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​Moscow Institute of Architecture: projects by Vsevolod Medvedev group

In this issue, we are reviewing the diploma projects of a group of bachelors from Moscow Architectural Institute working under the leadership of Vsevolod Medvedev, Mikhail Kanunnikov and Elizaveta Medvedeva.

28 October 2020
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Below, we are reviewing the project by the bachelors of the “Prom” department, developed during the lockdown, presented in the spring of 2020, and selected, according to our tradition, by the students’ architectural advisers. The curators of the group were Vsevolod Medvedev, Mikhail Kanunnikov, and Elizaveta Medvedeva.

Vsevolod Medvedev, «4izmerenie»

This year, a group of bachelors graduated from Moscow Institute of Architecture. For the first time in history, a large part of the design process and the presentations took place remotely. This was quite a challenge, both for us and for our students. Unfortunately, the institute was unable to organize videoconferences for the defense of thesis projects, and all works were accepted virtually without any authors’ comments. I cannot quite get what it has to do with – maybe, our obsolete technical base or the conservative policy of our management. Moscow Institute of Architecture, just like many other creative higher educational institutions in this country, turned out to be unable to tackle such a challenge as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the lack of live meetings and discussions, the projects have a high level of elaboration and are in no way inferior to the works of their predecessors.

The choice of the topic of the project is not limited to a single concept. The students chose the direction independently, based on their personal interests and issues that they wanted to address. The scope of topics was quite diverse: from small-scale projects amidst dense city construction to grand-scale planning solutions on the territories of Russia, Europe, and the USA.

We tried not to impose our opinion, but to support and help develop individual innovative ideas. It was important to create a meaningful architectural design based on preliminary research and solving the identified problems. Most of the students’ time, however, was still devoted to developing architectural and imagery solutions. Interesting research became an excellent basis for further creativity, which eventually led to non-standard approaches, and this is the most important thing.

Creative ideas, individuality, and the ability to think out of the box is something that we have been trying to foster in our students for years. As always, we are happy with the result. The whole group is characterized by a unique architectural vision, the ability to defend their point of view and a serious attitude to the profession.


The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
Evgenia Chumachenko

In addition to the cultural and educational archaeology center, situated in the Crimea, this project offers an example of developing public city spaces.

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The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko


“Archaeological research can be likened to studying tree rings, by which you can trace the growth, the history, and the development of a tree. With each new epoch, architecture and culture pile up new layers – something new comes around, but the old images and features linger on. The growth rings contain a lot of information; from their thickness and size one can judge about all the significant events that occurred during the tree’s life. It is this specific feature that is used as the basis for the town planning concept of the research and development institute.

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The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko


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The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko


The master plan of the land site is based on concentric growth rings – simple and complex architectural forms that reflect the evolution process that has been going for centuries in this city and this area. The rings are reflected in the structure of the pedestrian and cycling routes, by which one can go across the entire territory of the complex. Thanks to the rings formed on the master plan, one can single out the main plaza and divide the territory into zones: the institute, the museum, the residential part, and the pavilions, in which models of archaeological monuments are made.

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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman. Archaeological monuments in the southern part of the Crimea
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman. Location plan
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko


In addition to the tree rings, the age layers overlap, forming a “gradient of time” – the older matter lies deeper, while things that are newer lie closer to the surface. The gradient manifests itself in the town planning solution, helping to uncover the space. From the railroad side, the construction is denser; it gets sparser as we move towards the river, alternating with extended recreation areas.

The axis composition is meant to help people perceive the main cultural points of the city – the Kalamitu Fortress, the “cave town” on the Zagaitinskaya Cliff, and Chertova Balka. The main axis also includes the towers of the “ethno-center”, each of which symbolizes the cultures of people that lived on this land at different times. The second axis includes the complex of the museum and the institute.

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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman. The standard plan of a residential building
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman. Section view 1-1
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman. Section view 2-2
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko
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    The complex of Research and Development Institute of Archaeology in the city of Inkerman
    Copyright: © Evgenia Chumachenko


The institute itself is an elongated complex of three buildings, which are lined up along the second town planning axis, starting from the museum and ending in the second unit of the institute. The building of the museum was devised as an arch system that gradually “disintegrates”, bleeding into decorative columns in front of the museum building, and then into a bridge, visually connecting the museum from one bank of the river to the museum part in the institute. The facade of the main institute building also consists of arches that work not only on the facade but inside the building as well.

The project of the Research and Development Institute of Archaeology will become a large tourist and scientific center of the Crimean peninsula that will attract students and tourists alike. The complex is meant to liven up this land and improve the overall scientific and cultural standards in this area.”

The Moscow Film Laboratory
Anna Vorobyeva

“The goal of the project is to support and stimulate the development of cinematography by creating an experimental film laboratory – a place where new formats are created for further promotion and high-quality screening of films.

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The Moscow Film Laboratory
Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva


The project will be hosted in the already existing Gorky Film Studio that is situated next to an important center of city activity – the VDKKh park. Such a location makes it possible to reconsider the attitude of the film studio towards the city, at the same time creating a center that is all about the openness of the whole process of movie making, conveying the essence of experimental cinema.

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The Moscow Film Laboratory
Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva


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The Moscow Film Laboratory
Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva


To develop cinematography, you need to search for new facets of your creative activity, and you need to experiment. Therefore, the basis of the project is the environment capable of adapting to any needs of the creative process: format, attitude towards the viewer, various collaborations, etc. Creating something new and yet-unknown does not have criteria that can be applied to designing habitual structures, therefore, use scenarios are supported by different types of transformations for each of the stages in the life of the new cinema format in the laboratory. The stages correspond to functions: educational, production, and public, all of them complementing each other and providing the resources; at the intersection of the functions, the Experiment begins.

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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The auditorium
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The location
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The context
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. Eductation, experiments, exhibitions, professional work
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva


1 . The creation stage. The “Tower” educational center

The towers consist of independent studios that are arranged in accordance with the stages of filmmaking. Each studio has a floor of its own. There is also a “universal floor”, a transformable space with boundless possibilities for lighting adjustments.

2 . The testing stage. A practicing space: the “Curtain Labyrinth”.

This is the core of the experiment, where the spaces are formed by curtains, or, should a noise-proof environment be needed, by partitions of cylindrical modules, which move from the first level to the second on guides.

3 . The application stage. The production complex “filmmaking promenade”.

The floors move on guides, opening backlots, widening the filming spaces, and forming the “Movie Promenade”. This is a walking area that consists of various fragments; like spectators, people move along the line of changing frames. This is a route where you edit a cultural space of your own, which will always have different scripts or action scenarios depending on the specific activity of the studio.

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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The structure
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The structure
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. The structure
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. Education
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva
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    The Moscow Film Laboratory. Education
    Copyright: © Anna Vorobyeva


4 . The movie's premier stage. The “FINISH PAVILION” auditorium.

The main public part of the complex is the auditorium adjoining the preexisting building. The auditorium can be adjusted to fit any specific format. The floor space is occupied by lifting and lowering platforms, and the outer walls open onto the festival square with a pedestrian bridge connecting the public space with the core of the educational center.”

The center for mental health in Moscow.
Yana Kurilova

“The modern world is rapidly developing, constantly changing things that we have grown used to. We live in a stressful environment. Every day the number of people with mental disorders is growing, including in Russia. The project offers a look at how new digital technologies, contextual design and architectural solutions can help society in the area of mental health viewed in the context of this crisis.

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The center for mental health in Moscow
Copyright: © Yana Kurilova


The mental health center operates based on a restorative approach. Most of the attention is paid to the employment of the rehabilitant and finding their strengths or talents, and not their illness and psychopathology. This approach builds self-confidence through self-help and self-reliance.

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The center for mental health in Moscow
Copyright: © Yana Kurilova


A special program will help to bridge the gap that is there in treatment methodology between diagnostics and urgent help or medication in-hospital treatment. It will also make checking one’s mental health more affordable for everyone. Also, this project can be considered as the basis of a design guide, which offers a possible alternative to urban mental health care in Russia.

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The center for mental health in Moscow
Copyright: © Yana Kurilova


The center is regarded as a testing ground for programs that are largely lacking in the current mental healthcare system. These programs will raise community awareness of the level of mental disorders, provide early diagnosis, and support mental health recovery.

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    The center for mental health in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    The center for mental health in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    The center for mental health in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow. Abandoned coach house converted into therapy studios
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    The center for mental health in Moscow. Location plan
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova


The building is a single volume that connects and enshrouds all the other structures on the land site. The pitched roofs of the houses that make up the complex are meant to evoke the traditional image of Home. The corrugated roof gives all the buildings certain lightness and unites all the blocks into a single whole. It also helps to solve the issues with lighting and possible overheating of the building; some of its parts conceal the utility lines.”

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    The center for mental health in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    The center for mental health in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova
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    Mental Health Center in Moscow
    Copyright: © Yana Kurilova


“Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment.
Denis Omelchenko

“The center is situated in Saint Petersburg, in the estuary of the Smolenka River on the Morskaya Embankment of the Vasilyevsky Island. The name of the center was determined by the historical past of the river. In the 18th century, the river had a well-established name of Mayakusha. In the first half of the 19th century, other names began to be used: Chernaya (“Black”) and Glukhaya (“Deaf”) rivers. In 1864, to eliminate confusion with the same name of another Chernaya River, it was named the Smolensk River after the nearby Smolensk Cemetery. Later on, the river got its current name.

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“Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko


The Morskaya Embankment has had a pretty complicated history. For years, the city planned to build here Alla Pugacheva Theater, yet, even after three different architectural proposals were considered, the construction never did begin. Due to the difficulties in coordinating the construction of a theater in Saint Petersburg, the idea of building a theater has now been abandoned. It is difficult to say with certainty what is currently planned for this part of the city. The most realistic option is a recreation park. In this regard, in my project, I focus on the preservation of the natural landscape and recreation areas commanding beautiful views on the Morskaya Embankment.

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“Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko


The “Mayakusha” center offers various educational programs, developed within the framework of extra education and meant for refresher courses for practicing artists, designers, and other creative groups.

The main goals of the project are:
  • Integration of cutting-edge technologies into modern art and media entertainment;
  • Accessibility of informational and technical resources for creative activities thanks to specially equipped studios for doing various kinds of art and graphic design
  • Creating a “point of attraction” due to landscaping and creating an interactive space for recreation in the river’s estuary.

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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment. Section view 1
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko


The territory of the center includes the project of a park, whose concept largely consists in the idea that intangible digital technologies can transform nature into art without harming it.

The Mayakusha Park is an interactive artistic space that changes due to people’s presence. It consists of overland and water-floating resonating lamps. If the wind blows or if somebody passes by such a lamp, it starts to glow and make sound. Light from one lamp is transmitted to neighboring ones, and so on until all the light passes through the entire mouth of the river. This light from the floating lamps transmits the same bright light to the ground lamps near trees and stones. When illuminated, the lamps emit a sound tone that matches a specific color. When the wind is not blowing and there are no people around, the lamps start to slowly go out.

The main pedestrian route leading to the center is the bridge that starts right next to the bus stop. The bridge features a small expo space for organizing art exhibitions in the warm season.

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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko
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    “Mayakusha”, the education and research center of integrating cutting-edge technologies in the area of modern art and media entertainment
    Copyright: © Denis Omelchenko


Also, the territory of Mayakusha includes an open-air exhibition hall. This space is designed for organizing temporary exhibitions and various events in the summertime (performances, happenings, etc.)

Sculpture Hall: a space for walking among permanently exhibited sculptures. Thanks to this concept of the entrance group, the cars that are driving by down the Korablestroitelei Street can see a very beautiful and unusual view opening up from the park. Still another place like this is situated next to the center, and is securely protected from the wind.”

An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
Lidia Kharcheva

“My diploma project is based on extensive research of the US suburbia, which identified problems that affect the quality of people’s life. The focus was on the Los Angeles suburbs and this is where I was looking for a site to design.

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An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva


West Covina is located 30 km from downtown Los Angeles and is connected to it by a highway. The river that runs through the city and the highway that crosses it are problem areas. The fact that suburbia relies so much on the car traffic makes the territories lying alongside the highways the busiest ones, while the residential areas are empty and lifeless. The concrete river bed runs through the central part of the city; it is an exclusion zone that has a solely utilitarian function.

The land site which I chose for design is situated at the crossing of these two “arteries”, making it possible to employ both of them, creating a construction that would interact both with the city and the highway, and begin landscaping the riverside area.

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An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva


Placing some of the projects above the highway and alongside it was conditioned by the planning structure of the suburbs, as well as by a need to create a high-profile project that would be read equally well by motorists and pedestrians alike in various parts of the city.

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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva


When I was considering the typology of the future construction, I saw my task in addressing such issues as construction monotony, lack of landmarks, lack of public spaces, parks, and lack of pedestrian connections. Vertical farming is becoming increasingly popular on a global scale. The ever-growing cities are consuming new territories, as more and more people leave the countryside. Traditional farming as we know it is dying out, and now it must adapt itself to the new reality. New methods of plant cultivation, such as aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaponics, allow you to get more crops in the shortest possible time, using several times less water, area, and manpower.

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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva
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    An urban agricultural complex in West Covina, USA
    Copyright: © Lidia Kharcheva


In the case of suburbia, the agricultural complex of such a type will boost the city’s activity and will draw an inflow of tourists, ensuring the autonomy of the surrounding area and providing jobs for the local residents, thus reducing the number of cars.

The complex has several functions: the public one with restaurants and a farmers market, the educational function with classrooms for schoolchildren and master class zones, and the research function with laboratories, while the main area will be occupied by cells for growing plants. Dividing the complex into cells gives city residents the opportunity to rent separate blocks for various purposes and simplifies their operation, as well as makes it possible to build similar centers in other places with the ability to change the configuration of their structure.” 

Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova

The existing buildings that are there on the territory of the former “Khimvolokno” plant are of no architectural value, but some of them are quite suitable for reconstruction, and can be remodeled to perform new and more relevant functions. Those buildings, which cannot be remodeled, will be taken down, and a bee art and technology park will be made here with a campus adjoining it.

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Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova


I divided the technology park into six thematic areas corresponding to six arts, which I regard in the order of transition from visual and tactile to aural perception: 
  • Zone 1 – the zone of architecture and design (fully visual perception, and even tactile) – is situated in the very beginning of the park if we are to proceed from the management office building, which marks the compositional beginning of moving around the park.
  • Zone 2 is the zone of graphic art (visual perception with almost no tactile).
  • Zone 3 is the zone of filmmaking, theater, and photography (both visual and aural perception).
  • Zone 4 is the zone of literature and dramaturgy (which can be expressed both in images and words, yet words are used to describe an image, and this still refers to visual perception).
  • Zone 5 is the zone of choreography and acrobatics (visual and aural perception).
  • Zone 6 – the last and the main one, occupying the central location directly at the intersection of the two design axes – is the zone of music.

Why main? Because only music refers to pure aural perception! Only music is something that you can perceive without so much as a tiny image in your head, which is symbolic of triumph of mind over matter (if we are to conditionally assume that sound is something that does not physically exist, and an image always has a physical embodiment). Highlighting the music zone as the key one also resonates with the branding of the city of Klin, which is also based on aural perception (the city’s motto is “Klin... Sounds good!”)

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Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova


The open-air music arena, designed in this area, can cater for 3000 people. The arena is elevated 45 meters above the ground; underneath the arena, there is a park with a swimming pool surrounding it. One can also get up to the arena by a spiral pedestrian ramp that circles it. Function-wise, this project may replace a classic city square.

Each of the six zones has everything that is necessary to study the art presented in it, and everything that you need to create, dreaming things up and making them a reality. I distinguish two types of spaces that are necessary to comprehend any of the existing talents.
  • The first type of spaces is meant for individual work on yourself and perfecting your skills, whatever they are. These spaces correspond to a square shape because, basically, what you need for studying or working is an adequately equipped square room with orthogonal walls, a floor, and a ceiling.
  • The second type of spaces is meant for communication / master classes / exhibitions / concerts. These spaces visually correspond to a circular shape because shows, lectures, or exhibitions lend themselves to more complex auditoriums: a circular exhibition, a round square, hemispheric arenas, and so on.

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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova


In my project, a typical building consists of multifunctional production studios, plugged in to water, sewage, and ventilation utility lines, which significantly widens the scope of activity in such a space. Also, the transformable partitions make it possible to join these studios together. In such rooms, you can make virtually any studio you may think of – a model studio, an art studio, or a mini workshop. The workshops are designed to cater for 300 people. Visually, the building and all the spaces inside of it have a square shape, which corresponds to the concept of form matching function.

A typical building of expo spaces includes different types of expo halls, including a 300-seat conference hall. Just like the studios, the expo spaces can be combined to form larger ones due to the removable partitions. According to the concept of the mutual dependence of form and function, the building and all the spaces in it have a round or ring shape.

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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova
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    Art and Technology park on the territory of the former synthetic fiber plan in the city of Klin
    Copyright: © Maria Cheltsova-Bebutova


28 October 2020

Headlines now
Object
The Chinese Symphony
The construction of the Chinese center “Huaming Park” has been a long story that came to fruition relatively recently. The building is adjacent to a traditional Chinese garden, but it is very modern, laconic and technological, and the simple-in-form, yet spectacular, white lamellae promise to someday be incorporated as a media facade. This complex is also truly multifunctional: it contains different types of living spaces, offices, a large fitness center, conference halls and restaurants – all wrapped in one volume. You can comfortably hold international forums in it, having everything you may possibly need at your fingertips, and going outside only to take a walk. In this article, we are examining this complex in detail.
Object
Ensemble of Individualities
Construction of the first phase of the INDY Towers multifunctional complex on Kuusinen Street, designed by Ostozhenka, has started. The project opens new angles of similarity between the column and the skyscraper, and we examine the nuances and parallels.
Object
Black and Red
Kazakov Grand Loft received its name for a reason: responding to the client’s brief and proceeding from the historical industrial architecture of its immediate surroundings, Valery Kanyashin and Ostozhenka architects proposed a new version of a modern house designed in the fashionable “loft” style. What makes this building different is the fact that the bricks here are dark gray, and the facades of the romantic “fortress” towers blossom with magnificent glazing of the windows in the upper part. The main highlight of the complex, however, is the multiple open air terraces situated on different levels.
Object
Icy Hospitality
Mezonproject has won the national architectural and town planning competition for designing a hotel and a water recreation center in the city of Irkutsk. The architects chose hummocks of Baikal ice as a visual image.
Object
The Mastery of Counterpoint
In the sculpture of Classical Greece, counterpoint was first invented: the ability to position the human body as if it were about to take a step, imbuing it with a hint of the energy of future movement, and with hidden dynamics. For architecture, especially in the 20th century and now, this is also one of the main techniques, and the ATRIUM architects implement it diligently, consistently – and always slightly differently. The new residential complex “Richard” is a good example of such exploration, based on the understanding of contrasts in the urban environment, which was fused into the semblance of a living being.
send.project
Countryside Avant-Garde
The project of the museum of Aleksey Gastev, the ideologist of scientific organization of work, located in his hometown of Suzdal, is inscribed in multiple contexts: the contest of a small town, the context of avant-garde design, the context of “lean production”, and the context of the creative quest of Nikolai Lyzlov’s minimalist architecture – and it seems to us that this project even reveals a distant memory of the fact that Aleksey Gastev learned his craft in France.
Object
On the Hills
In the project by Studio 44, the “distributed” IT campus of Nizhny Novgorod is based on well-balanced contracts. Sometimes it is hovering, sometimes undulating, sometimes towering over a rock. For every task, the architects found appropriate form and logic: the hotels are based on a square module, the academic buildings are based on a “flying” one, and so on. Modernist prototypes, specifically, Convent Sainte-Marie de La Tourette, stand next to references to the antique Forum and the tower of a medieval university – as well as next to contextual allusions that help inscribe the buildings of the future campus into the landscape of the city hills with their dominants, high slopes, breathtaking river views, the historical city center, and the Nizhny Novgorod University.
Report
The Magic Carpet
The anniversary exhibition of Totan Kuzembaev’s drawings named “Event Horizons” shows both very old drawings made by the architect in the formative 1980’s, and now extracted from the Museum of Architecture, as well as quite a few pictures from the “Weightlessness” series that Totan Kuzembaev drew specifically for this exhibition in 2023. It seemed to us that the architect represented reality from the point of view of someone levitating in space, and sometimes even upside down, like a magic carpet with multiple layers.
Object
​A Copper Step
Block 5, designed by ASADOV architects as part of the “Ostrov” (“Island”) housing complex, is at the same time grand-scale, conspicuous thanks to its central location – and contextual. It does not “outshout” the solutions used in the neighboring buildings, but rather gives a very balanced implementation of the design code: combining brick and metal in light and dark shades and large copper surfaces, orthogonal geometry on the outside and flexible lines in the courtyard.
Object
The Light for the Island
For the first time around, we are examining a lighting project designed for a housing complex; but then again, the authors of the nighttime lighting of the Ostrov housing complex, UNK lighting, proudly admit that this project is not just the largest in their portfolio, but also the largest in this country. They describe their approach as a European one, its chief principles being smoothness of transitions, comfort to the eye, and the concentration of most of the light at the “bottom” level – meaning, it “works” first of all for pedestrians.
send.project
Spots of Light
A new housing complex in Tyumen designed by Aukett Swanke is a very eye-pleasing example of mid-rise construction: using simple means of architectural expression, such as stucco, pitched roofs, and height changes, the architects achieve a “human-friendly” environment, which becomes a significant addition to the nearby park and forest.
Object
Ledges and Swirls
The housing complex “Novaya Zarya” (“New Dawn”) designed by ASADOV Architects will become one of the examples of integrated land development in Vladivostok. The residential area will be characterized by various typologies of its housing sections, and a multitude of functions – in addition to the social infrastructure, the complex will include pedestrian promenades, shopping malls, office buildings, and recreational facilities. The complex is “inscribed” in a relief with a whopping 40-meter height difference, and overlooks the Amur Bay.
Object
Agglomeration on an Island
Recently, an approval came for the master plan of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk agglomeration, which was developed by a consortium headed by the Genplan Institute of Moscow. The document provides for the creation of 12 clusters, the totality of which will give the region a qualitative leap in development and make the island more self-sufficient, more accessible, and less dependent on the mainland. We are inviting you to examine the details.
Interview
Ivan Grekov: “A client that wants to make a building that is “about architecture” is...
In this article, we are talking to Ivan Grekov, the leader of the architectural company KAMEN (translates as “stone”), the author of many high-profile projects that have been built in Moscow in the recent years, about the history of his company, about different approaches to form making, about different meanings of volume and facade, and about “layers” in working with the environment – at the example of two projects by Osnova Group. These are the MIRAPOLIS complex on the Mira Avenue in Rostokino, whose construction began at the end of last year, and the multifunctional complex in the 2nd Silikatny Proezd on the Zvenigorodsky Highway; recently, it received all the required approvals.
Report
Grasping and Formulating
The special project “Tezisy” (“Abstracts”), showcased at Arch Moscow exhibition in Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor, brought together eight young “rock stars of architecture”, the headliner being Vladislav Kirpichev, founder of the EDAS school. In this article, we share our impressions of the installations and the perspectives of the new generation of architects.
Object
The White Tulip
Currently, there are two relevant projects for the Great Cathedral Mosque in Kazan, which was transferred to a land site in Admiralteiskaya Sloboda in February. One of them, designed by TsLP, was recently showcased at Arch Moscow. In this article, we are covering another project, which was proposed during the same period for the same land site. Its author is Aleksey Ginzburg, the winner of the 2022 competition, but now the project is completely different. Today, it is a sculptural “flower” dome symbolizing a white tulip.
News
ATRIUM’s Metaverse
The architectural company ATRIUM opened a gallery of its own in a metaverse. Inside, one can examine the company’s approach and main achievements, as well as get some emotional experience. The gallery is already hosting cyberspace business meetings and corporate events.
Object
​From Darkness to Light
Responding to a lengthy list of limitations and a lengthy – by the standards of a small building – list of functions, Vladimir Plotkin turned the project of the Novodevichy Monastery into a light, yet dynamic statement of modern interpretation of historical context, or, perhaps, even interpretation of light and darkness.
Contest Results
Modernism in Avant-Garde
The contest proposal that Studio 44 made for the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater is bright in all senses, and in many ways even provocative – just like a modern theater performance should be. Being in context with modern culture, it even shocks you in some respects. At first, you are amazed at the red color that is present all around, and then you gradually make sense of the picturesque congregation of volumes that share a multitude of functions. And it’s only later that you realize that this conglomerate conceals a modernist building, most of which the architects save intact.
Contest Results
The Black Mountain
The project of reconstructing the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet theater developed by Wowhaus, which won the competition, proposed a total demolition and new construction, as well as considerable expansion (up to 8 floors) – and transformable multifunctional spaces. The new project, however, does retain the recognizable elements and the image of the old theater. As for the main spectator hall, it is turned – figuratively speaking, of course – into a semblance of a black volcano.
News
Garage-Garage
Recently, Moscow saw the presentation of a project by Yuri Grigoryan, devoted to turning the truck garage on Novoryazanskaya Street, designed by Konstantin Melnikov, into the Museum of Moscow Transport. The project involves restoring the monument of architecture, adding a new underground floor and a new entrance, as well as a whole park. The implementation is already underway.
News
Houses by the Lakeside
Approvals came for the project of a housing complex that DNK ag designed in Kazan. The complex is low-rise; its sections are designed as separate volumes united by a common podium. Everything is very much like DNK: delicate and sometimes even lyrical, especially where the yard meets the lakeshore.
Object
Exemplary Adaptation
In Novosibirsk, the construction of a school has been completed, whose project is standing every chance to set a new standard for the nation’s educational institutions. SVESMI Architects and Brusnika company started by developing the brief that would answer the modern teaching practices, and then they proposed the optimum plan, versatile classrooms, and reserved, yet expressive, image in the spirit of this Amsterdam alliance.
Object
Terra Incognita
An 800-room hotel complex, designed by Ginzburg Architects, offers the seaside city of Anapa a fragment of well-organized urban environment that keeps up the cultural spirit of the place. The architects break away from traditional white facades, turning to the antique and even archaic periods of the history of this land, and drawing inspiration in the color of red clay and simple, yet lightweight, shapes.
Object
In Plumage Colors
Working on the facades of a mid-rise residential area in Odintsovsky district, GENPRO architects “adjusted” a number of features of the volumetric composition, which they received without the right to make any changes to, by purely “decorative” means, such as ornamental brickwork, including glazed bricks and the rhythm of the windows. Interestingly, the starting point in the search for the color code was the plumage of birds that are found in the Moscow region.
Interview
Julius Borisov: “The “Island” housing complex is a unique project – we took it on with...
One of the largest housing projects of today’s Moscow – the “Ostrov” (“Island”) housing complex built by Donstroy – is now being actively built in the Mnevniky Floodplain. They are planning to build about 1.5M square meters of housing on an area of almost 40 hectares. We are beginning to examine this project– first of all, we are talking to Julius Borisov, the head of the architectural company UNK, which works with most of the residential blocks in this grand-scale project, as well as with the landscaping part; the company even proposed a single design code for the entire territory.
Object
A Balanced Solution
The residential complex “Balance” on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt is one of the large-scale, and relatively economical (again, by Moscow standards) housing projects. Its first phase has already been built and landscaped; the work on the others is in progress. Nevertheless, it has an integral internal logic, which is based on the balance of functions, height, and even image and space composition. The proposed solutions are recognizable and laconic, so that each of them was reduced by the authors to a graphic “logo”. To see everything, you have to flip through the pages and look through to the end.
Object
Horror Vacui
In the city of Omsk, ASADOV architects took on a very challenging task: they are developing a concept of a public and residential complex, which involves reconstructing the city’s first thermal power station standing right next to Omsk’s first fortress. This territory has already seen a lot of projects designed for it, and the residential function of this land site has been the subject of heated debate. In this article, we are examining the project in question, aimed at developing a mid-scale city fabric suited for the historical center. We also examine the above-mentioned debate. Seriously, will this project save this place or will it bring it to ruin?
Object
A Multi-Faced Grotto
This building, seemingly small, unremarkable, semi-ruined, and not even very ancient – the Grotto in the Bauman Garden – was restored by the “People’s Architect” architectural company with all the care applicable to a heritage monument. They preserved the romantic appeal of the ruins, added multimedia content, and explored the cascading fountain, which, as it turned out, was completely preserved. Brace yourself for a long story!