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Sergey Trukhanov: “Our main direction is multidirectional”

About the benefits of multitasking, flexibility, and exploration of areas lying beyond architectural design, such as BigData and marketing – and about how such projects can be useful for society as a trend in architecture and town planning.

17 June 2019
Interview
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Sergey, over this year, your company has already been able to land a few contracts for designing large-scale housing projects in the regions, even though you used to place your bets on commercial interior design and redevelopment. Has your company changed its profile?

Housing projects have always been a part of our portfolio, although, yes, you are right, they haven’t been a priority. Today you could say that construction industry is driven by the housing market because it generates new projects much more frequently than any other sector. And we already have enough expertise and resources to undertake even massive scale projects. For the time being, though, we are placing our bets on business class housing because this is an area where the developer competes not so much with the price and location as with conceptually interesting and relevant offer for the market.

Back in the day, we designed the loft apartments Studio #8, which, thanks to the interesting design concept and a great marketing campaign, were sold out still at the initial stage. This is a vivid example of a metropolitan housing project where we were able to successfully combine the esthetic and financial parts, and ultimately it all worked out even better than we had expected.

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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © Ilia Ivanov
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Dolgorukovskaya club housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects


Can you name popular trends on today’s housing market?

I would divide these into two groups: ones that are relevant for Moscow, and ones that are relevant for regions. The metropolitan housing market has become highly competitive, and there is struggling going on at every level – location, price per square meter, architectural design, apartment floor plans, landscaping, and infrastructure. This is serious integrated work, and you cannot say that this or that branch is the main one. Therefore, you could say that the general trend is all about creating a comfortable living environment.

In the regions, however, the situation is different. The construction pace can be somewhat slower but the range of tasks is even wider – there are opportunities for creating new landmarks, keep up the existing fabric of this or that area or come up with a new kind of your own, think beyond just designing an individual house in itself but make sure it makes a positive difference to the city environment. However, so far the developers only pose local tasks: budget, architecture: budget, architecture, floor plans, landscaping, and so on. In this case, it is crucially important to change your vector for integrative evaluation of the projects that address all of these factors. In the housing projects that we designed for Ekaterinburg and Ufa, we specifically took care to provide an all-round analysis of the project, including the construction budgets and the marketing costs.

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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Concept for developing the territory limited by the streets of 50th anniversary of the UUR, Klavdii Abramovoi, and the Salavata Yulaeva Avenue
    Copyright: © T+T architects


What requirements are posed by today’s clients?

In most cases, we get to work with people who know how to count their money. And this is the key question in terms of building up your further relationship. The lucrative years, when architecture was solely about aesthetics, are gone. They gave way to a harshly pragmatic approach when budgets were cut and construction was simplified all over the place. And now the market has moved to a whole new level – the architecture becomes the cornerstone for aesthetics and popularity of the project, as well as the role that it will play in its environment. Furthermore, it helps to shape up the unique commercial proposal.

We came to a new understanding of the process – and we try to combine the aesthetic function of architecture together with the public and market ones. While still briefing the project with our clients, we try to come up with proposals that are potentially financially successful under the stipulated conditions. And this is a whole different level of communicating with your client. This is how it was with “Melnitsa Shmidta” in Saratov, where we proposed seven functional scenarios in order to ultimately choose the one that worked best for our client. For the developer, it’s a serious asset in implementing his project. And our expertise allows us to come up with the best solutions.

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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of "Saratov Muka" Factory © T+T Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of “Saratov Muka” Factory © T+T Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of “Saratov Muka” Factory
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of “Saratov Muka” Factory
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of “Saratov Muka” Factory
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of “Saratov Muka” Factory
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Architectural and town-planning concept of reconstruction and renovation of the territory of "Saratov Muka" Factory © T+T Architects


That is, you make a fair bit of research about the construction sites, prices, and such like? Isn’t all this supposed to lie in the area of the client’s responsibility?

Yes, it is. When our client has an extensive expertise in this field, we simply get these analytical data as the “givens” of the project. However, when the client is unable to provide us with such information we help him with it. And such projects make much more sense because you don’t have to cut costs when you are halfway into the project, and go a few steps back to make major revisions to the concept when you are already designing the details. We also account for risks and many other factors.

Furthermore, architecture no longer lives an isolated independent life. Today, when different fields of human activity transform and mutually penetrate into one another, you cannot just ignore this process thinking that it has nothing to do with you. For example, when they were doing a redevelopment project of London’s Docklands waterfront area, the leading roles were played by economists and urbanists, with architects coming into play later on down the line. And this determined to a large extent the appearance and the success of this area. Such method is equally applicable to a whole number of human activities.

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    Yamskoe Pole
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Yamskoe Pole
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    Yamskoe Pole


Your portfolio includes completely different projects scattered all across the country. How do you explain such multiple vectors of development?

We have been through several stages of development, and we never wanted to stick to one single branch. Generally speaking, geography does not matter for us either. This is how it turned out to be in the course of our work, though: one of our first large-scale projects was renovating the territory and reconstructing the buildings in Orenburg into a project named Merchant Zaryvny’s Windmill Loft. At that moment, there was just a handful of architectural firms that were ready to undertake such a complex project, and we were among the first. Our successful concepts and implemented projects became the basis for our solid reputation, and more and more clients started coming in. We take an active part in competitions, both Moscow and regional, preparing concepts for different fields – not only for housing or commercial developments but also for landscaping public territories, for example.

Which one of your directions can be considered as the main one?

I would say that our main direction is multidirectional. Unlike large architectural companies that either do solely housing projects or commercial buildings, we from the very start tried to go beyond what was offered. And we are actively developing these directions – these are housing and apartment complexes, office buildings and interior design projects, redevelopment projects, hotels and recreation, landscaping, health resorts, and many other projects. Such an approach gives us an opportunity to learn and grow, not to get stale, and be constantly able to respond to new challenges. Today we have in our portfolio more than 400 competition proposals and concepts, out of which more than a hundred either grew into a project or were actually built, or are being built right now in different stages of construction.

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    Azimut Hotel Smolenskaya
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Azimut Hotel Smolenskaya
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    Azimut Hotel Smolenskaya
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    The concept of landscaping the waterfront of the Nagatinsky Creek “River Park”. Contest project, 2015
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    The concept of landscaping the waterfront of the Nagatinsky Creek “River Park”. Contest project, 2015
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    The concept of landscaping the waterfront of the Nagatinsky Creek “River Park”. Contest project, 2015
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    The concept of landscaping the waterfront of the Nagatinsky Creek “River Park”. Contest project, 2015
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    A complex of buildings at the 12th driveway of Maryina Roshcha. Project, 2014
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    A complex of buildings at the 12th driveway of Maryina Roshcha. Project, 2014
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    A complex of buildings at the 12th driveway of Maryina Roshcha. Project, 2014
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    Renovation of a former industrial territory into the loft block Studio #8
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Housing complex and hotel in Grozny
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Housing complex and hotel in Grozny
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Т+Т Architects office at “Red October”
    Copyright: © Ilia Ivanov
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    Т+Т Architects office at “Red October”
    Copyright: © Ilia Ivanov
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    Erkafarm office. Photograph
    Copyright: © Ilia Ivanov
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    Erkafarm office. Photograph
    Copyright: © Ilia Ivanov


Don’t you think that bring such an all-purpose company is not the most effective way of working nowadays? Isn’t it better to be real pros in some specific area than to try to have all of them covered?

Cannot agree with that. It all comes down to your fundamentals and to the way you approach your work. Our company has a lot of branches in it where real professionals work. And, bonus, they can flow from one department to another if they want to master a new specialty. At the same time, we will never take on a project that we are not sure we are capable of handling. In our case, we place our bets on high quality and customer-specific approach. Standardized solution for mass construction are definitely not our thing. We are ready to make a turnkey project from beginning to end, not limiting ourselves to architecture but also making an accent on the adjacent areas. Plus – we have a fresh take on things. When you start working on a market that is new for you, you inevitably evaluate your project from all sides – as a designer and as the end consumer. Therefore, be that a concept of a restaurant, such as “7th Heaven” in Ostankino, renovation of an old train depot near the Kurskaya metro station, or a club housing project – we are always ready to propose original solutions that will be appropriate for this particular project.

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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view of the sidewall of Building 1
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view of the main entrance of Building 1
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view of the square from the new building
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “7th Heaven” restaurant
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “7th Heaven” restaurant
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “7th Heaven” restaurant
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    “7th Heaven” restaurant
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Multifunctional residential complex in Ekaterinburg. Project, 2016 © T+T Architects
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    Multifunctional housing complex in Ekaterinburg. Project, 2016 © T+T Architects


But the competition is still tough, isn’t it? How do you handle it and coexist with larger architectural companies, including international ones?

We are more flexible and mobile. Each of our employees is an autonomous unit, an independent professional with a broad horizon. Yes, there are specifics out there but people are constantly learning and try their hand at different tasks. Sharing the expertise among the departments is an important part of our operations. And this is what gives us the opportunity to summon up our resources for some grand-scale project or to efficiently distribute different tasks among our people when we have many minor projects to work upon.

Yet another issue of large architectural offices is mass production, in all ways. When you work with a million square meters, you will hardly have the time for unique customized solutions. You will have a properly functioning failsafe machine but it draws a lot of resources. And if a company signs up for such a tender it must be absolutely clear about all the pros and cons. Because no company will ever cut its jobs in order to keep up its identity and flexibility. Quite the opposite – one large-scale project will be followed by another. And you have ever less room for creativity and ever more for duplication and unification. We are not after landing such contracts – yes, we do want to work with large volumes but in such a way that will not have to sacrifice the concept and the quality of execution for the sake of deadlines and sheer scale of construction. This is what makes us different from the other companies, and we work equally successfully with large projects/clients and with small ones. A vivid example of such approach is our reconstruction of a building into a Sberbank office or the project of “Contour Park” IT cluster on the one side, and the project of reconstructing the depot on the other. All of these projects require an equally meticulous approach because each of then implements unique and project solutions tailored specifically to fit the client’s needs: a hanging meeting room, a uniting gallery 700 meters long, conservation of historical buildings and so on. 

Photo Contour Park / Depot

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    Kontur-Park © T+T Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view of the new building
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view from the Kazakova Street
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    A concept for overhauling a former train depot. Perspective view of the new building
    Copyright: © T+T architects


Let’s get back to the topic of the market. Does it make any sense speaking about some global trend in today’s architecture?

The global trend is the new approach towards town planning and construction. While what used to matter was the financial benefits and the output of square meters, today a lot of attention is paid to the significance of this or that project for the city. This is not to say that we no longer want to be our projects financially successful – rather, what we are trying to say is that it must be valuable not only to the developer and the end buyer but to the other city people as well. All these questions lie not only in the field of a specific volume but rather in the field of the quality of urban environment and the building’s role in it. You can build a pinpoint housing project but, better yet, you can build it with high quality landscape design, and developed social and commercial infrastructure. And – more importantly – open to the general public. In handling such tasks, we use all the tools that are accessible to us, including BigData, in order to determine people’s needs on this or that specific location – whether or not they need children development centers or, maybe they need more retail stores instead.

Does this refer chiefly to redevelopment projects?

Not only to them. We started from doing redevelopment projects, this is a tremendous layer of work that will remain relevant in this country for decades to come. There are lots of industrial parks within the city limits not only in Moscow but also in other major Russian cities – and they’ve got a huge potential. Furthermore, now and then you stumble across unique architectural solutions in those old industrial buildings. We, of course, always try to preserve such things, come up with a new function for them, and adapt them for modern use.

However, not only redevelopment alone is capable of giving new living space and new landmarks to the city. The housing construction also forms the architectural environment, and it can become a highlight of this or that area or become its logical continuation. In this case it is important to keep up the balance between the aesthetic part and the usefulness for people, and if you manage to do that, you’ve got a successful project.

What projects are you currently working on?

We have several projects going – these are housing complexes and mixed-use developments too. In the city of Ufa, we devised a concept for a housing project to be built in the Oktyabrsky district. This is a territory of 4.7 hectares, surrounded by densely packed construction environment, most of which is infrastructure. We placed 8 buildings of different height there in order to get the best insolation results. We also proposed to place the commercial infrastructure inside the podium, as well as an underground parking garage and mechanical rooms. There is an inner yard on top of the podium, and we added a lot of vegetation to it, designing a dedicated terrace next to each of the high-rises.

Concept for developing the territory limited by the streets of 50th anniversary of the UUR, Klavdii Abramovoi, and the Salavata Yulaeva Avenue
Copyright: © T+T architects


Our next development is the housing project “Alexandrovsky Garden” in the Leninsky District of Ekaterinburg. The surrounding construction is quite chaotic, and is characterized by the neighboring manor houses of the XIX century, office buildings of the XX century, and modern offices as well. On the land site, there will appear a complex consisting of three separately standing buildings of various numbers of floors. When we were forming the architectural image, we had a task to create a complex that would become a logic compositional addition to the historically valuable part of the city, to keep up the existing scale of the street, and to create an adequate background for the perception of the historical buildings. We tried to address all of the requirements and ultimately came up with what later on was recognized as the best concept.

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    Concept for developing the territory limited by the streets of 50th anniversary of the UUR, Klavdii Abramovoi, and the Salavata Yulaeva Avenue
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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    “Aleksandrovsky Garden” housing complex
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
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    Kontur Park, Ekaterinburg © Т+Т Architects
    Copyright: © T+T architects
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    Housing complex and hotel in Grozny
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    “7th Heaven” restaurant
    Copyright: © T+T architects


Yet another project that we are doing for Ekaterinburg is “Contour Park” IT cluster. It is a grand-scale mixed-use development with an area of 200 square meters, which includes the construction of office buildings, an R&D and production facility, a residential complex, and all the necessary commercial and social infrastructure.

We are also working on a project of a club house and a hotel complex in Grozny. The hotel will be situated in the very heart of the city next to the mosque. Our multifunctional complex will be clearly seen from the windows of the Grozny-City business center, the main highways, and the central Akhmat Kadyrov Square. This will be a unique project for this city both in terms of technical performance and aesthetic properties.



Do you plan to continue placing your bets on housing projects?

We don’t want to set any limits for ourselves. If there are interesting housing projects, to which we will be invited, we will happily get down to them. But that doesn’t mean that we will refrain from designing office interiors, hotels and mixed-use developments. This is equally applicable for Moscow and regions. We are always excited to take on interesting projects that give us an opportunity to develop high-quality architecture and urban planning, as well as ones that foster fresh ideas and solutions.

Do you have any kind of a global goal for the next few years?

Almost all of our goals can be considered global to some extent. We are actively developing business-grounded design, use geo marketing tools in our work, develop the technological line, yet at the same time we do not forget about the aesthetic function, which is still paramount with us. I think that the future of architecture lies in the field of harmonious combination of technologies, new materials, creative work, and marketing. The cumulative effect will show through not only in commercial projects but also in public spaces. And the earlier the market accepts this as a standard, the better.

17 June 2019

Headlines now
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The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.
A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments
We continue our coverage of the competition projects for the residential district that the development company GloraX plans to build along the embankment of the Rowing Channel in Nizhny Novgorod. ASADOV Architects approached the concept through a deep dive into local identity, using storytelling to pinpoint a central idea for the design: the master plan and composition are imagined as if a meteorite had struck a “proto-Kremlin”. Sounds weird? Find more details below!
The Volga Regatta
GloraX plans to develop a residential complex spanning 14 hectares along the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod. The winning design in a closed-door competition, created by GORA Architects, features housing typologies ranging from townhouses to terraced high-rise slabs, a balance of functions, diverse ways of engaging with the water, and even a dedicated island (no less!) for the city residents.
A New Track
We took a thorough look at D_Station, a railcar repair depot dating back to 1906, recently reconstructed while preserving its century-old industrial structure, upon the project by Sergey Trukhanov and T+T Architects. Though work on the interiors – set to house restaurants and public spaces – is still underway, the building’s exterior already offers plenty to see. Visitors can explore the blend of old and new brickwork, appreciate the architect’s unique interpretation of ruin aesthetics, and enjoy the newly built pedestrian route that connects the Citydel Business Center’s arches to Kazakova Street.
Four Different Surveys
The “Explore the City” competition, organized this year by the Genplan Institute of Moscow, stands out as a pretty unconventional one for the architectural field but aligns perfectly well with the character of urban planning work. The winning project analyzed contemporary residential complexes, combining urban planning insights with a realtor’s perspective to propose a hybrid approach. Other entries explored public centers, motivations for car ownership, and housing vacancy rates. A fifth participant withdrew. Here’s a closer look at the four completed works.
Scheduled Evolution
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The Golden Crown
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Flexibility and Integration
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A Step Forward
The HIDE residential complex represents a major milestone for ADM architects and their leaders Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova in their quest for a fresh high-rise aesthetic – one that is flexible and layered, capable of bringing vibrancy to mass and silhouette while shaping form. Over recent years, this approach has become ADM’s “signature style”, with the golden HIDE tower playing a pivotal role in its evolution. Here, we delve into the project’s story, explore the details of the complex’s design, and uncover its core essence.
Gold in the Sands
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Layers and Levels of Flight
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Light and Shadow
In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.
Casus Novae
A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.
Treasure Hunting
The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.
Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water
In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.
Fir Tree Dynamics
The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.
​A Brick Shell
In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.
Word Forms
ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.
Flexibility and Acuteness of Modernity
Luxurious, fluid, large “kokoshniks” and spiral barrel columns, as if made from colorful chewing gum: there seem to be no other mansion like this in Moscow, designed in the “Neo-Russian-Modern” style. And the “Teremok” on Malaya Kaluzhskaya, previously somewhat obscure, has “come alive with new colors” and gained visibility after its restoration for the office of the “architectural ecosystem” as the architects love to call themselves. It’s evident that Julius Borisov and the architects at UNK put their hearts into finding this new office and bringing it up to date. Let’s delve into the paradoxes of this mansion’s history and its plasticity. Spoiler: two versions of modernity meet here, both balancing on the razor’s edge of “what’s current”.
Yuri Vissarionov: “A modular house does not belong to the land”
It belongs to space, or to the air... It turns out that 3D printing is more effective when combined with a modular approach: the house is built in a workshop and then adapted to the site, including on uneven terrain. Yuri Vissarionov shares his latest experience in designing tourist complexes, both in central Russia and in the south. These include houseboats, homes printed from lightweight concrete using a 3D printer, and, of course, frame houses.
​Moscow’s First
“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.
Looking at the Water
The site of Villa Sonata stretches from the road to the water’s edge, offering its own shoreline, pier, and a picturesque river panorama. To reveal these sweeping views, Roman Leonidov “cut” the façade diagonally parallel to the river, thus getting two main axes for the house and, consequently, “two heads”. The internal core – two double-height spaces, a living room and a conservatory, with a “bridge” above them – makes the house both “transparent” and filled with light.
The White Wing
Well, it’s not exactly white. It’s more of a beige, white-stone structure that plays with the color of limestone – smoother surfaces are lighter, while rougher ones are darker. This wing unites various elements: it absorbs and interprets the surrounding themes. It responds to everything, yet maintains a cohesive expression – a challenging task! – while also incorporating recognizable features of its own, such as the dynamic cuts at the bottom, top, and middle.
Urban Dunes
The XSA Ramps team designed and built a three-part sports hub for a park in Rostov-on-Don, welcoming people of all ages and fitness levels. The skate plaza, pump track, and playground are all meticulously crafted with details that attract a diverse range of visitors. The technical execution of the shapes and slopes transforms this space into a kind of sculptural composition.
Proportional Growth
The project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential area has been announced. The buildings are situated on an elongated plot – almost a “ray” that shoots out from the center of the area towards the river. Their layout reflects both a response to Moscow’s architectural preferences over the past 15 years, shifting “from blocks to towers”, and an interpretation of the neighboring business park designed by SOM. Additionally, the best apartments here are not located at the very top but closer to the middle, forming a glowing “waistline”.
The “Staircase” Building
In designing the “Details” residential complex in New Moscow, Rais Baishev spiced up the now-popular Moscow theme of a “courtyard” building with an idea drawn from the surrealist drawings by Maurits Escher. He envisioned the stepped silhouettes and descending slopes as a metaphysical mega-staircase, creating a key void within the courtyard that gave the project an internal “spine”. This concept is felt both in the building’s silhouette and on its façades.
Projection of the Quarter
No one doubted that the building that Vladimir Plotkin designed as part of the “Garden Quarters” would be the most modernist of all. And it turned out just that way: while adhering to the common design code, the building successfully combines brick and white stone, rhythmically responding to the neighboring building designed by Ostozhenka, yet tactfully and persistently making a few statements of its own. This includes the projection of the ideal urban development composition “14–9–6”, which can be found right next door, mathematical calculations, including those for various types of terraces (and perhaps the only reminder of the Soviet past of the Kauchuk rubber factory!), and the white “cross-stitch” pattern of the façade grid.
Domus Aurea
In this issue, we examine the “Tessinsky-1” house, designed by Sergey Skuratov and completed in 2023. Located in the middle of the Serebryanicheskaya Embankment district, at the intersection of its main streets, this house assumes a sort of “nodal” role: it not only responds to everything around it and preserves many memories of the former EMA factory within itself, but it weaves all this into a newly directed pattern, reconciling bright “gold” and dark-colored brick, largely with the help of the new, modern-yet-archaic Columba brick, which, come to think about it, is the most precious element here.
The Chimney of Nikola-Lenivets
In this issue, we are examining the “Obelisk House” designed by KATARSIS and built for the Arkhstoyanie 2023 festival. However, it was only finished later on, and this is why we are examining it now. It seems to us that after the “Obelisk House” appeared in Nikola-Lenivets, a dialogue and a few inner connections appeared between the temporary structures built here. These houses no longer look like “accidental neighbors”, more of which below.
​Periscope by the Bay
The jury awarded the second place in the competition for a public and cultural center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the companies GORA (“Mountain”) and M4. In the consortium’s proposal, the building resembles a sperm whale with a calf swimming next to it or a periscope, whose lenses capture the most spectacular views from the surrounding landscape.