The Northern Versailles

On the bank of the magnificent Vychegda River, in a picturesque location six kilometers away from Syktyvkar, the capital of the Komi republic, the renowned neoclassical architect Mikhail Filippov has designed the town of Yugyd-Choi in the traditional aesthetics inspired by the center of St. Petersburg. The customer Elena Soboleva, the head of the Syktyvkar Housing Construction Fund, sees her mission in making Yugyd-Choi the hallmark of the republic.

Written by:
Lara Kopylova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

12 October 2021

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The project of Yugyd-Choi, which translates from Komi as “Bright Mountain”, continues the ideas of Sochi’s Gorky Gorod, designed and built by Mikhail Filippov for the Sochi Olympics 2014. Both towns are based on the town planning system developed by Mikhail Filippov, which summarizes the experience of the great Russian and European traditional cities. However, while Gorky Gorod, which today is a flourishing year-round mountain resort, consists solely of hotels and apartment complexes, Yugyd-Choi was devised as a settlement offering a full range of city functions. According to the project, the town will include schools, a church, a hospital, museums and galleries, and a park with a full-fledged recreational infrastructure – in a word, everything that will do good not only to the residents but to the entire Syktyvkar as well.

zooming — The project of Yugyd-Choi (“Bright Mountain”). Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. Mikhail Filippov architects

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov

A 45-hectare town will be situated on a terrain with a height difference of 14 meters. The architectural ensembles occupy the elongated top part, gradually descending to the river in terraces. On the bank of the river, there is a large chunk of woodland, which, according to the project, will be made into a landscaped park. If we take a look at the master plan, we will see that the Vychegda River (which is, by the way, is 600 meters wide here, almost like the Neva, so there is an opportunity for creating sweeping city views seen from the water) flows down below, while the city is centered around a cultural cluster with a circular square, museums, theaters, and galleries. In the left part of Yugyd-Choi, there is a school with a kindergarten adjoining it, as well as a sports, music, and art schools. In the right part, according to the architect’s plan, there will be the Church of St. Spiridon Trimifuntsky and the spiritual center, and then, even more to the right, there will be a medical cluster.

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The project of Yugyd-Choi (“Bright Mountain”). Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. The master plan Mikhail Filippov architects

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov
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The project of Yugyd-Choi (“Bright Mountain”). Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. Mikhail Filippov architects

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov
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The project of Yugyd-Choi (“Bright Mountain”). Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. Mikhail Filippov architects

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov
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Yugyd-Choi. The location

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov
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The project of Yugyd-Choi (“Bright Mountain”). Syktyvkar, Komi Republic. Mikhail Filippov architects

Copyright: © Mikhail Filippov

Along the entire length of the city, there are nine residential blocks from 3 to 6 stories high, designed in the traditional aesthetics and inspired, as was already said, by the center of St. Petersburg, the most beautiful city in the world, protected by UNESCO. This choice was not accidental. St. Petersburg is one of the few cities that have retained the hierarchy of their skylines: it is dominated by golden spires and domes, which mark the churches and important public buildings. And here, in Yugyd-Choi, the skyline will be dominated by the church dome and the belfry.

The terraced composition of the Bright Mountain

The above-mentioned Gorky Gorod became the starting point of the project for a number of reasons. First, this is a fulfilled prophecy (back in 1984, Mikhail Filippov won an international competition “Style 2001”, organized by the magazines JA and A+U, displaying a series of watercolor paintings, in which the average neighborhood consisting of prefabricated houses gradually gave way to classic architecture, and more than 30 years later the architect did build such a town). Second, Gorky Gorod, in which Filippov’s town planning ideas were tested, became an incredibly popular ski resort, the gem in the crown of Sochi. And third, the customer of Yugyd-Choi, Elena Soboleva, head of the Syktyvkar Housing Construction Fund, specially began to look for the architect Filippov, having visited Gorky Gorod and being amazed at the beauty of the architecture and the town’s festive atmosphere.

For Yugyd-Choi, Mikhail Filippov came up with a terraced composition, which is a favorite technique of his. The first things that come to mind are the terraced ensembles in the Pavchinskaya Poima, on the Krymskaya Embankment, or, again, in Gorky Gorod. Even on a site with a zero height difference – like in “Italian Quarter” on Moscow’s Dolgorukovskaya Street – the architect designs buildings that descend gradually in terraces, recreating a town on a hill, which is always a pretty sight to see. Yugyd-Choi has a natural height difference of 14 meters, descending to the river, and the architecture additionally emphasizes it. The terraced composition of the main residential quarter of Yugyd-Choi, which surrounds the main square, does look striking. Just like in “Italian Quarter”, the buildings gradually decrease in height as they get closer to the square. The buildings that form the square are low-rise galleries and museums. The overall composition is like an antique theater, in the spirit of the Roman theater of Marcellus of II century A.D., which was completed in the later centuries. Courtyards are formed between the residential buildings – and this is a separate subject.

The courtyards of the Silver and Platinum ages

The housing stock in Yugyd-Choi is presented by large “city block” houses of various shapes interspersed with a system of courtyards. The houses overlook the streets with seamless classicist facades, the way you would expect to see in most historical cities. The inner yards are significantly improved in comparison with old cities. What may serve as an example are the famous silver-age buildings of St. Petersburg. These are the courtyards with the colonnade of the Benois House on Kamennoostrovsky avenue and the Tolstoy House designed by Lidval on Rubinstein Street. It was in these buildings that the courtyards became spacious for the first time and received grand facades, solemn arches and propylaea. Today it is extremely fashionable and expensive housing, a hallmark of the city. Mikhail Filippov explored the theme of a grand facade in the courtyard in many of his projects: in “Roman House”, in “Italian Quarters”, and others – now he is taking it to a new level in Yudyd-Choi. The difference is that the yards will become even more spacious and still greener, and the distance between the buildings will be at least 42m, which will help to avoid the undesirable “window-to-window” effect.

This means that in addition to the city facades, executed in the “human-friendly” classical scale, based on architecture of orders, the residents will get excellent yard facades, as well as semi-private vehicle-free spaces (the cars will be forwarded to underground parking garages).

The five rays of the Northern Versailles

The secret of Mikhail Filippov’s town planning system lies in superimposing the radial system over the rectangular Hippodamus grid, plus the curves of the rivers and ravines, made into embankments. Basically, this is how all the great cities of the world are wired. This complexity, brought to order, and this balance of system and freedom, make the city look picturesque, creating vantage points commanding beautiful views, on condition that you have traditional architecture. In Yugyd-Choi, the architect masterfully combines several radial and rectangular systems. Wherever they cross, the city blocks take on a more complex shape, the houses even sometimes stand with their corners facing the street, the way you can sometimes see in Rome, giving the city fabric liveliness and compositional dynamics. The five rays of Yugyd Choi’s park promenades put one in the mind of the famous three rays of Versailles or St. Petersburg, because the rays run from the city’s central square. What it ends up being is some kind of a “radiant city” executed in a classical manner.

Fly, Petal, Fly!

The educational cluster of Yugyd-Choi is represented in full effect. The secondary school was designed by Mikhail Filippov according to modern standards, and in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education – with computer classes and everything else that is needed for modern education. The building consists of eight independent units, which form the heart of the circular schoolyard like flower petals. The courtyard is circled by a warm passage connecting all the buildings and functions: elementary, middle and high school, assembly hall, gymnasium and swimming pool, and so on. There is also a kindergarten adjacent to the school; there are music, art and sports schools nearby.

The church dome as a city landmark

Particular importance in the Yugyd-Choi project is attached to the position of the Church of St. Spiridon Trimifuntsky. The church stands over a steep precipice, and is seen from everywhere: from below, i.e from the side of the river and the park, and from the city. All the streets from the northern residential areas, from the hospital, and from the city center lead to the church. The church’s belfry is the highest point of Yudyd-Choi, just like the belfry of Ivan the Great in the Moscow Kremlin. It is designed as a landmark of this place.

Unlike in a European city, where cathedrals are immersed in a dense urban fabric, the traditions of Russian urban planning are different: here the church is self-sufficient: it stands in the middle of the square, and you can go around it and see it from all sides. The Church of St. Spiridon Trimifuntsky follows the same town planning logic: it stands on a circular square, which in this case is deliberately separated from the town’s main square (also circular) by a shopping mall. According to Mikhail Filippov, the building of the church will be there at the end of several streets, which will definitely “lead to the temple”.

We recover faster in beautiful surroundings

Not far away from the Church of St. Spiridon Trimifuntsky, literally across the street, there will be a medical cluster bordering an enormous park. The hospital, just like the entire town, is designed in the classical tradition of architecture of orders. According to the Russian tradition, hospitals were built in the form of palaces and estates among the greenery, and often these buildings looked more luxurious than royal residences, despite the fact that not necessarily the ruling classes were treated there. Everyone knows the Moscow Sklifosovsky Institute, the former Count Sheremetev Infirmary – a hospital for the poor, as well as the First Gradskaya Hospital on Leninsky Avenue – the former Golitsyn Hospital, built in 1802 by Matvey Kazakov, which today is intended for all segments of the population, but still looks as representative as a royal estate. This was done because we recover faster in beautiful surroundings. That is why, when in London, in 2013, the Chelsea Veterans Society decided to replace a utilitarian 1960s hospital building in the Chelsea Hospital ensemble, which did not suit them aesthetically, they called in a neoclassical architect. The Yugyd-Choi medical cluster is also designed as a classical ensemble immersed in greenery and commanding beautiful views of the city, the river, and the temple.

The “garden city” and the hallmark of the Komi Republic

Since the residential blocks of Yugyd-Choi have a human-friendly height from 3 to 6 floors (which does not affect a rather large yield of useful floor space per hectare), the houses do not rise above the trees, and the city literally swims in greenery. This turns Yugyd-Choi into a garden city – not in the sense of following Howard’s model (even though there are parallels with it) but because of the enormous amount of vegetation. The extensive park with “ray” promenades descends down to the water, where recreational facilities for all generations will be created, including bicycle roads, fishing spots, and a quay yard for rowboats and small riverboats. It is obvious that Yugyd-Choi – “Bright Mountain” will become a center of attraction not only for the residents of the town itself, but for the whole of Syktyvkar. And the beauty of the streets, the dignity and variety of classical architecture, and the picturesque city panoramas can make it the hallmark of the Komi Republic and the entire North-West region.

12 October 2021

Headlines now

Inverted Fortress

This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.

The Paradox of the Temporary

The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.

The Forum of Time

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

Mirrors Everywhere

The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.

Report

The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom

The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.

The Snowstorm Fish

The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.

The Mirror of Your Soul

We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.

Part of the Ideal

In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.

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The Fortress by the River

ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.

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In the Rhombus Grid

Construction has begun on the building of the OMK (United Metallurgical Company) Corporate University in Nizhny Novgorod’s town of Vyksa, designed by Ostozhenka Architects. The most interesting aspect of the project is how the architects immersed it in the context: “extracting” a diagonal motif from the planning grid of Vyksa, they aligned the building, the square, and the park to match it. A truly masterful work with urban planning context on several different levels of perception has long since become the signature technique of Ostozhenka.

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Generational Connection

Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.

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Three Dimensions of the City

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

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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.

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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.

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Architecture and Leisure Park

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

Overview

The U-House

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

​The Northern Versailles

The Northern Versailles