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Under the Canopy of Pope of Rome

Mezonproekt has built a new studio for the renowned sculptor Zurab Tsereteli inside the yard of the house on the Pyatnitskaya Street, across from the Church of Clement, Pope of Rome. Soft eco-modernism met some Art Deco features.

Lara Kopylova

Written by:
Lara Kopylova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

02 December 2019
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This typology is very rare for the center of Moscow. The low-key three-story building of the artistic studio (total area about 300 square meters, height 12 meters) stands in the yard of the former city estate on the Pyatnitskaya Street. The client owns a small land plot underneath the building, while the yard itself is municipal. The building of the studio pops up in the clearing between the buildings from the side of the Klementyevsky Alley as a dramatic stained glass window three stories high. The influence of the large church of some “Saint-Petersburg” nature, designed, according to some sources, by the mighty Tresini himself, is also obvious here. The presence of Pope in Moscow’s toponymy comes quite as a surprise and causes strange feelings, as if symptomatically reminding us of the controversial character of the pillars of this world. I am not sure if Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli can be considered to be the Pope of Moscow’s sculpture making, but then again, why not? The studio, in spite of its small size, looks like a treasure chest, an expensive toy that is strikingly different from everything else in its style, color, and plastique. The walls are coated with a composite material that imitates walnut, the metallic frames of the stained glass windows painted bronze color.



In the stead of the current land plot, there used to be a wooden annex of an unassuming building; when the architects started working on the project, its foundation was everything that was left of it. However, the very theme of wood became for the architects of Mezonproekt the starting point in the search of the image. They eventually settled on the soft modernist version that presents a delicate contrast to the surrounding architectural context.



As for the personality of Zurab Tsereteli, considering his creative work, one could expect a more conservative image and style of his own studio. In this particular case, however, according to the partner of Mezonproekt, Ilia Mashkov, an agreement was reached about nonintervention in the architects’ affairs. The client did not influence the choice of the style and light-heartedly approved the visible appearance of the building. The construction, however, took five long years for various reasons.

On the plan, the mansion looks like the letter “L”, its volume essentially consisting of two parallelepipeds, large and small. One of them hosts the double-height architectural studio occupying the entire space of the second and third floors. The capacious hall is lit through the enormous stained glass, as well as through the skylight up above. The first floor underneath it hosts a master class hall for 25 people (since the master of the house is the President of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts, the function of this building is not only creative work but education as well). The rest of the building contains a lobby, an elevator, a staircase, and restrooms. The smaller parallelepiped is also occupied by the emergency staircase.



The entire main facade is essentially a stained glass with a sash pattern that is ostentatiously volumetric. The main entrance is made in the corner part between the two volumes. This made it possible to vacate some space for the studio, and turn it towards the stained glass window. An extra entrance is situated to the right of the main facade underneath the marquee. In order to set off this element, the architects added a bay window protruding from the facade on the level of the second floor. The other volume with the emergency staircase also looks into the yard with a stained glass window.



An art studio hosted in an individual building is, of course, an unusual typology. Strange though it might be, Melnikov’s house in the Krivoarbatsky Alley comes to mind. Both buildings are situated in the yard, both present a prominent contrast with the surrounding buildings, both consist of two vertical volumes glued to one another, both sport a stained glass window on the front part, the second and third floors occupied by a studio – these two buildings have a lot in common, even though the architects did not mean anything of the kind. Generally speaking, it often happens that an architect’s (an artist’s) house looks nothing like his work: Melnikov’s house does not look like the rest of Melnikov’s creative work, Shekhtel’s house on the Sadovaya does not look like the rest of Shekhtel’s work, and, following suit, Zurab Tsereteli’s studio looks nothing like Zurab Tsereteli. And all of these buildings are like small treasure chests with a secret, contrastive to their surroundings. Probably, the main thing that is different about this local typology is large windows and double-height spaces.



The three-story stained glass window of Tsereteli’s studio with a prominent vertical pattern looks like the deck of a musical instrument or a church organ, the wooden decoration of the walls adding to the likeness. The stained glass window represents some floor-based structure with different frequency of conditional “windows”, and even a hint at some generalized cornice – an Art Deco feature, which, however, is crossed here with wooden modernism. The windows of the side facades are distributed over the wall surface in an asymmetric way, some of them reaching the corners, which is definitely a sign of avant-garde architecture, even though these corners are on the inner sides.



The decoration panels that imitate wood, dark and light-colored, could have been simply wooden, because the construction rules and regulations do allow low-rise wooden buildings. In the center of the city, however, these are still few and far between, or, rather, their usage is limited to temporary park pavilions and art clusters. Wooden architecture in the city is a branch that is very promising from the environmental standpoint, and it will be sure to develop. But then again, you cannot but recognize that the wood imitating panels are easier to maintain, and they are sturdier, all this considering the fact that they do look like the real thing.
The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
    Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
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    Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
    Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
    Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli
    Copyright: Photograph: Archi.ru, 2019
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Development drawing alog the Pyatnitskaya Street. Project, 2014
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Development drawing alog the Klimentovsky Alley. Project, 2014
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Project, 2014 @ Mezonproekt
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Location plan
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Project, 2014
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Plan of the -1st floor. Project, 2014
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Plan of the 1st floor
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Plan of the -1st floor
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Plan of the 2nd floor
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Plan of the roof
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Section 1-1
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    The studio of Zurab Tsereteli. Section 2-2
    Copyright: © Mezonproekt


02 December 2019

Lara Kopylova

Written by:

Lara Kopylova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov
Headlines now
​Streamline for City Canyons
Stepan Liphart has designed two houses for two small land sites situated in the area surrounding the Varshavsky Railway Station, which is being intensively developed now. The sites are situated close but not next to each other, and they are different, yet similar: the theme is the same but it is interpreted in different ways. In this issue, we are examining and comparing both projects.
​The Eastern Frontier
“The Eastern Arc” is one of the main land resources of Kazan’s development, concentrated in the hands of a single owner. The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a concept for the integrated development of this territory based on an analytical transport model that will create a comfortable living environment, new centers of attraction, and new workplaces as well.
A School of Our Time
On the eve of the presentation of the new book by ATRIUM, dedicated to the design of schools and other educational facilities, based on the architects’ considerable experience, as well as expert judgments, we are examining the Quantum STEM school building, constructed according to their project in Astana. Furthermore, this building is planned to be the first one to start a new chain. The architects designed it in full accordance with modern standards but sometimes they did break away from them – only to confirm the general development rules. For example, there are two amphitheaters in the atrium, and there is an artificial hill in the yard that is meant to make the flat terrain of the Kazakhstan steppe more eventful.
The Fluffy Space
Designing the passenger terminal of the Orenburg airport, ASADOV architects continue to explore the space theme that they first introduced in Saratov and Kemerovo airports. At the same time, the architects again combine the global and the local, reflecting topics inspired by the local conceptual context. In this case, the building is “covered” by an Orenburg downy shawl – an analogy that is recognizable enough, yet not literal; some will see the reference and some won’t.
The White Fitness Center
The white health and fitness center, designed by Futura Architects at the entrance to St. Petersburg’s New Piter residential complex, provides the developing area not only with functional but also with sculptural diversity, livening up the rows of the brick city blocks with the whiteness of its seamless facades, cantilevered structures, and dynamic inclined lines.
The New Dawn
In their project of a technology park to be built on the grounds of “Integrated Home-Building Factory 500” in Tyumen Oblast – the biggest in Russia – the HADAA architects preserve not just the industrial function of the giant hangar built in the late 1980s and 90% of its structures, but also respond to its imagery. They also propose a “gradient” approach to developing the available areas: from open public ones to staff-only professional spaces. The goal of this approach is to turn the technology park into the driver for developing the business function between the industrial zones and the future residential area in accordance with the Integrated Land Development program.
​Tame Hills for New Residents
T+T Architects have reported that they have completed the landscaping project for the yard of the first stage of Alexandrovsky Garden housing complex in Ekaterinburg – the landscape complements the contextual architecture, tailored for the buyers’ preferences and downtown standards, with bold neo modernist master strokes and lush and diverse vegetation.
The Crystal of the City Block
The typology and plastique of large housing complexes move with the times, and you can sometimes find new subtleties in the scope of seemingly familiar solutions. The Sky Garden complex combines two well-known themes, forming a giant residential area consisting of tall slender towers, placed at the perimeter of a large yard, in which a crossroads of two pedestrian promenades is “dissolved”.
Sunshine, Air, and Water
The construction of the “Solnechny” (“Sunny”) summer camp, designed by ARENA project institute, has been completed, the largest summer camp within the legendary Artek seaside resort for children. It was conceived still in Soviet time, but it was not implemented. The modern version surprises you with sophisticated engineering solutions that are combined with a clear-cut structure: together, they generate Asher-esque spaces.
​Art Deco at the Edge of Space
The competition project by Stepan Liphart – a high-end residential complex executed in a reserved classicist style in close proximity to the Kaluga Space Museum – responds equally well to the context and to the client’s brief. It is moderately respectable, moderately mobile and transparent, and it even digs a little into the ground to comply with strict height restrictions, without losing proportions and scale.
Going, Going, Gone!
The housing complex “Composers’ Residences” has been built in accordance with the project by Sergey Skuratov, who won the international competition back in 2011. It all began from the image search and “cutting off all spare”, and then implementing the recognizable Skuratov architecture. It all ended, however, in tearing down the buildings of the Schlichterman factory, whose conservation was stipulated by all the appropriate agencies prior to approving Skuratov’s project. This story seems to be educational and important for understanding the history of all the eleven years, during which the complex was designed and built.
The Life of Iron
The building of the Vyksa Metallurgy Museum, designed by Nikita Yavein and Sergey Padalko, provides for the natural aging of metal – it is planned that the iron will gradually rust – at the same time utilizing the advanced type of construction, based on metal’s ability to stretch. The building will be constructed from pipes and rolled steel supplied by OMK company, as well as from recycled bricks.
​And the Brook is Flowing
ASADOV Architects have designed a master plan for developing a residential area at the outskirts of Kaliningrad: a regular grid of housing blocks is enriched by large-scale public facilities, the main “artery” of the new area being the fortification channel that regains its original function.
Off We Go!
The new terminal of the Tomsk airport is being designed by ASADOV bureau. The architects keep on developing its identity, building the imagery upon the inventions of Nikolai Kamov, whose name the airport bears. The result is laconic, light, and, as always, levitating.
Maximum Flexibility
The Multispace Dinamo, which recently opened within the Arena business center, is an example of a project that is entirely based upon cutting-edge approaches and technologies. It is managed via a mobile application, special software was created for it, and the spaces are not just multifunctional but carefully mixed up, like some kind of jigsaw puzzle that allows the office workers to mix their working routine for better efficiency.
A Factory’s Path
Last week, the new center for constructivist studies “Zotov” hosted its first exhibition named “1922. Constructivism. The Inception”. The idea of creating this center belongs to Sergey Tchoban, while the project of the nearest houses and adjusting the building of the bread factory for the new museum function was done by the architect in collaboration with his colleagues from SPEECH. We decided that such a complex project should be examined in its entirety – and this is how we came up with this long-read about constructivism on Presnya, conservation, innovation, multilayered approach, and hope.
The Savelovsky Axis
The business center, situated right in the middle of a large city junction next to the Savelovsky Railway Station takes on the role of a spatial axis, upon which the entire place hinges: it spins like a spiral, alternating perfect glass of the tiers and deep recessions of inter-tier floors that conceal little windows invented by the architects. It is sculptural, and it claims the role of a new city landmark, in spite of its relatively small height of nine floors.
Parametric Waves
In the housing complex Sydney City, which FSK Group is building in the area of Shelepikhinskaya Embankment, Genpro designed the central city block, combining parametric facades and modular technology within its architecture.
The Multitone
The new interior of the Action Development headquarters can be regarded as an attempt to design the perfect “home” for the company – not just comfortable but broadcasting the values of modern development. It responds to the context, yet it is built on contrast, it is fresh but cozy, it is dynamic, yet it invites you to relax – everything of this coexists here quite harmoniously, probably because the architects found an appropriate place for each of the themes.
Refinement No Longer Relevant
A few days ago journalists were shown the building of Bread Factory #5, renovated upon the project by Sergey Tchoban. In this issue, we are publishing Grigory Revzin’s thoughts about this project.
The Comb of Strelna
In this issue, we are taking a close look at the project that won the “Crystal Daedalus” award – the “Veren Village” housing complex in Strelna, designed by Ostozhenka. Its low-rise format became a trigger for typological and morphological experiments – seemingly, we are seeing recognizable trends, yet at the same time there are a multitude of subtleties that are a pleasure to go into. Having studied this project in detail, we think that the award is well-deserved.
A Tectonic Shift
For several years now, Futura Architects have been working with the “New Peter” residential area in the south of St. Petersburg. In this article, we are covering their most recent project – a house, in which the architects’ architectural ideas peacefully coexist with the limitations of comfort-class housing, producing a “multilayered” effect that looks very attractive for this typology.
Three “Green” Stories
In this issue, we are examining three environmental urban projects showcased by the Genplan Institute of Moscow at the Zodchestvo festival. The scale of the projects is really diverse: from gathering information and suggestions from the residents on a city scale to growing meadow grass between houses to paintings, which, as it turned out, possess power to cure trees, healing their wounded bark. + a list of kinds of plants natural for Moscow to help the developer.
​The Slabs of Bagration
The construction of a new skyscraper designed by SPEECH within the complex of Moscow City has been announced. A keen observer may see in it: Moscow high-rises, Chicago architecture, Malevich architecton, and an attempt of deconstruction of the integral image of the Moscow skyscraper – a technique that has been actively employed by the architects in their recent works.
​Preserving the History of Clean Ponds
How do you make a comfortable high-end residential complex that meets the modern requirements for expensive downtown housing, and keep as much of the original 1915 building as possible? Ilia Utkin, together with Sminex, solved this charade for Potapovsky Lane, 5 – here is how.
​Living in a Forest
The apartment complex in Roshchino, designed by GAFA architects, looks very much like a glamping: the residents enjoy the untouched nature of the Karelian isthmus, while having urban amenities and opportunities for social life.
A Laboratory for Life
The building of the Laboratory of Oncomorphology and Molecular Genetics, designed by the author team headed by Ilya Mashkov (Mezonproject) uses the benefits of the natural context and offers space for cutting-edge research, both doctor- and patient-friendly.
The Logic of Life
The light installation, designed by Andrey Perlach in the atrium of Moscow's Federation Tower, balances on the edge between a mathematical order of construction and the diversity of perception when viewed from different angles.
An Architect in a Metaverse
In this interview, we talked to the participants of the festival of creative industries G8 about why metaverses are our tomorrow’s everyday routine, and how architects can already influence it today.