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​A Hill behind the Wall

The master plan of a new residential area in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, developed by the Genplan Institute of Moscow with the participation of Kengo Kuma & Associates, is based on the complexities and advantages of the relief of the foothills: the houses are arranged in cascades, and multi-level improvement penetrates all the blocks, continuing in forest trails.

16 January 2023
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This year, the Genplan Institute of Moscow has completed work on the master plan and land use and development regulations for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, determining the city’s development strategy for the next 20 years. The residential complex “Uyun Park”, designed for 10,000 residents, is part of this strategy. Accordingly, the master plan was developed with serious analysis behind it and an understanding of the needs of the agglomeration’s residents.

Maxim Vikulin, the head of architectural and planning office

We worked on the master plan for the entire city and, thus, participated in all stages of designing the future area. We had a good understanding of the role of the location, as well as transportation, geological, and natural conditions. We had a comprehensive picture of the area that pointed to the opportunities and directions for development.


Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is sandwiched between two mountain ranges and stretches from north to south. The micro-district “Uyun Park”, named after the nearby Uyunovka River, will be located on the city’s northeastern outskirts, where the urban environment gradually dissolves into industrial buildings, fences, and siding, and the plain gives way to forest-covered foothills. It is the natural and impressive beauty of these foothills that becomes the value that the authors of the project are focusing on.

Strangely enough, Uyun will become one of the few, and certainly the largest, complexes built on the relief in the city, with a significant elevation difference of 150 meters on the site. When the concept was still in the development stage, the client invited the Japanese bureau Kengo Kuma & Associates, which suggested grouping the houses into three tiers: the lowermost one was named “Forest Garden”, the middle one “Steps”, and the upper one “Stone Garden”.

Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


The Genplan Institute of Moscow further fine-tuned the arrangement of the houses on these tiers, of which there will be just over 40, in accordance with the site’s limitations, including seismic activity, ground waters, possible landslides, and complex insolation. “Forest Garden” is located on the plain and consists of several clusters of towers 17 floors high. “Steps” consist of multi-sectional plate houses with 12 floors. “Stone Garden” consists of houses with a more complex silhouette and accents up to 12 floors high. Thus, as the relief height increases, the number of floors decreases, and the maximum number of apartments receives views of hills, valleys, forests, and the city.

Alexander Kotenkov, Genplan Institute of Moscow

The main challenge of this project was dealing with the complex natural conditions, the relief being the main one of them. Already at the stage of planning, issues related to vertical planning and engineering protection of the territory were thoroughly worked out. The planning structure of the block, due to the unique natural environment of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, turned out to be non-standard and not typical for the typology of the PIK Group development.


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    Uyun area
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Each tier has a standalone kindergarten and a shared school with a stadium that can accommodate 1,800 students. The school building has the potential to become a significant landmark for the area: the 40-meter elevation difference on the selected site suggests a complex vertical layout that can result in an expressive architectural form. Whatever the outcome may be, the building’s integration into the relief and the absence of obstructive construction will allow children to have daily contact with a highly aesthetic environment: it will be enough to look out the window or play ball during the sports periods.

Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


All the tiers are connected by a serpentine road, along which the architects place multi-level garages – underground parking lots would have been impractical and costly in such relief and hydrological conditions. Given the high level of motorization in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, where families often have two cars – one for the city and one for the countryside – and a limited number of open parking spaces, garages will be in demand among future residents. For the residents’ convenience, public transport stops are also provided and located at a comfortable distance.

Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


The free placement of houses and the absence of thoroughfares leave space for extensive home territories. They flow into each other and form not the usual closed courtyards, but rather a unified park area that runs through the entire area from the lower to the upper levels. Originally, it was planned to preserve the stream located on the site so that it could become the axis of recreational space, but the idea had to be abandoned due to engineering safety considerations.

The relief of the area provides diverse landscaping opportunities – the architects plan to fill the “yards” with amphitheaters, terraces, hills, and climbing areas. Both active and quiet walking areas are envisaged, as well as places for work and sheltered spaces. Importantly, the environment is barrier-free – steps, thresholds, and curbs are absent or duplicated by ramps, and all inclines are based on norms oriented towards people with limited mobility. Bike paths will also be laid along the wide sidewalks. The network of cross-links will make it possible to shorten the distance.

Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


The green framework of the area is connected to forest trails and routes that lead to hills, waterfalls, rivers, and other natural attractions. Going for a walk from home, in ten minutes one can find themselves in a beautiful and quite wild forest. This kind of leisure activity is familiar to city dwellers: hiking, trekking, and skiing are popular here.

The absence of large public facilities in the area is compensated by the “commercial contour” of the ground floors of the buildings and is explained by the scale of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: it takes 30 minutes to get to the airport, which is located at the opposite end of the city. In addition, the complex will undoubtedly give an impulse to the development of neighboring areas. Moreover, in accordance with the city’s master plan, a large investment project “Agropark” will be implemented on the adjacent territory, and recreational areas will appear, which will allow us to speak about a new multifunctional center of the city with jobs and points of attraction.
Uyun area
Copyright: © Genplan Institute of Moscow, PIK project


16 January 2023

Headlines now
​The Power of Lines
The building at the very beginning of New Arbat is the result of long deliberations over how to replace the former House of Communication. Contemporary, dynamic, and even somewhat zoomorphic in character, it is structured around a large diagonal grid. The building has become a striking accent both in the perspective of the former Kalinin Avenue and in the panorama of Arbat Square. Yet, unfortunately, the original concept was not fully realized. In 2020, the Moscow ArchCouncil approved a design featuring an exoskeleton – an external load-bearing structure, which eventually turned into a purely decorative element. Still, the power of the supergraphic “holds” the building, giving it the qualities of a new urban landmark with iconic potential. How this concept took shape, what unexpected associations might underlie the grid’s form, and why the exoskeleton was never built – all this is explored in our article.
Resort on the Kama River
Wowhaus has developed a project for the reconstruction of Korabelnaya Roshcha (“Mast Grove”), a wellness resort located on the banks of the Kama River.
Nests in Primorye
The eco-park project “Nests”, designed by Aleksey Polishchuk and the company Power Technologies, received first prize at the Eco-Coast 2025 festival, organized by the Union of Architects of Russia. For a glamping site in Filinskaya Bay, the authors proposed bird-shaped houses, treehouses, and a nest-shaped observation platform, topping it all with an entrance pavilion executed in the shape of an owl.
The Angle of String Tension
The House of Music, designed by Vladimir Plotkin and the architects of TPO Reserve, resembles a harp, and when seen from above, even a bass clef. But if only it were that simple! The architecture of the complex fuses two distinct expressive languages: the lattice-like, transparent, permeable vocabulary of “classical” modernism and the sculptural, ribbon-like volumes so beloved by today’s neo-modernism. How it all works – where the catharsis lies, which compositional axes underpin the design, where the project resembles Zaryadye Concert Hall and where it does not – read in the article below.
How Historic Tobolsk Becomes a Portal to the Future
Over the past decade, the architectural company Wowhaus has developed urban strategies for several Russian cities – Vyksa, Tula, and Nizhnekamsk, to name but a few. Against this backdrop, the Tobolsk master plan stands out both for its scale – the territory under transformation covers more than 220 square kilometers – and for its complexity.
St. Petersburg vs Rome
The center of St. Petersburg is, as we know, sacred – but few people can say with certainty where this “sacred place” actually begins and ends. It’s not about the formal boundaries, “from the Obvodny Canal to the Bolshaya Nevka”, but about the vibe that feels true to the city center. With the Nevskaya Ratusha complex – built to a design that won an international competition – Evgeny Gerasimov and Sergei Tchoban created an “image of the center” within its territory. And not so much the image of St. Petersburg itself, as that of a global metropolis. This is something new, something that hasn’t appeared in the city for a long time. In this article, we study the atmosphere, recall precedents, and even reflect on who and when first called St. Petersburg the “new Rome”. Clearly, the idea is alive for a reason.
On the Wave
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Valery Kanyashin: “We Were Given a Free Hand”
The Headliner residential complex, the main part of which was recently completed just across from Moscow City, is a kind of neighbor to the MIBC that doesn’t “play along” with it. On the contrary, the new complex is entirely built on contrast: like a city of differently scaled buildings that seems to have emerged naturally over the past 20 years – which is a hugely popular trend nowadays! And yet here – perhaps only here – such a project has been realized to its full potential. Yes, high-rises dominate, but all these slender, delicate profiles, all these exciting perspectives! And most importantly – how everything is mixed and composed together... We spoke with the project’s leader Valery Kanyashin.
​The Keystone
Until quite recently, premium residential and office complexes in Moscow were seen as the exclusive privilege of the city center. Today the situation is changing: high-quality architecture is moving beyond the confines of the Third Ring Road and appearing on the outskirts. The STONE Kaluzhskaya business center is one such example. Projects like this help decentralize the megalopolis, making life and work prestigious in any part of the city.
Perpetuum Mobile
The interior of the headquarters of Natsproektstroy, created by the IND studio team, vividly and effectively reflects the client’s field of activity – it is one of Russia’s largest infrastructure companies, responsible for logistics and transport communications of every kind you can possibly think of.
Water and Light
Church art is full of symbolism, and part of it is truly canonical, while another part is shaped by tradition and is perceived by some as obligatory. Because of this kind of “false conservatism”, contemporary church architecture develops slowly compared to other genres, and rarely looks contemporary. Nevertheless, there are enthusiasts in this field out there: the cemetery church of Archangel Michael in Apatity, designed by Dmitry Ostroumov and Prokhram bureau, combines tradition and experiment. This is not an experiment for its own sake, however – rather, the considered work of a contemporary architect with the symbolism of space, volume, and, above all, light.
Champions’ Cup
At first glance, the Bell skyscraper on 1st Yamskogo Polya Street, 12, appears strict and laconic – though by no means modest. Its economical stereometry is built on a form close to an oval, one of UNK architects’ favorite themes. The streamlined surface of the main volume, clad in metal louvers, is sliced twice with glass incisions that graphically reveal the essence of the original shape: both its simplicity and its complexity. At the same time, dozens of highly complex engineering puzzles have been solved here.
Semi-Digital Environment
In the town of Innopolis, a satellite of Kazan, the first 4-star hotel designed by MAD Architects has opened. The interiors of the hotel combine elegance with irony, and technology with comfort, evoking the atmosphere of a computer game or maybe a sci-fi movie about the near future.
History never ends
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A Deep, Crystal Shine
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Grigory Revzin: “What we should do with the architecture of the seventies”
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A Roadside Picnic of Urban Planning Theorists
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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”.