Pavel Andreev: “House 17 on Bolshaya Nikitskaya is indeed historical and authentic”

In this issue, we are talking to the author of the 1992-1995 reconstruction of the building, try to find out what specifically was reconstructed, and publish the drafts that prove that the historical nucleus of the house was preserved both inside and outside.

Interviewed by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

29 January 2019

Interview

The possibility of demolition of the so-called “Buloshnikov Tenement House” at Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 17, building 1, coupled with the possibility of building on that spot a housing project up to nine stories high, became one of the loudest Moscow scandals of the beginning of this year. At the same time, a question arose: is this house, so ardently defended by local preservation activists, truly authentic? Or was it simply rebuilt from scratch in the 1990’s? We met with the author of the reconstruction project, Pavel Andreev, and Interviewed him about the project. A spoiler: the house was preserved in its original condition, even though it got additions from the yard side. So, in short, yes, it is authentic.

zooming — Buloshnikov House, Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 17, Building 1.

In 1995, when you worked on reconstructing House 17, Building 1 on the Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, what was essentially this project about? Was it restoration, reconstruction, or was the building completely torn down and then rebuilt from scratch?

The house was kept fully intact, the bearing structures and the façade decor alike. We conducted a long-term research of the building – as far as I can remember, we started working with it in 1992. The house was severely damaged, there were leaks all over the place, it was infected with fungus, the basement was terribly damp, probably, because of breakdowns of the utility lines. We deepened the basement by about a meter, then we reinforced it, and cured the walls from the fungus. Concurrently to that, they were building a collector on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, and the underground work turned out to be rather challenging, first of all because of the decision to keep the bearing structures. There was a rather lengthy period of making the wall injections, penetrating and so on. The walls of all the three floors, both the outside bearing walls and the inside ones, and the whole volume remained original, which is clearly visible on the plans of the working documents stage.

Measurements before the reconstruction:

Project documents:

There are six vaulted cells in the basement...

We cleared the vaults and sandblasted the bricks they were made of. After we lowered the basement floor, the height of the inner space became about 2.5 meters. For a while, that place hosted a beer restaurant – one of the investors was Austrian, which determined its specialty. Our client bought somewhere a lot of photographs of old Moscow, posted them on the walls, and it created a really nice atmosphere.

What additions did you make in the course of reconstruction?

There were three versions of the schematic design, one of them including an elongated annex stretching into the depth of the Maly Kislovsky Side-street. What we ultimately chose was the version with a longitudinal annex, which made the volume of the building thicker but at the same time allowed us to raise the height of the crest of the roof without having to change its tilt angle. We placed the ventilation system in there, completely hiding it under the roof. The attic is unheated; the air induction is performed through the latticed gable windows. It never ceases to amaze me that today a lot of architects design their mechanical floors as boxes, while you can just easily hide them the way that we did.

On the street side, the cornice runs above a small attic ledge, on the yard side it is raised a little higher, and in the middle part, underneath the attic, the building got a rather spacious attic floor.

Who proposed the idea of adding a dome on the corner?

I did. There was a rounded corner without a door, we made an entrance in the corner, behind which the bank lobby is situated. This entrance door needed an accent, and the dome became such an accent. I must say that it only popped up in the final versions – originally, we had no such idea.

How authentic is the façade decor?

For the most part, it’s truly original – we measured all the details and filled in the missing links – mind, with stucco, not with polystyrene foam. I think that our work with the façade can be arguably classified as restoration, which was appropriately recorded at the time. As far as the color of the façades was concerned, we selected it by the building’s current name – Green House – and it must be said that it was slightly mismatched with the concept that was at the time being developed for Moscow.

Did the house have a protected status back in 1992-1995?

No, it didn’t.

The decision to preserve the house with all of its bearing walls as a valuable part of the city environment was collectively made by the experts of the Heritage Site Protection Department, headed at the time by Vladimir Sokolovsky. The discussion also included such prominent experts as Victor Sheredega, Aleksey Kurennoy, and Vladimir Chernyshenko. Back then, it was all decided on the level of the people who really cared for the preservation of the historical heritage: in the course of the discussion, the preservation principles were defined that later on formed the basis for the technical specifications and still later on, having taken the shape of a project, were considered by the council of the Heritage Site Protection Department, after which they took the form of official approvals.

Here is the thing – when professional and competent people consider this or that matter, they can see beyond classified, specifically, see a house that formally does not have a protected status and define the principles of working with it, decide how far you can go with changing things. Back in those days, there were fewer architectural heritage buildings – today we have about four thousands of them.

If you ask me what is more important, the monument of architecture or the environment I will answer without hesitation that the environment is more important. Just imagine – you tear down the entire city altogether, leaving just a few monuments of architecture – and you’ll lose the city forever, even though you will still have a few madly beautiful things left. There is one such a city out there, by the way, it is Samarkand – it does have a few heritage sites in it, but the city as such is nonexistent. Bukhara and Khiva, on the other hand, do have environments of their own. And if you lose the Moscow environment, your individual monuments of architecture will look pretty much like the inkstand on the green cloth, like something that you can place virtually anywhere.

You can move your monument over to any place but if you leave it devoid of its environment, its value – for me, at least – will be 99% lost. The atmosphere will just go. The projects that we worked with for twenty years formed something that we know as Moscow – environment, context, call it what you like. Because individual buildings – even if there are masterpieces among them – will not make a city.

Who was the commissioner of the reconstruction project in 1992-1995?

It was Valery Baranov, the C.E.O of the Greenhouse company that owned a grocery store in that house. We did the reconstruction project bearing in mind a supermarket, a cafeteria, and a restaurant; there was a rather large shopping hall – the showcases situated closer to the center were occupied by the store. Hence the name of “Green House”. Later on, the bank, which was on the corner, ousted the store.

I must say that another important aspect is preserving not just the building but its habitual function as well – something that turned it into a landmark within the city context. The grocery store was rather popular in Moscow, and now it’s gone. In the end of the Gertsena Street, there was a popular “FISH” store – and now this place is going to be occupied by the Bulgari Hotel. There was just as popular candy store on Nikitskie Vorota, and now its place is occupied by a Villroy&Boch store… Of course, there are things in this city that you need to change from time to time but just think for a moment: if you leave the Madeleine Square devoid of the Fauchon restaurant – Paris is not going to be the same.

Do you think this house can still be turned into a residential one?

As a matter of fact, it was built as a residential one – remember, it was a tenement house. At first it was two stories high, then, in the beginning of the XIX century a third story was built up. Of course, it can be readjusted to fit the housing function – but we are now speaking about preserving the building’s appearance in order to ultimately preserve the city’s environment, not about restoring the function. Perhaps, we could build up a story or two, stepping back a little from the front side... No more than that.

29 January 2019

Headlines now

The Forum of Time

The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.

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.

Object

Three Dimensions of the City

We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived

Object

New “Flight”

Architects from “Mezonproject” have developed a project for the reconstruction of the regional youth center “Polyot”(“Flight”) in the city of Oryol. The summer youth center, built back in the late 1970s, will now become year-round and acquire many additional functions.

Object

The Yauza Towers

In Moscow, there aren’t that many buildings or projects designed by Nikita Yavein and Studio 44. In this article, we present to you the concept of a large multifunctional complex on the Yauza River, located between two parks, featuring a promenade, a crossroads of two pedestrian streets, a highly developed public space, and an original architectural solution. This solution combines a sophisticated, asymmetric façade grid, reminiscent of a game of fifteen puzzle, and bold protrusions of the upper parts of the buildings, completely masking the technical floors and sculpting the complex’s silhouette.

Object

Architecture and Leisure Park

For the suburban hotel complex, which envisages various formats of leisure, the architectural company T+T Architects proposed several types of accommodation, ranging from the classic “standard” in a common building to a “cave in the hill” and a “house in a tree”. An additional challenge consisted in integrating a few classic-style residences already existing on this territory into the “architectural forest park”.

Overview

The U-House

The Jois complex combines height with terraces, bringing the most expensive apartments from penthouses down to the bottom floors. The powerful iconic image of the U-shaped building is the result of the creative search for a new standard of living in high-rise buildings by the architects of “Genpro”.

Object

Black and White

In this article, we specifically discuss the interiors of the ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh. Interior design is a crucial component of the overall concept in this case, and precision and meticulous execution were highly important for the architects. Julia Tryaskina, head of UNK interiors, shares some of the developments.

send.project

The “Snake” Mountain

The competition project for the seaside resort complex “Serpentine” combines several typologies: apartments of different classes, villas, and hotel rooms. For each of these typologies, the KPLN architects employ one of the images that are drawn from the natural environment – a serpentine road, a mountain stream, and rolling waves.

send.project

Opal from Anna Mons’ Ring

The project of a small business center located near Tupolev Plaza and Radio Street proclaims the necessity of modern architecture in a specific area of Moscow commonly known as “Nemetskaya Sloboda” or “German settlement”. It substantiates its thesis with the thoroughness of details, a multitude of proposed and rejected form variants, and even a detailed description of the surrounding area. The project is interesting indeed, and it is even more interesting to see what will come of it.

Object

Feed ’Em All

A “House of Russian Cuisine” was designed and built by KROST Group at VDNKh for the “Rossiya” exhibition in record-breaking time. The pavilion is masterfully constructed in terms of the standards of modern public catering industry multiplied by the bustling cultural program of the exhibition, and it interprets the stylistically diverse character of VDNKh just as successfully. At the same time, much of its interior design can be traced back to the prototypes of the 1960s – so much so that even scenes from iconic Soviet movies of those years persistently come to mind.

Object

The Ensemble at the Mosque

OSA prepared a master plan for a district in the southern part of Derbent. The main task of the master plan is to initiate the formation of a modern comfortable environment in this city. The organization of residential areas is subordinated to the city’s spiritual center: depending on the location relative to the cathedral mosque, the houses are distinguished by façade and plastique solutions. The program also includes a “hospitality center”, administrative buildings, an educational cluster, and even an air bridge.

send.project

Pargolovo Protestantism

A Protestant church is being built in St. Petersburg by the project of SLOI architects. One of the main features of the building is a wooden roof with 25-meter spans, which, among other things, forms the interior of the prayer hall. Also, there are other interesting details – we are telling you more about them.

Object

The Shape of the Inconceivable

The ATOM Pavilion at VDNKh brings to mind a famous maxim of all architects and critics: “You’ve come up with it? Now build it!” You rarely see such a selfless immersion in implementation of the project, and the formidable structural and engineering tasks set by UNK architects to themselves are presented here as an integral and important part of the architectural idea. The challenge matches the obliging status of the place – after all, it is an “exhibition of achievements”, and the pavilion is dedicated to the nuclear energy industry. Let’s take a closer look: from the outside, from the inside, and from the underside too.

send.project

Rays of the Desert

A school for 1750 students is going to be built in Dubai, designed by IND Architects. The architects took into account the local specifics, and proposed a radial layout and spaces, in which the children will be comfortable throughout the day.

Object

The Dairy Theme

The concept of an office of a cheese-making company, designed for the enclosed area of a dairy factory, at least partially refers to industrial architecture. Perhaps that is why this concept is very simple, which seems the appropriate thing to do here. The building is enlivened by literally a couple of “master strokes”: the turning of the corner accentuates the entrance, and the shade of glass responds to the theme of “milk rivers” from Russian fairy tales.

send.project

The Road to the Temple

Under a grant from the Small Towns Competition, the main street and temple area of the village of Nikolo-Berezovka near Neftekamsk has been improved. A consortium of APRELarchitects and Novaya Zemlya is turning the village into an open-air museum and integrating ruined buildings into public life.

Object

Towers Leaning Towards the Sun

The three towers of the residential complex “Novodanilovskaya 8” are new and the tallest neighbors of the Danilovsky Manufactory, “Fort”, and “Plaza”, complementing a whole cluster of modern buildings designed by renowned masters. At the same time, the towers are unique for this setting – they are residential, they are the tallest ones here, and they are located on a challenging site. In this article, we explore how architects Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova tackled this far-from-trivial task.

Object

In the spirit of ROSTA posters

The new Rostselmash tractor factory, conceptualized by ASADOV Architects, is currently being completed in Rostov-on-Don. References to the Soviet architecture of the 1920’s and 1960’s resonate with the mission and strategic importance of the enterprise, and are also in line with the client’s wish: to pay homage to Rostov’s constructivism.

send.project

The Northern Thebaid

The central part of Ferapontovo village, adjacent to the famous monastery with frescoes by Dionisy, has been improved according to the project by APRELarchitects. Now the place offers basic services for tourists, as well as a place for the villagers’ leisure.

send.project

Brilliant Production

The architects from London-based MOST Architecture have designed the space for the high-tech production of Charge Cars, a high-performance production facility for high-speed electric cars that are assembled in the shell of legendary Ford Mustangs. The founders of both the company and the car assembly startup are Russians who were educated in their home country.

Object

Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor

The so-called “Mytny Dvor” area lying just behind Moscow Railway Station – the market rows with a complex history – will be transformed into a premium residential complex by Studio 44. The project consists of three parts: the restoration of historical buildings, the reconstruction of the lost part of the historical contour, and new houses. All of them are harmonized with each other and with the city; axes and “beams of light” were found, cozy corners and scenic viewpoints were carefully thought out. We had a chat with the authors of the historical buildings’ restoration project, and we are telling you about all the different tasks that have been solved here.

Object

The Color of the City, or Reflections on the Slope of an Urban Settlement

In 2022, Ostozhenka Architects won a competition, and in 2023, they developed and received all the necessary approvals for a master plan for the development of Chernigovskaya Street for the developer GloraX. The project takes into account a 10-year history of previous developments; it was done in collaboration with architects from Nizhny Novgorod, and it continues to evolve now. We carefully examined it, talked to everyone, and learned a lot of interesting things.

​Pavel Andreev: “House 17 on Bolshaya Nikitskaya is indeed historical and authentic”

In this issue, we are talking to the author of the 1992-1995 reconstruction of the building, try to find out what specifically was reconstructed, and publish the drafts that prove that the historical nucleus of the house was preserved both inside and outside.

Pavel Andreev: “House 17 on Bolshaya Nikitskaya is indeed historical and authentic”