По-русски

​A Conspicuous House

The Art View House, standing on a “postcard” location next to the Moika River and the Kryukov Channel is yet another neoclassical experiment made by “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners”, as well as a neat completion of the architectural panorama in the center of the city.

Alyona Kuznetsova

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

09 October 2019
Object
mainImg
Architect:
Evgeny Gerasimov
Object:
Art View House at Moyka river
Russia, St. Petersburg

2012 — 2013 / 2014 — 2019

Art View House, situated between the Mariinsky Theater and the New Holland district, was completed in August this year. Its construction took seven years: the unique location imposed unique demands. For some of their decisions, the architects had to get approvals not only from the Government Committee for Historical and Cultural Heritage Management, but also from the Ministry of Culture, as well as argue with the city preservation activists, look for technologies for building an underground parking garage next to a protected water area, as well as organize the noisy construction work with consideration for the schedule of the higher school of music nearby. The result, however, pleased nearly everyone: the house won a several professional awards, and took an important place in the company’s portfolio, becoming the finishing touch in an iconic city view.

High-end residential complex Art View House on the Moika Embankment, 102, 2019
Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


The land site constitutes about a fifth of the city block stretching from the Moika Embankment to the Dekabristov Street, the whole of which was once occupied by a Lithuanian Castle of the late XVIII – early XIX century. The castle was the headquarters of the Lithuanian Musketeer Regiment, then it was rebuilt to become the city prison, then it was burned down during the February 2017 Revolutuon, and still later on even the ruins were removed. Advantageous in every respect, the land site was seemingly opening boundless possibilities for solving various town planning issues – but something went wrong. At first, they wanted to build a bathhouse in the place of the former castle, but they ultimately used only part of this chunk of land by building on it a few housing projects for the workers of Soyuzvefr, leaving out the lacunae. A little later, a standard four-story school building appeared here, and in 1961, a kindergarten was built near the confluence of the Moika and the Kryukov Channel, a place that is visible from even the remote waterfronts. Still later on, in the 2000’s, this building became a favorite with the city people thanks to its bright colors “Pete Mondrian”-style, and its ivy-covered walls, but it was ultimately recognized as a “dissonant” element: the building did not fit in with the scale and the façade rhythm of the existing construction, and was at odds with the overall panorama.

zooming
The Lithuanian Castle and the standard-construction kindergarten on the land site currently occupied by Art View House
Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


In the recent times, the first project for the obliging land site, which used to host the kindergarten, was developed by Erick van Egeraat. However, the ostensibly modern building, with a white wave on the façade, turned out to be not quite digestible for the city people. Then, they invited Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners to design a project here, who opted for the time-tested play-it-safe approach of restoring the space structure of the city blocks. “The house must sit so tight and pretty that no doubt should arise why it’s here” – Evgeny Gerasimov explains.

Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


The construction work was suspended for two years for archeological excavations and the investigation of the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle by the experts of the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the excavations started in 2014. The archaeologists found and recorded a lot of artifacts, some of them dating as far back as to the times of Peter the Great. Then even the remains were removed.

  • zooming
    1 / 7
    Archaeological excavations, the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Photographs provided by Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    2 / 7
    Archaeological excavations, the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Photographs provided by Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    3 / 7
    Archaeological excavations, the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Photographs provided by Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    4 / 7
    Archaeological excavations, the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Photographs provided by Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    5 / 7
    Archaeological excavations, the foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Photographs provided by Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    6 / 7
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront. The foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    7 / 7
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront. The foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


Art View House is yet another compound work executed “in styles”, of which this architectural company is the perfect master. While this project was still in the design stage, we made a detailed analysis of quotations and allusions: “some of them serve as the reminder about the Lithuanian Castle, some help to inscribe the house into the array of the waterfront, as well as (and this is also very important) to demonstrate the fact that it belongs in the premium-grade housing category”.

When asked about what was more important for him – to design a building reminiscent of the Lithuanian Castle or to fit in with the context, Evgeny Gerasimov answers that neither of these was. “The basis of the building’s image is constituted by neo-classics of the 1910’s, which, in turn, was reinterpreting the Empire style, and the northern Art Nouveau that preceded it. This is a landmark, and it’s easily readable, too. If you walk down the Vosstaniya, Nekrasova, or Radishcheva, you will see a few similar looking buildings: gray neoclassical houses.

Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


What makes this house modern is, according to Evgeny Gerasimov, the sheer fact that it has been built today. As for the signs of the XXI century, the architect names a few things of a character more technical than artistic: a two-level underground parking garage, a fire extinguishing system, opened layouts, and the building material – reinforced concrete with a ventilated façade instead of brick. The façade, by the way, is 90% natural granite and Jurassic marble. The remaining ten percent are decorative elements cast from exposed concrete by the models of the sculptor Vladislav Manachinsky.

  • zooming
    1 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Ilia Proporov / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    2 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    3 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Ilia Proporov / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    4 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    5 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    6 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Ilia Proporov / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    7 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    8 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    9 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    10 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Ilia Proporov / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    11 / 11
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


The completed house did fit the panorama of the Moika River and the Bolshaya Morskaya “like a glove”, even in spite of the fact that it stands at a slight distance, and is not a part of the house-to-house construction, so characteristic of Saint Petersburg. If one is to go around it, paying attention to the neighboring houses, he will easily find the “points of resonance”. The gray color, the high pilasters, and the frontons are to be seen in the neoclassical building of the Rimsky-Korsakov Music School; the rounded side end, which looks like a castle tower, and the bas reliefs are to be seen in the shipyard buildings; similar rhythmic cornices are to be seen in the Kryukovsky Barracks. The very place itself is very Saint Petersburg, one can see water here, as well as bridges, streetlights, rank-and-file construction of various years of origin, and landmark buildings too. From this vantage point, one can embrace several epochs at once: from Peter the Great’s New Holland to the new stage of the Mariinsky Theater of the governor Poltavchenko times. The house on the Moika resonates with all of its surroundings.

Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


The house has four façades, all of them different. The main façade faces the Moika waterfront: symmetrical and elegant, with a fronton and measured spaces between the bay windows, and two oculi on either side of the entrance. From the side of the Kryukov Channel, due to the specifics of the land site, the building got a “fold”: the house stepped back, which yielded more vacant space, and because of which, when viewed from this side, the building looks more powerful and solemn, the pilasters getting the tension of a tight string, and, due to the absence of the bay windows, the façade is rather perceived as “vertical”. In the narrow Matveyeva Side-Street, where instead of car horns you are more likely to hear the sounds of musical instruments being tuned to pitch, one can plainly see the step-like quality of the building; the façade here becomes simpler, coming closer to its “yard” side, which is fairly interesting as well: in the space between two powerful firewalls, looking like thick fortress walls, there is a gentle “core” with lots of windows that reflect plenty of the sky.

  • zooming
    1 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    2 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    3 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    4 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    5 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    6 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    7 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    8 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Photograph © Andrey Belimov-Gushchin / Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


Art View House, just like many other projects done by this company, turned out exactly the way it was designed. Evgeny Gerasimov gives main credit for this to the developer, “Okhta Group” in this particular case, likening it to a movie producer: “Everything must fall into place – the mastery of the director, the actors, the costume designer, the makeup artist, the theme composer, the camera person, the special effect crew, and so on. But still, keep in mind that the Oscar for the best film does not go to the director but to the producer. They all are united by the key figure who invests his or her money, without whom everything will fall apart. It’s the same way with architecture: with today’s level of digitalization, you can draw virtually any project, and the construction possibilities have grown tremendously, too. But, however talented your architects are, you won’t go far without the client’s desire to invest money and do great architecture”.

  • zooming
    1 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    2 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    3 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    4 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    5 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    6 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    7 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    8 / 8
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


The house is pretty compact – you will not be able to examine its sixth floor from the nearby streets but the building still fits in the frame, which is a rarity. The apartments have individual layouts: totally, there are 24 of them, each one commanding a classic view, and sometimes more than one: Mariinsky Theater, the New Holland, the Saint Isaac Cathedral, and more. The layouts range from 99 to 219 square meters.

Yet another sign of a premium-class house is a 125-square-meter central lobby that looks like a one of a five-star hotel. The interior design of the public spaces was done by a London studio Project Orange, which also used natural materials: marble, granite, brass, valuable woods, and Murano glass.

Building a two-level parking garage underneath the house, which a house of such status cannot do without, turned out to be quite a tall order. Due to the proximity to the Moika River and the Kryukov Channel, the wet soil was not the only engineering problem that the architects were to solve; they were also expected to take care about the nearby buildings. The neighboring house standing on the Moika waterfront is in a hazardous state, and the substation vault that stands on the side of the Dekabristov Street and supplies electrical power to the new stage of the Mariinsky Theater turned out to be yet another cultural heritage site. This means that the yielding was not to exceed 2 centimeters. The complexity factor was also increased by the hazardous sewer, running mere 5 meters away from the fence of the construction pit alongside the Kryukov Channel 11 meters deep.

The company’s chief designer Sergey Nenashev shares that before they ever began digging the construction pit, they drilled six holes 45 meters deep for investigating the soil, and then about a thousand more in order fix the elevation marks in accordance with the jet grouting technology, which made it possible to secure the construction pit and prevent shifting of soil underneath the house and in the nearby sites. The ground escaletion was done by the top&down technology, still rarely used in our country, when the building grows upwards and downwards simultaneously. The house at Moika 104 was also reinforced in a sparing way, and, after the construction was over, the municipality fixed the collector. Ultimately, the building’s yield stayed within the specified allowances.

  • zooming
    1 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront. The construction of the guide wall
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    2 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront. The construction of the guide wall
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    3 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront. The foundations of the Lithuanian Castle
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    4 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    5 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners
  • zooming
    6 / 6
    Art View House on the Moika Waterfront
    Copyright: © Evgeniy Gerasimov & partners


Thus, the house on the Moika waterfront becomes a vivid example of the company’s professionalism, who was able to implement its ideas to a letter even in the most challenging technical conditions. Complying with the rigorous rules of Saint Petersburg’s architectural context, does indeed look like it’s been here for ages, at the same time providing its residents with all of the advantages of modern housing – together with comfortable living and being on a scale with the historical city and surrounded by it.

Architect:
Evgeny Gerasimov
Object:
Art View House at Moyka river
Russia, St. Petersburg

2012 — 2013 / 2014 — 2019

09 October 2019

Alyona Kuznetsova

Written by:

Alyona Kuznetsova
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.