports facilities. It is more interesting for an architect to experiment with curvilinear volumes, large grid spans, and everything that you just cannot use in housing projects. But, again, a true professional is inspired by any typology.

Do you use any BIM technologies?

Today, BIM modeling is being developed in every single company. Both designers and developers need it. In our case, BIM facilitates our work with side specialists and divisions. When you’ve got a single model, all of your solutions can be processed quickly and with no mistakes. At a certain stage, the model is handed over to the client, and further on it helps to operate the building more efficiently.

We use BIM in every project but not always 100%. The development of utility lines and a construction set, and the underground part, for example, which is generally the most difficult part, is always done in Revit. We also do some things in AutoCad but there is a general task to switch completely to Revit within one year.

How would you define your signature style?

The term “signature style” doesn’t mean much to me, and it’s not up to me to define its presence or absence. When I start working on a new project I try to forget everything that I saw before and come up with a solution that I haven’t yet come up with. This is what the creative process and the creative search are all about. I think that each of our projects must be unique, and I definitely don’t want to develop any “signature style”. This is just like a jigsaw puzzle that you have to put together from the limitations and the tasks that are posed to you by the city, the client, and society. The difference is that when you do a jigsaw puzzle you always see the end picture in front of you, and in our profession the real ultimate outcome is only seen in the final stage of construction.

And every time I set for myself a task of making the urban environment more comfortable and interesting, and the city people’s quality of life higher. Becoming a better person and making a positive difference wherever you can is what our life as humans is about. I set for myself this specific task because the work of an architect has a direct influence on the organization and quality of people’s lives.

17 July 2018

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.