First among Equals

The building of a kindergarten in the town of Beloyarsky is more than just another example of a modern educational space. Its design began a long time ago; it is located in Russia’s Far North; it is also a state-owned facility that is subject to regulations, and had to cut costs during construction (as usual). However, the design is contemporary, the layout is modern, and the building feels very fresh. The project is planned to be replicated.

Written by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

24 April 2023

Object

The architectural company City-Arch developed the project for a 220-children kindergarten back in 2014 – at that time, such projects in the field of education were rare, and there were none within the framework of state commissions. In other words, this project is the first of its kind in this country.

So it is especially noteworthy that it was the authorities of the small northern town of Beloyarsky, with a population of about 20,000 people and an average winter air temperature of about 43 degrees below zero Celsius, who initiated the construction of a truly innovative kindergarten. Back in 2014, the “City-Arch” project seemed so remote from traditional views that the prospect of its implementation looked vague and required serious reform of the regulatory framework. This is one of the reasons why the implementation took more than seven years.

zooming — Kindergarten in Beloyarsky.

Copyright: City-Arch

As Anton Lukomsky, the chief architect and managing partner of City-Arch, explained, at the initial stage, the architects closely collaborated with the creators of the educational program “Yugorsky Tramplin”, specially developed for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, as well as thoroughly studied the European and global standards of modern educational facilities, based on the principles of a comprehensive approach to the education and upbringing of children. As a result, an unconventional layout of the kindergarten appeared, which allows children of different ages to communicate with each other.

In addition to creating a modern educational environment, the architects faced difficult tasks of optimizing the area and achieving energy efficiency of the building in the conditions of the Far North. The process of project approval and passing it through the expertise was even more complicated, taking into account the strict construction and sanitary norms, most of which were outdated at that time.

The struggle against restrictions and bureaucratic processes significantly prolonged the construction process.

To implement this project in collaboration with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Education, and Rospotrebnadzor, it was necessary to make a few amendments to the regulatory framework. Fire safety standards, sanitary norms, and much more were changed. As a result, we were still able to pass the examination and practically implement a federally owned project with limited budget, which was ordered by the Department of Education of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District.

If the task set before the architects, which was to design a kindergarten based on modern pedagogical principles, could be understood as a conceptual challenge, then the location became a challenge in its own right in terms of natural geography. The building is located in a new residential District 3A. The plot is delineated on one side by the Mira Street, and on the other by the large Shkolnoye Lake, which serves as the natural eastern boundary of the city and is part of a vast system of rivers, streams, canals, lakes, and swamps – there are about a thousand of them in the Beloyarsky district. Permafrost here is combined with swampy wetlands, and besides, the city is small and located far from large settlements, and the period of relatively comfortable delivery of building materials is short: the nearest railway station Priobye is 240 km away in winter, and 48 km away in summer if you use a ferry crossing.

And yet, if the design and approval took six years, then the construction was carried out quickly and took approximately one year – work began in 2020, and in early May 2021, the grand opening took place.

“It turned out that all European methods for building a kindergarten in such a harsh climate do not work – said Anton Lukomsky, chief architect and managing partner of City-Arch – Therefore, in order to achieve good energy efficiency performance, we had to conduct a kind of scientific work, which involves serious analysis and energy modeling.”

The authors based the design of the building on the concept of a passive house, which includes efficient orientation with respect to the cardinal points. The building is placed in the northern part of the site, which is calm and flat without any elevation changes. This allows the illuminated southern side to be maximally cleared for sports fields and playgrounds.

In terms of structure, two main volumes can be identified that form the building: a stretched two-story block with classrooms, oriented southward, and an adjacent diamond-shaped block with a sloping roof, located in the north. The roof height decreases from the south to the north, protecting the volume from cold winds. Under its slope, there are music and sports halls, a swimming pool, a medical office, a food block with a kitchen equipped with a separate entrance and loading area, as well as technical, domestic, and administrative rooms. That is, everything that does not require a large amount of light and can generally get by with a minimal amount of windows to retain heat. At the same time, on the south side, the windows are large, square, with triple-glazed units, capturing maximum sunlight and, in terms of their heat engineering, are virtually as effective as the walls covered with 400 mm thick mineral wool insulation. During the short but sunny summer in Beloyarask, the same windows protect the rooms from overheating due to special multifunctional spraying. The building is also protected from heat loss by a massive airtight shell with a closed thermal perimeter without “cold bridges” and a well-insulated foundation and roof. The thermal contour of the foundation, which protects against permafrost melting, allowed the volume not to be raised above the ground on supports.

The junction of the two main volumes of the building is the highest point. Here, the architects have placed a large double-height play area, which became the main innovation of the project, opposing the traditional corridor system and the principle of isolated classrooms. The latter is still considered a mandatory condition for the construction of any Russian kindergarten. In Beloyarsk, however, according to the architects’ concept, children of all ages have the opportunity to communicate and play with each other. They spend about two hours a day in the common play area – before breakfast, when they are first brought to the kindergarten, and after dinner, when the little ones are waiting for their parents. In addition, the play area is an excellent place for holding holidays and events, in which all children can participate together, rather than separate groups, as is customary in most kindergartens. And this is also a great opportunity for communication.

The central communication core with designated soft resting zones gathers around itself all the rooms of the kindergarten. Group rooms, classrooms, and a swimming pool open onto it. It is overlooked by the bypass galleries of the second floor, connected to the first floor by a staircase and a spiral slide. Transformable partitions connect the play area with the sports and music halls.

The proposed layout, in which not only corridors but also a basement level are absent, allowed, among other things, to reduce the total area of the building to 14.7 m² per child, which means reducing heating costs. At the same time, the play area for one child has increased by more than four times.

On the first floor, there are classrooms for younger children, while the second floor is for older ones, with the possibility of transforming them into elementary school classrooms. The group rooms in the Beloyarsk kindergarten are designed as a single space that is zoned with the help of soft sliding partitions and transformable furniture. Using partitions during quiet hours, a sleeping area is made, and sliding triple bunk beds are used for sleep. At other times, the entire area of the room, including the changing rooms, is used for games and activities.

There was no specific order to work on the interior design of the group rooms, but the architects from City-Arch, as is often the case, took responsibility for it, offering recommendations on space organization, color codes, and selecting convenient, lightweight, and transformable furniture.

However, the specific features of these interiors were largely predetermined by the architecture of the building, with varying-sized square windows, some of which are located almost at the ceiling, while others are slightly above the floor level, allowing children to observe what is happening outside.

The facades were initially supposed to be faced with porcelain stoneware with a wood texture, but due to budget constraints, preference was given to aluminum cassettes. And to maintain the architectural image proposed in the project, the manufacturer specially executed color printing under the wood on the aluminum surface for the Beloyarsky kindergarten. This was a kind of experiment. The first floor, also made of metal cassettes, turned out to be brighter. Three entrance areas on the south side, allowing children to find their group without error, were highlighted in color.

The architects also experimented with the territory of the kindergarten. Despite the regulation standards, it is inevitably surrounded by a fence, yet the kindergarten yard became an important accent for the entire residential area. The paving of the paths resembles the winding rivers of the Beloyarsky district, and in addition to separate playgrounds, a common “mini-square” is provided, which serves as a communication hub, similar to the common play area inside the building.

Part of the sloping roof of the building was planned to be turned into a slide, but this idea was later abandoned in favor of an amphitheater in the western part of the second floor level; however, in winter, children do use it as a slide.

The kindergarten in Beloyarysk is an example of a high-quality educational space designed for comfortable communication between children. There are more and more such examples today, and such new schools and kindergartens are widely discussed. Another interesting thing about the Beloyarsk kindergarten is that, first of all, it admits children of a very young age, secondly, it is not state-owned, and finally, it was built very far away and in very difficult conditions, and very quickly too. It represents an example of architects’ persistent struggle for the values of the modern world: openness, communication, light, and beauty. All of this is achievable and implementable if you set the task and put your heart into it. Currently, there is a discussion about the idea of replicating the project in other areas of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District.

24 April 2023

Headlines now

Review

Living in the Architecture of One’s Own Making

Do architects design houses for themselves? You bet! In this article, we are examining a new book by TATLIN publishing house. This book – unprecedented for Russia – features 52 private homes designed and built by contemporary architects for themselves. It includes houses that are famous, even iconic, as well as lesser-known ones; large and small, stylish and eccentric. To some extent, the book reflects the history of Russian architecture over the past 30 years.

Object

A City Block Isoline

Another competition project for a residential complex on the banks of the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod has been prepared by Studio 44. A team of architects led by Ivan Kozhin concluded that using a regular block layout in such a location would be inappropriate and developed a “custom design” approach: a chain of parceled multi-section buildings stretching along the entire embankment. Let’s explore the features and advantages of this unconventional method.

Report

Competition: The Price of Creativity?

Any day now, we’re expecting the results of a competition held by the “Samolet” development group for a plot in Kommunarka. In the meantime, we share the impressions of Editor-in-Chief Julia Tarabarina, who managed to conduct a public talk. Though technically focused on the interaction between developers and architects, the public talk turned into a discussion about the pros and cons of architectural competitions.

Object

Terraced Design

The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.

A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments

We continue our coverage of the competition projects for the residential district that the development company GloraX plans to build along the embankment of the Rowing Channel in Nizhny Novgorod. ASADOV Architects approached the concept through a deep dive into local identity, using storytelling to pinpoint a central idea for the design: the master plan and composition are imagined as if a meteorite had struck a “proto-Kremlin”. Sounds weird? Find more details below!

Contest Results

The Volga Regatta

GloraX plans to develop a residential complex spanning 14 hectares along the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod. The winning design in a closed-door competition, created by GORA Architects, features housing typologies ranging from townhouses to terraced high-rise slabs, a balance of functions, diverse ways of engaging with the water, and even a dedicated island (no less!) for the city residents.

Object

Life Plans

The master plan for the residential district “Prityazheniye” (“Gravity”) in Naberezhnye Chelny was developed by the architectural company A.Len, taking into account the specific urban planning context and partially implemented solutions of the first phase. However, the master plan prioritized its own values: a green framework, a system of focal points, a hierarchy of spaces, and pedestrian priority. After this, the question of what residents will do in their neighborhood simply doesn’t arise.

Object

A New Track

We took a thorough look at D_Station, a railcar repair depot dating back to 1906, recently reconstructed while preserving its century-old industrial structure, upon the project by Sergey Trukhanov and T+T Architects. Though work on the interiors – set to house restaurants and public spaces – is still underway, the building’s exterior already offers plenty to see. Visitors can explore the blend of old and new brickwork, appreciate the architect’s unique interpretation of ruin aesthetics, and enjoy the newly built pedestrian route that connects the Citydel Business Center’s arches to Kazakova Street.

Report

Four Different Surveys

The “Explore the City” competition, organized this year by the Genplan Institute of Moscow, stands out as a pretty unconventional one for the architectural field but aligns perfectly well with the character of urban planning work. The winning project analyzed contemporary residential complexes, combining urban planning insights with a realtor’s perspective to propose a hybrid approach. Other entries explored public centers, motivations for car ownership, and housing vacancy rates. A fifth participant withdrew. Here’s a closer look at the four completed works.

Report

Scheduled Evolution

ASADOV Architects unveiled the EvyCenter pavilion, a microcultural hub for fostering personal growth, organizing workshops, and doing gymnastics. Additionally, this pavilion serves as a prototype for a scalable country house, drawing inspiration from the “Loskutok” project, and constructed from CLT panels in a factory. This marks the beginning of a developer project initiated by the architectural firm (sic!), which is seeking partners to expand both small Evy settlements and even larger Evy cities, which are, according to Andrey Asadov, aimed at fostering the “evolutionary” development of the people who will inhabit them.

Object

The Golden Crown

The concept for a dental clinic in Yekaterinburg, developed by CNTR Studio, revolves around the idea of a “mouth full of gold”: pristine white porcelain stoneware walls are complemented by matte brass details. To avoid an overly literal interpretation, the architects focused on the building’s proportions, skillfully navigating between sunlight requirements and fire safety regulations.

News

Flexibility and Integration

Not long ago, we covered the project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential complex, designed by APEX. Now, we’ve been shown different fence concepts they developed to enclose the complex’s private courtyards, incorporating a variety of public functions. We believe that the sheer fact that the complex’s architects were involved in such a detail as fencing speaks volumes.

Object

A Step Forward

The HIDE residential complex represents a major milestone for ADM architects and their leaders Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova in their quest for a fresh high-rise aesthetic – one that is flexible and layered, capable of bringing vibrancy to mass and silhouette while shaping form. Over recent years, this approach has become ADM’s “signature style”, with the golden HIDE tower playing a pivotal role in its evolution. Here, we delve into the project’s story, explore the details of the complex’s design, and uncover its core essence.

Object

Gold in the Sands

A new office for a transcontinental company specializing in resource extraction and processing has opened in Dubai. Designed by T+T Architects, masters of creating spaces that are contemporary, diverse, flexible, and original, this project exemplifies their expertise. On the executive floor, a massive brass-clad partition dominates, while layered textures of compressed earth create a contextually resonant backdrop.

Object

Layers and Levels of Flight

This project goes way back – Reserve Union won this architectural competition at the end of 2011, and the building was completed in 2018, so it’s practically “archival”. However, despite being relatively unknown, the building can hardly be considered “dated” and remains a prime example of architectural expression, particularly in the headquarters genre. And it’s especially fitting for an aviation company office. In some ways, it resembles the Aeroflot headquarters at Sheremetyevo but with its own unique identity, following the signature style of Vladimir Plotkin. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in the Moscow agglomeration town of Zhukovsky, supplemented by recent photographs from Alexey Naroditsky – a shoot that became only recently possible due to the fact that improvements were finally made in the surrounding area.

Object

Light and Shadow

In this article, we delve into the architectural design of the “Chaika” house by DNK ag architects, which was recently completed in 2023 as part of the collection of signature designs at ZILArt. As is well-known, all the buildings in this complex follow a design code, yet each one is distinct. This particular building stands out not only for its whiteness and minimalism but also for the refined use of a limited number of techniques that, together, create what can confidently be called synergy.

View

Casus Novae

A master plan was developed for a large residential area with a name of “DNS City”, but now that its implementation began, the plan has been arbitrarily reformatted and replaced with something that, while similar on the surface, is actually quite different. This is not the first time such a thing happens, but it’s always frustrating. With permission from the author, we are sharing Maria Elkina’s post.

Report

Treasure Hunting

The GAFA bureau, in collaboration with Tegola and Arkhitail, organized an expedition to the island of Kilpola in Karelia as part of Moskomarkhitektura’s “Open City” festival. There, amidst moss and rocks, the students sought answers to questions like: what is the sacred, where does it dwell, and what sustains it? Assisting the participants in this quest were landscape engineer Evgeny Levin, artist Nicholas Roerich, a moose, and the lack of cellular connection. Here’s how the story unfolded.

Object

Depths of the Earth, Streams of Water

In the Malaya Okhta district, the Akzent building, designed by Stepan Liphart, was constructed. It follows a classic tripartite structure, yet it’s what you might call “hand-drawn”: each façade is unique in its form and details, some of which aren’t immediately noticeable. In this article, we explore the context and, together with the architect, delve into how the form was developed.

Object

Fir Tree Dynamics

The “Airports of Region” holding is planning to build an airport in Karachay-Cherkessia, aiming to make the Arkhyz and Dombay resorts more accessible to travelers. The project that won in an invitation-only competition, submitted by Sergey Nikeshkin’s KPLN, blends natural imagery inspired by the shape of a conifer seed, open-air waiting spaces, majestic large trees, and a green roof elevated on needle-like columns. The result is both nature-inspired and WOW.

Object

A Brick Shell

In the process of designing a clubhouse situated among pine trees in a prestigious suburban area near Moscow, the architectural firm “A.Len” did the façade design part. The combination of different types of brick and masonry correlates with the volumetric and plastique solutions, further enhanced by the inclusion of wood-painted fragments and metal “glazing”.

Report

Word Forms

ATRIUM architects love ambitious challenges, and for the firm’s thirtieth anniversary, they boldly play a game of words with an exhibition that dives deep into a self-created vocabulary. They immerse their projects – especially art installations – into this glossary, as if plunging into a current of their own. You feel as if you’re flowing through the veins of pure art, immersed in a universe of vertical cities, educational spaces – of which the architects are true masters – and the cultural codes of various locations. But what truly captivates is the bold statement that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy make, both through their work and this exhibition: architecture, above all, is art – the art of working with form and space.

Object

Flexibility and Acuteness of Modernity

Luxurious, fluid, large “kokoshniks” and spiral barrel columns, as if made from colorful chewing gum: there seem to be no other mansion like this in Moscow, designed in the “Neo-Russian-Modern” style. And the “Teremok” on Malaya Kaluzhskaya, previously somewhat obscure, has “come alive with new colors” and gained visibility after its restoration for the office of the “architectural ecosystem” as the architects love to call themselves. It’s evident that Julius Borisov and the architects at UNK put their hearts into finding this new office and bringing it up to date. Let’s delve into the paradoxes of this mansion’s history and its plasticity. Spoiler: two versions of modernity meet here, both balancing on the razor’s edge of “what’s current”.

Interview

Yuri Vissarionov: “A modular house does not belong to the land”

It belongs to space, or to the air... It turns out that 3D printing is more effective when combined with a modular approach: the house is built in a workshop and then adapted to the site, including on uneven terrain. Yuri Vissarionov shares his latest experience in designing tourist complexes, both in central Russia and in the south. These include houseboats, homes printed from lightweight concrete using a 3D printer, and, of course, frame houses.

Object

Moscow’s First

“The quality of education largely depends on the quality of the educational environment”. This principle of the last decade has been realized by Sergey Skuratov in the project for the First Moscow Gymnasium on Rostovskaya Embankment in the Khamovniki district. The building seamlessly integrates into the complex urban landscape, responding both to the pedestrian flow of the city and the quiet alleyways. It skillfully takes advantage of the height differences and aligns with modern trends in educational space design. Let’s take a closer look.

Object

Looking at the Water

The site of Villa Sonata stretches from the road to the water’s edge, offering its own shoreline, pier, and a picturesque river panorama. To reveal these sweeping views, Roman Leonidov “cut” the façade diagonally parallel to the river, thus getting two main axes for the house and, consequently, “two heads”. The internal core – two double-height spaces, a living room and a conservatory, with a “bridge” above them – makes the house both “transparent” and filled with light.

Object

The White Wing

Well, it’s not exactly white. It’s more of a beige, white-stone structure that plays with the color of limestone – smoother surfaces are lighter, while rougher ones are darker. This wing unites various elements: it absorbs and interprets the surrounding themes. It responds to everything, yet maintains a cohesive expression – a challenging task! – while also incorporating recognizable features of its own, such as the dynamic cuts at the bottom, top, and middle.

Object

Urban Dunes

The XSA Ramps team designed and built a three-part sports hub for a park in Rostov-on-Don, welcoming people of all ages and fitness levels. The skate plaza, pump track, and playground are all meticulously crafted with details that attract a diverse range of visitors. The technical execution of the shapes and slopes transforms this space into a kind of sculptural composition.

Object

Proportional Growth

The project for the fourth phase of the ÁLIA residential area has been announced. The buildings are situated on an elongated plot – almost a “ray” that shoots out from the center of the area towards the river. Their layout reflects both a response to Moscow’s architectural preferences over the past 15 years, shifting “from blocks to towers”, and an interpretation of the neighboring business park designed by SOM. Additionally, the best apartments here are not located at the very top but closer to the middle, forming a glowing “waistline”.

Object

The “Staircase” Building

In designing the “Details” residential complex in New Moscow, Rais Baishev spiced up the now-popular Moscow theme of a “courtyard” building with an idea drawn from the surrealist drawings by Maurits Escher. He envisioned the stepped silhouettes and descending slopes as a metaphysical mega-staircase, creating a key void within the courtyard that gave the project an internal “spine”. This concept is felt both in the building’s silhouette and on its façades.