По-русски

​Inspired by Retrofuturism

Proposed by Nikita Biryukov, the project of reconstructing the former Communication House, which stands in the beginning of the New Arbat Street, keeps up the proportions and logic of the existing building, at the same time clearing it up and giving it a more contemporary look with a slight note of “retro” that can be traced back to the techno-futurism of the 1930’s.

Julia Tarabarina

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

23 November 2018
Object
mainImg

The concept proposed by “ABV Group” is one of a whole series of projects connected with the program of reconstructing the buildings of Moscow’s automatic telephone stations that have fallen into disuse after the “fourth industrial revolution” brought about digital standards of communication, and the floor space, which was necessary for communication equipment, shrank not just by tens but by hundreds of times.

Meanwhile, the reconstructed building occupies a rather high-profile place in the city: it is situated in the very beginning of the New Arbat Street, on the corner of the Gogolevsky Boulevard, as a pendant to the Praga Restaurant situated in the beginning of the Old Arbat – just as it occupies a prominent place in the history of the nation’s capital modernism: it was built in 1965 by the team of Studio 23 of Mosproject-1 under the supervision of Victor Egerev as the “Communication House”, and it hosted the proverbial Lenin’s “post, telegraph, and telephone”, or, more precisely, in addition to the automatic telephone station it also hosted a telegraph, and a domestic long distance communication office, occupying, thanks to its versatility, a well-deserved central position in the city. Looking not so much like a telephone station but more like some Soviet research institute, in the late 1990’s the narrow seven-floor slab with laconic ribbon windows and strokes of metallic lamellae got a granite coverage of the first-tier pillars with a characteristic postmodernist little arch, while in the late 2000’s the façade became more and more often covered with a giant canvas of media screen, and now it is generally perceived as one enormous billboard that opens up the New Arbat. However, back in the day it was the contemporary of the construction and the propylaea of the Kalininsky Avenue, the proverbial “false jaw of Moscow” that generated so much controversy, satiric songs, and even became to a large extent, I would say, the catalyst for the development of the contextual city planning method, as well as the movement of the city preservation activists. Meanwhile, this high-profile place, the witness of numerous Soviet movie shoots, the rallies of 1999 and then 2012, keeps on developing: at night, the New Arbat glows almost like Manhattan, and a couple of years ago it got an extra convenience in the form of a long bench that runs in fact all through the avenue – in a word, the street is on the right track. And now the time came to reconstruct the slab standing in the beginning of the avenue – it cannot serve as the prop for a media screen forever.


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group
The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural firm of Nikita Biryukov proposed a concept of turning the automatic telephone station into a three-star hotel. There are plans for remaking the basement into an underground parking garage, letting the busses drive in here from the direction of the Merzlyakovsky Lane, which runs crosswise to the New Arbat – in fact, this lane runs through the building like a low-ceilinged driveway, which is also narrowed by later-added granite pylons on the sides. The architects clear the pillars and decorate them into glittering metallic, the semitransparent second floor leveling out the squatting profile of the driveway. This way, the space on the lane side gets not exactly a full-fledged yard, but, by contrast with the bustling avenue, the city space is much quieter here, and the passengers will be able to alight right in front of the lobby doors on the ground floor. From the avenue side, the drive-through arch is framed by a broad light marquee that marks its presence in space.

The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


According to the architects, it took them a while to come up with the right façade design solutions – they considered about five different versions including hi-tech and (popular these days) Art Deco ones. As for the source of inspiration for the final version, it was found in the design of the GM Futurliner show bus, the central hero of “Parade of Progress”, a North American traveling exhibition promoting future cars and technologies: the bright streamlined custom vehicle with glittering metallic grooves on the sides that mesmerized America in the 1930’s. But then again, a similar technique – glittering grooves of polished stainless steel – was used by Aleksey Dushkin in his design of the Mayakovskaya metro station back in 1938.

The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


Actually, what was borrowed from the bus was the glittering metal and the grooves. On the façade, the bands of polished steel are bending, connecting the verticals and horizontals into a single entwined whole and presenting a metaphor of printed wire board – a reminder of the technological essence and background of the building, and about the story of how a huge commutator house shrank to the size of a small computer replacement part. At the same time, the IT-related imagery, according to the authors, is also connected to one of the client’s branches of business activity, the Joined-Stock Financial Corporation Sistema; it is also echoed by the name of the hotel – ihouse – let us suppose that this stands for “Intelligent House”. The metallic grooves, however, not only highlight the flexible lines of the metal bands but also remind us of the anti-solar lamellae of the existing building – in the reconstructed version, the host of polished and corrugated bands becomes thinner but it still keeps up the connection with the original building, which is both retrospective and modern at the same time. It looks as though the authors find and sharpen its futuristic features.

On the columns, which unite the first two floors, the grooves come together to form exquisite fluted pillars that take on the role of the capitals that at the same time look like gears, which, in turn, makes perfect sense for the “advanced” technology-generated Art Deco of the 1930’s, as well as for many other versions of modernist architecture, which are always busy trying to find a connection between the modern “mechanical” imagery and the eternal elements of the antique order.

The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The façades are cleared as much as possible from all the later additions, as well as from original concrete slabs: the intermediate floors are pretty thin, the windows are of the “down-to-the-floor” type, and there is plenty of luxurious light inside, which is beautiful and even slightly surprising for a three-star hotel. On the other hand, the architects did give a thought to ensuring the privacy of the hotel rooms – one can clearly see that transparent windows alternated with blacked out ones that keep the role of a background. The first two floors are 100% glass, with very thin joints and shop windows glowing bright at night.

The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


In the project, the insides of the building are also cleared as much as possible from all the unnecessary things: designed for purely utilitarian purposes, the floor plan of Communication House, of course, could not work for a hotel. The first floor will be occupied by shops, cafes, and the hotel lobby, the second floor will be occupied by offices, while the hotel itself will start off from the third floor where the reception lobby will be situated with hotel rooms going higher up. 

The architectural concept of the Ihouse Hotel © ABV Group


None


One must admit that this “retrofuturistic” version of reconstruction will probably indeed be able to liven up the beginning of the New Arbat, a street that was once built as an ostentatiously new one, the newest of the new, which turned it into a subject of heated controversy over the priorities of renewing or preserving the architectural image of the nation’s capital, and now fashionable, noisy to the point of being painful, glittering, and still unique in its own way. Glittering with its polished steel frame, as much as with the lights of its shop windows, yet at the same time keeping up the reserved rhythm, proportions, the shape of the old telephone station, and dating back to the prototypes of the 1930’s, this house becomes quite a decent “right-hand pylon of the propylaea” of the avenue, especially considering the fact that the other pylon here is the building of the Praga Restaurant, which is quite different and neoclassical. In addition, retrofuturism is arguably the hottest trend of today – we have finally been able to realize a lot of things about our dream of the future and understand that rushing headlong without ever looking back is not a really classy thing to do. Maybe it’s all for the best.

23 November 2018

Julia Tarabarina

Written by:

Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov
Headlines now
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.
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.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A New Age Portico
At the beginning of the year, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport opened Terminal C. The large-scale and transparent entrance hall with luminous columns inside successfully combines laconism with a bright and photogenic WOW-effect. The terminal is both the new façade of the whole complex and the starting point of the planned reconstruction, upon completion of which Tolmachevo will become the largest regional airport in Russia. In this article, we are examining the building in the context of modernist prototypes of both Novosibirsk and Leningrad: like puzzle pieces, they come together to form their individual history, not devoid of curious nuances and details.
A New Starting Point
We’ve been wanting to examine the RuArts Foundation space, designed by ATRIUM for quite a long time, and we finally got round to it. This building looks appropriate and impressive; it amazingly combines tradition – represented in our case by galleries – and innovation. In this article, we delve into details and study the building’s historical background as well.
Molding Perspectives
Stepan Liphart introduces “schematic Art Deco” on the outskirts of Kazan – his houses are executed in green color, with a glassy “iced” finish on the facades. The main merits of the project lie in his meticulous arrangement of viewing angles – the architect is striving to create in a challenging environment the embryo of a city not only in terms of pedestrian accessibility but also in a sculptural sense. He works with silhouettes, proposing intriguing triangular terraces. The entire project is structured like a crystal, following two grids, orthogonal and diagonal. In this article, we are examining what worked, and what eventually didn’t.
An Educational Experiment for the North
City-Arch continues to work on the projects that can be termed as “experimental public preschools”: private kindergartens and schools can envy such facilities in many respects. This time around, the project is done for the city of Gubkinsky, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. A diverse educational and play environment, including a winter garden, awaits future students, while the teachers will have abundant opportunities to implement new practices.
Alexandra Kuzmina: “Working is easy when the rules are the same for everyone”
The subject matter of Moscow Region’s booth and presentations at Zodchestvo Festival was the concept of “Integrated Land Development”, and for a good reason: this task is very challenging, very relevant, and Moscow Region has already accumulated quite a formidable experience in this regard. In this article, we are speaking to the main architect of the region: about master plans and who makes them, about where you obtain resources for creating a comfortable environment, about her favorite projects, about why there are so few good architects, and what we should do with the bad ones.
The Cemetery: Inside and Outside
The workshop organized by the Genplan Institute of Moscow scored one of the two first places at the “Open City” festival. Its subject is reorganization of municipal cemeteries. Two action plans were proposed, diametrically opposite: one for the downtown and one for the suburbs.
Our Everything
Who is Alexey Shchusev? In the last couple of weeks, since the architect’s 150th birthday, different individuals have answered this question differently. The most detailed, illustrated, and elegantly presented response is an exhibition held in two buildings of the Museum of Architecture on Vozdvizhenka. Four curators, a year and a half of work performed by the entire museum, and exhibition design by Sergey Tchoban and Alexandra Sheiner – in this article, we take you on a tour of the exhibition and show what’s what in it.
For Mental Reboot
At the architectural competition held in 2023 in Novosibirsk, the project by GORA Architects – a pedestrian bridge leading to the town of Bor – was awarded the “Golden Capital” prize. In this country, more than a hundred pedestrian bridges are constructed each year. What makes the Bor bridge different?
Gold Embroidery
A five-story housing complex designed by Stepan Liphart in Kazan, responds to the stylistically diverse context with its form, both integral and agile, and as for the vicinity of the “Ekiyat” movie theater, the complex responds to it with a semblance of theater curtain folds, and active plastique of its balconies, that bear some resemblance to theater boxes. Even if excessively pompous a little bit, the complex does look fresh and modern. One will have a hard time finding Art Deco elements in it, even though the spirit of the 1930s, run through the filter of neo-modernism, is still clearly felt, just as a twist of the Occident.