Streamline for City Canyons

Stepan Liphart has designed two houses for two small land sites situated in the area surrounding the Varshavsky Railway Station, which is being intensively developed now. The sites are situated close but not next to each other, and they are different, yet similar: the theme is the same but it is interpreted in different ways. In this issue, we are examining and comparing both projects.

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

10 March 2023

Object

Over the last ten years, the territory behind the Bypass Channel between the Moskovsky Avenue and the Mitrofanyevskoe Highway has been transforming with such unbelievable intensity that it even looks as though it decided to “start all over from scratch”: it vigorously “turned the page of the industrial past”, and the construction of large residential areas started.

Developers paid attention to this part of the “gray belt” in the early 2010s: back then, they started to clear the territory belonging to the former Petmol plant, as well as the “fan” of the Varshavsky Railway Station – a complex of access roads and maintenance buildings. As for the railway station itself, it was shut down still in the beginning of the 21 century, then it served as a shopping center for a long time, and was recently rebranded to become a grand-scale food mall with a railway theme. Now you can see what the charm of this place was all about, and what exactly the city preservation activists struggled for: laconic basilica-like buildings of large heavy bricks with brands, rotary mechanisms overgrown with grass and moss, and wooden doors. Eventually, they did manage to defend some of these things, and now the blatantly dilapidated depots and water towers are standing waiting to be fitted into the context of new houses, new industrial parks, and nearly completed residential complexes.

But then again, the intensive construction will end one day, but the location will remain – a very convenient one, situated within a walking distance from the city center, the Bypass Channel, and the main city thoroughfares. This is the reason why even small lacunae that remained from the former industrial “fields” still arouse a lot of interest, which is quite in the spirit of St. Petersburg: you don’t leave any “unmotivated” empty spaces.

Two such sites, relatively small, elongated, and situated not exactly next to one another but still in some proximity, became the ones that Stepan Liphart worked with, designing houses that are different, yet echoing one another.

Intergalactic Spaces

The first house is situated next to the postal warehouse, which has an elongated shape, very much like a quay. The shape of the site, given all the historical circumstances, is quaint, and looks very much like a saw: a relatively wide “handle” is situated on the side of the Albuminnaya Street, while the “blade” goes past the warehouse. The name of the street, by the way – Albuminnaya – is a reminder of the albumin factory that used to be here along with the cattle yard and the slaughterhouse in the late 19 century.

zooming — The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. The master plan

Copyright: © Liphart Architects

Along the length of the warehouse, the architects place parking spaces, while the two-section house is inscribed into the overall composition of the “Galactica” complex, turning it into a link of a single chain. East of the building, on the side of the Izmailovo Boulevard, the slab of Galactica is situated, behind which two gems of the neighborhood are hidden: the circular car repair depot, and a business center designed by Artem Nikiforov. The western facade overlooks the future linear park and yet another building of “Galactica”, which it mirrors to some extent.

The other site is situated further south, at the crossing of Parfenovskaya and Malaya Mitrofanyevskaya streets. Its shape is a little simpler, but it is still palpably multi-angle; in addition, a large portion of the territory is “eaten up” by the playgrounds of an inserted kindergarten, and some of the territory is reserved for the future street (you cannot build upon it), so the site is smaller than it looks. Across the road, there is the same Galactica, with a school and the carriage repair depot, which is to become a shopping mall; on the north, there is the Art-Kvartal housing complex. Due to the vicinity of the tramway depot, the windows of even the lower floors will command good views of the red-brick factory buildings, the office building of the Yurgenson bakery, but more importantly, of the Novodevichiy Monastery, situated just behind the Moskovskiy Avenue.

Given the current surroundings, the house has an “island” position, which, however, does not stop it from following the logic of forming the front of the Parfenovskaya Street. This house is also a two-section one, but the other section is placed in an orthogonal way, forming an L-shaped plan. The two bottom floors are occupied by an inbuilt kindergarten.

The ledge and the cutaway

The main technique that Stepan Liphart is for both houses – the alternation of ledges and cutaways – was proposed by Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen in 1922, and then picked up and developed by Art Deco architects.

In this case, the basis is constituted by a 40-meter volume – “the chunk” – and out of this chunk the architect “cuts off all spare”, making the volume lighter from the lower floors to the upper ones. The “body” of the house is at the same time preserved because it is only the “top layers” that are removed, as a result of which it periodically looks like a canyon, whose rock has been for years honed by water and wind. This “telescopic” character is further enhanced by materials that are contrastive in color and texture. The geometrical shapes are accompanied by detailing: textured tiles and bricks, rounded corners, grilles of the French balconies, pylons raised to the entire height of the building, and fluted little belts.

The ledges and cutaways do not appear spontaneously, but only where a great view is expected to appear – that of the city center, water, the Varshavsky Station or the Novodevichiy Monastery. All this gives the house a character of a circular sculpture – the cascades of the ledges make the facades different on all sides, the angles change the perception of the house, and a silhouette appears that is unconventional for this typology. The portals of the entrance groups are also designed in a “liberal” way, in the spirit of Stepan Liphart’s Art Deco, represented by double-height recessed balconies, with glass its entire height, and with jambs: sometimes chamfered and faceted, and sometimes rounded along the pair of compasses in such a way that a ledge on one side is echoed by a cutaway on the other, as if the Sim-Sim wall parted in front of us; interestingly, the cascades of the cutaways pick up the same theme on some imperceptible level, maybe like part of a rock or part of the oriental fairy tale. One way or another, the entrances are not overloaded but they look really grand thanks to their proportions, and they echo the cutaways above them.

But then again, the houses turned out to be not just similar – rhymed in a number of techniques – but also quite different in mood, first of all because of decoration materials.

The tile tiers

The coating of the house on the Parfenovskaya Street uses light-colored stucco, while the cutaways feature volumetric ceramic tiles of emerald color that brings the fireplace tiles to mind. It seems that a similar technique is used in the Lesnaya metro station.

The cutaways are only to be seen on two facades. At the end facing the postal warehouse, a white negative on an emerald background shows the silhouette of a stepped tower. It has a vertical axis, in respect to which one of the halves is turned at a 90-degree angle. Such a technique makes the wall more solid and brings some sort of intrigue into the relationship between the blind and glazed parts, creating more architectural events.

The second “speckled” facade looks towards the “Depot #1” business center and the tracks of the Baltiyskaya Railway Station, but in fact – still at the equal height of the Galaxy building. The elaboration of this particular side is explained by the fact that it will be seen by those walking in the Linear Park. Here, the ledges are forming four “towers” that are separated by pylons raised the entire height of the building: there is something of downpipes in them, even the grooves resemble the joints of gutters. The tiers of the towers are accentuated by fluted friezes. The rigid and clear grid of the facade is filled with windows and French balconies, whose vaults are complemented by curbs of volumetric tiles. The corners of the cutaways and the ribs of the “towers” are rounded, or should we say “streamlined”, which further separates them from the body of the house. A multi-apartment house, long and tall? Yes. But has St. Petersburg ever seen a comfort-class house with such a degree of detailing and presence of architecture? The reverse side of the house, by the way, is less busy, but it pleases the eye with relaxed proportions and clear rhythm.

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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Panorama view from the southwest

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Fragment of the east facade

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Photographic montage. View from the southeast

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Photographic montage. View from the northwest

Copyright: © Liphart Architects

Special attention should be paid to the entrance groups and the level of the first floors, where you can see all of the textures, materials, and stylistic devices that the architect employs in this project. The entrance portal is recessed, yet at the same time is raised to the level of the second floor, while the “wave”, created by the bulge and the recession, “pulls” you in. Here we are exposed to a rich sensory experience: the opaqueness of the stucco, the high-gloss of the glazed tiles, the play of light on its relief, the metallic coldness of the “bristling” balcony grilles, and the alternation of smooth lines and sharp angles. The house invites you to touch it – and such tactile attractiveness, as we know, is a good sign.

Steampunk-Petersburg

While the materials and coloristic solutions of the first house rather follow the Galaxy project, the second one is fully on the side of the brick past of this territory. This is evidenced by its relative independence from the solutions of the site plan, as well as by the visual proximity to the carriage repair depot and the Petrograd baking factory facilities.

On the sidewalls, a stronger accent is placed on the cutaways rather than the ledges: whole “tectonic breaks” have formed here, and the general movement is the opposite – from a breakthrough to a collapse. But then again, this may be an optical illusion: you see what you are inclined to see, like on the famous Necker Cube. What I am personally inclined to see here is the fact that Stepan Liphart turned to the aesthetics of the ruins of the Varshavsky Station, and the gray tiles are meant to represent the traces of steam engine soot. The house seems to be settling: it does not have a wide base, and the number of stories increases by the tier. One of the ends of the house is a classic firewall, the outline of which resembles a factory tower.

This house is more “whetted”: instead of rounded corners, it gets extra facets, and the friezes are accentuated by volumetric masonry with protruding brick corners. A curious detail at the first floor level: relief brick stripes falling down with a thin triangular fringe, reminiscent either of a free interpretation of a favorite Secession technique, or a variant of the decor of the Alter residential complex on Magnitogorskaya Street.

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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. A panoramic view from the southwest

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Photographic montage. View from the southwest

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Photographic montage. View from the northwest

Copyright: © Liphart Architects

***

Currently, it is already known that the houses will not be built, but the two projects create an interesting precedent. Considering the context, the limitations, and the type of housing, Stepan Liphart, instead of resorting to his favorite 1930’e style, opted for a slightly different version of Art Deco, more reserved in terms of details, but working on the level of subtleties: it looks as if it “slices” the simple volume, yet not in a single straight cut but as if with some sophisticated instrument, maybe from a sculptor’s toolbar or maybe designed for linoleum engraving, sometimes rounded and sometimes jagged. The moderately colored tiles that show up at the cut show us that in fact that on the inside the house is made of a different material, much more valuable. It’s like when you walk down the beach, pick up a pebble, and break it up to find a streak of amethyst in it – a small thing, really, but heart-warming.

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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Plan of the basement floor at the -4.100 elevation

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Plan of the 1st floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Section A. Plan of the 12th floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Section A. Plan of the standard floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Section B. Plan of the standard floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. Section B. Plan of the 12th floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Parfenovskaya 1 housing complex. A cross-section view

Copyright: © Liphart Architects

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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. A simplified plan of the basement with a parking garage at the -4.100 elevation

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Plan of the 1st floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Section A. Plan of the standard floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Plan of the 8th floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Plan of the standard floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. Section B. Plan of the 8th floor

Copyright: © Liphart Architects
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The Mitrofanyevskaya housing complex. A cross-section view

Copyright: © Liphart Architects

10 March 2023

Headlines now

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.

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Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor

The so-called “Mytny Dvor” area lying just behind Moscow Railway Station – the market rows with a complex history – will be transformed into a premium residential complex by Studio 44. The project consists of three parts: the restoration of historical buildings, the reconstruction of the lost part of the historical contour, and new houses. All of them are harmonized with each other and with the city; axes and “beams of light” were found, cozy corners and scenic viewpoints were carefully thought out. We had a chat with the authors of the historical buildings’ restoration project, and we are telling you about all the different tasks that have been solved here.

​Streamline for City Canyons

Streamline for City Canyons