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​Foothills and Peaks

Developed by OSA, the concept of revitalization of the territory of Stankoagregat plant combines two scales: extreme-high towers and relatively “human-friendly” urban villas. In the conditions of ultra-dense construction, this solution makes it possible to vacate territories for public spaces and trees, as well as adapt the project for the conditions of the changing market.

11 April 2022
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The housing complex to be built in the stead of the former Stankoagregat plant is another grand-scale project by Level Group development. The area of the site, acquired by the company, is 7.75 hectares; the company is planning to get a yield of 5,660 apartments, for which it will be necessary to solve a number of tasks of not just architectural and design nature, but also town planning ones. Earlier this year, there was a closed-door competition for the concept of developing this territory, organized by Citymakers. The proposal by OSA was rated high by the judging panel, but did not become the winner of the competition.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


The Nizhegorodsky District, in which the land site is situated, is considered to be one of the most industrialized ones in the capital. This automatically means that it is not really fit for housing construction: scattered all over the territory, the industrial facilities not only pollute the air but also make a lot of noise, complicate the transportation and pedestrian communication between the districts, and get in the way of creating green and public spaces.

Stankoagregat plant is part of the Karacharovo industrial park, delineated by a triangle of railways, whose three sides border on large industrial parks “Graivoronovo”, “Serp i Molot”, and the Moscow Train Engine Repair Plant. On the outside, the block pushes against yet another triangle, this time consisting of highways – the Ryazansky Avenue, the Northeast Chord, and a fragment of the Southwest Chord (to be built later on). 

Nevertheless, despite all these challenges, the territory is gradually transforming and becoming more and more interesting to the investors. Yet another impulse for further development was provided by the construction of the Nizhegorodskaya transportation hub, which is already in operation, but will be fully completed by 2024. Next to it, on the other side of the Ryazansky Avenue, shopping malls and housing complexes are being built: Sreda with a linear park, “Quarters 21/19”, “Aquilon BESIDE”, “Profit”, and “Perovskoe 2”. Some of the territories are also eligible for the program of housing stock renovation.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


The complex built by Level Group, as was already said, will be constructed in the very heart of Karacharovo, on the territory of Stankoagregat plant – an enterprise that took an active part in implementing the first Soviet five-year plan, and was pronounced bankrupt in 2018. The land site is surrounded by warehouses and facilities whose days are probably numbered, as well as by residential buildings of the 1950’s and 1960’e, many of which will be demolished under the housing stock renovation program. When completed, the Level Group will trigger a full makeover of the industrial zone into a residential area, and the architects not so much inscribed the buildings into the context as thought out the strategy of developing Karacharovo in a new capacity.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


Therefore, the concept proposed by OSA goes beyond the confines of the site owned by the client. The adjacent western territory, located across the designed street, is planned for renovation. Here, the architects are proposing a composition of three towers and a sectional “slab” house: such a pattern is better suited for the size of the apartments designed under this program; it also highlights the construction of the main site. The solution was developed on the basis of participation in the competition “Oblik Renovatsii” (“Renovation Image”) – the company is on the winner list on the Golyanovo and Amurskaya sites.  

From the opposite side, the crossing of several streets created a reason for placing here some kind of conspicuous public building – in a densely packed area as this one, a Public Service Center or a Health and Fitness complex, surrounded by trees, would be appropriate. Currently, the site hosts a few industrial facilities.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


All the three sites lying on the outer contour are united by a broad green street that plays the part of the public city space here. This street is faced by mid-rise sections of the co-livings, included in the technical specifications, most of the businesses on the first floors, as well as a spacious park. The landscape of the park gets large-size coniferous and deciduous trees integrated into it, as well as a monument to the factory workers who died during the Second World War. The list of new projects also includes a man-made pond, playgrounds, and sports facilities. It was expected that the park would be landscaped simultaneously with the construction of the first stage of the housing complex, placing the sales office into it, which later on would be made over into a pavilion.

Vitaliy Zuev, Chief Architect of the Project

I consider our proposal for a park connecting the two high-rise complexes to be a local success of our project. This solution not only meets the urban planning requirements for the site regarding the presence of a “natural complex” of the specified size, but also gives the future district a unique public space. This is made possible thanks to the the location of the park on the site and its sheer size.


Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


And finally, regarding the plan of the main site, the architects from the very beginning developed the idea of combining towers and mid-rise sections. Such a model allows you to solve a whole number of tasks: to form comfortable spaces  between the houses, give the complex an interesting silhouette, and achieve greater diversity of the housing typology, as well as to make sure that the overloaded Petrovsky Highway is faced by as few facades as possible.

On the whole, the combination of towers and mid-rise buildings very successfully combines the comfort of urban spaces with high density of construction, due to typological diversity, versatility, and scale. We also try to implement such patterns in mass housing in other regions of Russia, of course, adjusted for the actual number of floors and construction density. The results of this competition gave us even more confidence in this idea.


Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


Eight towers 46 and 68 stories high (150 and 220 meters respectively) are placed in a freehand fashion along the perimeter of the site, forming views that work best from a distance. The stylobate part connects the towers and urban villas, delineating the boundaries of the system of transparent city blocks. In the space created by these blocks, one can clearly read a more habitual mid-rise scale of construction – this happens due to the textured decoration material and the sculptural design of the urban villas, and also due to the architects’ decision to push the towers away from the stylobate contour. The terraced “foothills” are brought in the foreground, and are offset by the backdrop of the “mountain peaks” of the high-rises with their rhythmic facade pattern. The freehand placement of the towers leaves the sky unobstructed, letting the sun peek into every corner of the block.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


As for the high density of the complex, the architects are planning to offset it with spaces between the houses. Private yards with a landscape similar to a natural one are placed on the roofs of the stylobates, connected by overpasses. The sites that are vacant from underground structures are turned into shady boulevards – open to city people, they make the blocks more transparent. The land planning project also includes a site for a kindergarten for 250 kids. The northern part also includes inbuilt kindergartens, placed upon the stylobates.

Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant
Copyright: © OSA architects


The selection of apartments was specially developed for two types of towers and varied from studios to four-room apartments with an area of 106.8 square meters. The urban villas only account for 20% of the total housing space: they are a “reserve” that will give the developer an opportunity to adjust to the realities of the ever-changing market, adding unusual typologies: houses with open terraces, little gardens, or an individual exit to the boulevard.

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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The standard floors
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. 1-room apartments
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. 2-room apartments
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. 3 and 4-room apartments
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. Sections
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. Section view
    Copyright: © OSA architects


The perimeter of the first floor of the stylobate is occupied by commercial premises, lobbies, and entrance groups of the inbuilt  kindergartens; further on, there will be parking spaces. The underground floors will also include parking spaces, elevator halls, maintenance rooms, and utility hubs. The entrance to the territory of the complex is made from the streets; each of the sections can be accessed by local driveways or via the underground parking garage.

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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The master plan
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The fire lanes
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The underground floor
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The first floor
    Copyright: © OSA architects
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    Architectural and town planning concept of developing the territory of Stankoagregat plant. The second floor
    Copyright: © OSA architects


11 April 2022

Headlines now
A Deep, Crystal Shine
A new luxury residential development by ADM architects is set to rise in the Patriarch’s Ponds district, not far from Novopushkinsky Square. It will replace three buildings erected in the early 1990s. The project authors, Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova, have placed their bets on the variety among the three volumes, modern design solutions, and attention to detail: one of the buildings will feature smoothly curved balconies with a ceramic sheen on their undersides, while another will be accented by glass “sculpture” columns.
A Roadside Picnic of Urban Planning Theorists
Marina Egorova, head of Empate Architectural Bureau, brought together urban planning theorists – the successors of Alexey Gutnov and Vyacheslav Glazychev – to revive the substance and depth of professional discourse. At the first meeting, much ground was covered: the participants revisited the theoretical foundations, aligned their values, examined a cutting-edge case of the Kazan agglomeration, and concluded with the unfathomable intricacies of Russian land demarcation. Below, we present key takeaways from all the presentations.
Perspective View
CNTR Architects has designed a business center for a new district in Yekaterinburg, aiming to reduce the need for commuting and make the residential environment more diverse. The architectural solutions are equally focused on creating spatial flexibility, comfortable working conditions, and a memorable image that could allow the building to become a spatial landmark of the district.
Malevich and Bathhouses, Nature and High-Tech
The Malevich Bathhouse complex is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025 on the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway. The project, designed by DBA-GROUP under the leadership of Vladislav Andreev, is an example of an unconventional approach to the image of a spa in general and of a bathhouse in particular. Deliberately avoiding any kind of allusion, the architects opted for streamlined forms with characteristic rounded corners, a combination of wood with bent glass, and restrained contemporary shapes – both inside and out. Let’s take a closer look at the project.
Rather, a Tablecloth and a Glass!
After many years, the long-abandoned Horse Guards Department building in St. Petersburg has finally received the attention it deserves: according to a design by Studio 44, the first restoration and adaptation works are scheduled to begin this year. Both the intended function and the general scope of works imply minimal alteration to the complex, which has preserved traces of its three-century history. All solutions are reversible and aimed, above all, at opening the monument to the city and immersing it in a lively social scene – hence the choice of a cultural center scenario with a strong gastronomic component.
​Materialization of Airflows
The Nikolai Kamov International Airport in Tomsk opened at the end of August last year. We have already written about the project – now we are taking a look at the completed building. Its functionality is reinforced by symbolic undertones: the architects at ASADOV sought to reflect local identity in the architecture as fully as possible.
The City as a Narrative
Sergey Skuratov’s approach to large urban plots could best be described as a “total design code”. The architect pays equal attention to the overall composition and the smallest of details, striving to ensure that every aspect is thoroughly thought out and subordinated to the original vision. It’s a Renaissance-like approach, really – a titanic effort demanding remarkable willpower and perseverance. The results are likewise grand – architecture that makes a statement. This article looks at the revived concept for the central section of the Seventh Heaven residential district in Kazan, a composition so thoroughly considered that even the “gradient of visual emphasis” (sic!) across the facades has been carefully worked out. It also touches on the narrative idea behind the project – and even the architect’s own doubts about it.
A Garden of Hope for Freedom
In October, at the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, the Prison Yard Garden opened on the site that had served as a prison from the 18th century until the Khrushchev Thaw. The architectural concept was developed by NOῨD Short Film, and the landscape design by the MOX landscape bureau. In fact, there are two gardens here – very different ones. We try to understand whether they evoke the right emotions in visitors, while also showing the beauty of June’s ruderal plants in bloom.
A Laconic Image of Time
The Time Square residential complex, built on the northern edge of St. Petersburg, appears more concise and efficient than its neighbor and predecessor, the New Time complex. Nevertheless, the architect’s hand is clearly felt: themes of “black and white”, “inside and outside”, and most notably, the “lamellar” quality of the facades that seems to visibly “eat away” at the buildings’ mass – everything is played out like a well-written score. One is reminded of both classical modernism and the so-called “post-constructivism”.
The Flower of the Lake
The prototype for the building of the Kamal Theater in Kazan is an ice flower: a rare and fragile natural phenomenon of Lake Kaban “froze” in the large, soaring outlines of the glass screens enclosing the main volume, shaping its silhouette and shielding the stained-glass windows from the sun. The project, led by the Wowhaus consortium and including global architecture “star” Kengo Kuma, won the 2021/2022 competition and was realized close to the original concept in a short – very short – period of time. The theater opened in early 2025. It was Kengo Kuma who proposed the image of an ice flower and the contraposition of cold on the outside and warmth on the inside. Between 2022 and 2024, Wowhaus did everything possible to bring this vision to life, practically living on-site. Now we are taking a closer look at this landmark building and its captivating story.
Peaceful Integration on Mira Avenue
The MIRA residential complex (the word mir means “peace” in Russian), perched above the steep banks of the Yauza River and Mira Avenue, lives up to its name not only technically, but also visually and conceptually. Sleek, high-rise, and glass-clad, it responds both to Zholtovsky’s classicism and to the modernism of the nearby “House on Stilts”. Drawing on features from its neighbors, it reconciles them within a shared architectural language rooted in contemporary façade design. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done.
An Interior for a New Format of Education
The design of the new building for Tyumen State University (TyumSU) was initially developed before the pandemic but later revised to meet new educational requirements. The university has adopted a “2+2+2” system, which eliminates traditional divisions into groups and academic streams in favor of individualized study programs. These changes were implemented swiftly – right at the start of construction. Now that the building is complete, we are taking a closer look.
Penthouses and Kokoshniks
A new residential complex designed by ASADOV Architects for the Krasnaya Roza business district responds to its proximity to 17th-century landmarks – the chambers of the Hamovny Dvor and St. Nicholas Church – as well as to the need to preserve valuable façades of a historic rental house built in the Russian Revival style. The architects proposed a set of buildings of varying heights, whose façades reference ecclesiastical architecture. But we were also able to detect other associations.
Centipede Town
The new school campus designed by ATRIUM Architects, located on the shores of a protected lake in the Imeretian Lowland Ornithological Reserve, represents an important and ambitious undertaking for the team: this is not just a school, but a Presidential Lyceum for the comprehensive development of gifted children – 2,500 students from age 3 through high school. At the same time, it is also envisioned as a new civic hub for the entire Sirius territory. In this article, we unpack the structure and architecture of this “lyceum town”.
Warm Black and White
The second phase of “Quarter 31”, designed by KPLN and built in the Moscow suburb town of Pushkino, reveals a multifaceted character. At first glance, the complex appears to be defined by geometry and a monochrome palette. But a closer look reveals a number of “irregular” details: a gradient of glazing and flared window frames, a hierarchy of façades, volumetric brickwork, and even architectural references to natural phenomena. We explore all the rules – and exceptions – that we were able to discover here.
​Skylights and Staircase
Photos from March show the nearly completed headquarters of FSK Group on Shenogina Street. The building’s exterior is calm and minimalist; the interior is engaging and multi-layered. The conical skylights of the executive office, cast in raw concrete, and the sweeping spiral staircase leading to it, are particularly striking. In fact, there’s more than one spiral staircase here, and the first two floors effectively form a small shopping center. More below.
The Whale of Future Identity
Or is it a veil? Or a snow-covered plain? Vera Butko, Anton Nadtochy, and the architects of ATRIUM faced a complex and momentous task: to propose a design for the “Russia” National Center. It had to be contemporary, yet firmly rooted in cultural codes. Unique, and yet subtly reminiscent of many things at once. It must be said – the task found the right authors. Let’s explore in detail the image they envisioned.
Greater Altai: A Systemic Development Plan
The master plan for tourism development in Greater Altai encompasses three regions: Kuzbass, the Altai Republic, and Altai Krai. It is one of twelve projects developed as part of the large-scale state program bearing the simple name of “Tourism Development”. The project’s slogan reads: “Greater Altai – a place of strength, health, and spirit in the very heart of Siberia”. What are the proposed growth points, and how will the plan help increase the flow of both domestic and international tourists? Read on to find out.
The Colorful City
While working on a large-scale project in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district – one that has yet to be given a name – Kleinewelt Architekten proposed not only a diverse array of tower silhouettes in “Empire-style” hues and a thoughtful mix of building heights, creating a six-story “neo-urbanist” city with a block-based layout at ground level, but also rooted their design in historical and contextual reasoning. The project includes the reconstruction of several Stalin-era residential buildings that remain from the postwar town of Kuntsevo, as well as the reconstruction of a 1953 railway station that was demolished in 2017.
In Orbit of Moscow City
The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.
The Altai Ornament
The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.
Pro Forma
Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.
The Arch and the Triangle
The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.
Health Factory
While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.
The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest
The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.
Grace and Unity
Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.
Daring Brilliance
In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.
A Twist of the Core
A clever and concise sculptural solution – rotating each floor by N degrees – has created an ensemble of “dancing” towers: similar yet different, simple yet complex. The designers meticulously refined a single structural node and spent considerable effort on the column construction – after that, “everything else was easy”. The architects also rotated the core walls on each floor to maximize the efficiency of the office spaces.
The Sculpting of Spring Forest Matter
We’ve been observing this building for a couple of years now: seemingly simple, perhaps even unassuming, it fits in remarkably well with the micro-district context shaped by the Moscow MCD road junctions. This building sticks in the memory of everyone who drives along the highway, even occasionally. In our opinion, Sergey Nikeshkin, by blending popular architectural techniques and approaches of the 2010s, managed to turn a seemingly simple structure into a statement “on the theme of a house as such”. Let’s figure out how this happened.