Modernism in Avant-Garde

The project by Studio 44 came second in the competition for the reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk Theater. What this project has in common with the winning project by Wowhaus – about which we recently told you – is that this project also includes additional tiers. In addition, it has new functions, starting with the obviously expected dressing rooms and practice halls, and ending with a museum, a children’s studio, a restaurant, and a main accent in the form of an amphitheater, or a “city square”, situated on top of the roof of the main hall. In both projects, the “reinvented” theater, in full accordance with the modern trends, is treated as a public city space.

“Square on the Theater”: an open amphitheater on the roof. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
“The square inside the theater”: the public space in the lower tier: the theater foyer. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44

What makes this particular project different is the fact that although the architects considerably expand the old building of the theater, designed by Ivan Mikhalev and built in 1966-1978, they do not demolish it altogether.

Another interesting thing is the rationale behind this solution – according to the architects, the theater was designed and built in accordance with a pattern popular in the 1960s-80s, which essentially consisted of a “stage + spectator seats” core (very sturdy, in excellent condition even now) and periphery, which has long since become obsolete and irrelevant. Accordingly, the authors retain the hall, which remains similar to the existing one, and the stage, expanding its side pockets and adding additional columns. The architects also retain the side colonnades, adding a similar colonnade to the space in front of the main entrance.

Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44
Concept of reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater. Te auditorium

Copyright: © Studio 44

zooming — Diagram of structures to be dismantled. Gray = retained, red = dismantled. The concept of reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater. Scheme of structures to be dismantled.

Copyright: © Studio 44

All of this is perceptibly reinterpreted both visually and volumetrically, and is included in a new conglomerate of buildings and volumes, each of which is assigned a function of its own.

Another thing that comes to mind here is the Roman theaters, some of which received later additions built by city people of later centuries; this “antique” theme of breathing a new life into an old theater is probably also present here, but in a remote context.

The architects do not place the main accent on it; instead, they bring forward the image of the theater machine of avant-garde, built not only on the simplicity of operation but also on the beauty of exposed functional structures; a machine with numerous grilles and trusses, which boost the transparency and straightforwardness of artistic statement. The industrial look of the trusses is supported by the aestheticization of the machine, typical of the avant-garde, and at the same time becomes a contextual reminder of the Krasnoyarsk metallurgical plants.

The idea is further illustrated by original collages, sometimes grotesque: they combine theatrical and factory structures, or even metal bridge trusses with, for example, red caviar, which turns into soap bubbles over the stage structure. This freshness of the approach is explained not only by the theatrical background of the task, but probably also by the young composition of the author team: young students of the Academy of Arts participated in the work on the project, under the guidance of Nikita Yavein and Ivan Kozhin.

What makes avant-garde decorations different from the classical theater is the fact that, while in the latter case the conventionalities are mitigated by (a) visual plausibility that the set designer deliberately aims to achieve and (b) the viewer’s perception, which gets involved in this plausibility game, the avant-garde theater turns this conventionality into a part of the game, obstructing the viewer’s desire to get immersed in the “illusion of the performance”, deliberately breaking it up and shocking the viewer by demonstrating the under-the-hood details, which were hitherto deemed to be inappropriate. Sometimes, the avant-garde theater bases its set design on demonstrating the mechanics of the “illusion”, at the same time making it a part of the scene and continuing to play. We also know that a similar approach became quite common in architecture: first, because of people’s curiosity for exposed structures (this is something that was already done by the architects of the 19th century), and, second, thanks to the well-known technique of exposing the inner functional structure of the building on its facade.

Building around the theater building, Studio 44 uses both of these principles. The architects enhance the genetic connection of their solutions to the avant-garde tradition: “this is an urge to take a look at the monuments of ripe modernism of the 1960s-70s through the prism of its ideological precursor – Russian avant-garde and constructivism of the 1920s-1930s”.

This way, come to think of it, the architects turn everything “inside out” twice – the building and its ideological content as well. Preserving the core, they fit in and add new volumes of different sizes that ultimately devour the nucleus. The process of “packing the functions” takes place with the obviousness of the multiple volumes that contain them – the multifunctionality, honestly reflected in the stereometric spatial construction, becomes not even a part, but the basis of the image.

At the same time, it is curious that early modernism, aka avant-garde – with the prefix neo-, of course – in this case “seizes” the work of late modernism. On the one hand, it preserves the original, does not tear it down, and on the other, it subordinates it to a new, more powerful statement, and merges it with this statement, which appeals somewhere to Meerhold. The story here, in the project, is looped, to a degree, like a paradox.

Or we may look at it from a slightly different angle: it is not so much the “avant-garde” in a modern interpretation by Nikita Yavein, who has been long and firmly interested in this hereditary direction for the architect, that is, strictly speaking, the theater itself, in which since the 1910s and 1920s there has been much more of a circus than there was before. This is further emphasized by the authors of the project in their story about the solution of the upper tier: “the geometry and the graphic silhouettes of the buildings are inspired by the sketches of theatrical scenery by Aleksandra Exter, Aleksandr Vesnin and Lyubov Popova. In the images of the “upper theater” there is something from the fairground tents, from the wooden stages for Russian Skomorokhi performances, but also from the metal constructions produced by Krasnoyarsk steel factories”.

In a word, the statement that the architects proposed was inspired by many things, yet this is still a no-compromise statement: you cannot tear it down, you cannot make an imitation, and what you ultimately end up getting is a tense and immersive dialogue between the theater building and the city surroundings. Such a theater does not mask itself, and it’s not even “there” in the city space in the conventional sense of the word – it intrudes, it is agile, and it imposes its own rules on the surroundings.

However, this was less than enough for architects, and they painted the building stark red.

The project proposes massively painted concrete and red paint on the metal constructions. In other words, the entire building is red: the columns, the volumes, the interior of the foyer, the bindings of the windows, and the glass on the outside are ruby-like (although the inside is transparent and is essentially stained glass).

Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky. The restaurant

Copyright: © Studio 44

Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
Concept of reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater. The foyer

Copyright: © Studio 44

Obviously, the red color unambiguously interprets the name of the city of Krasnoyarsk: Krasny Yar (“Red Ravine”). It is impossible to ignore both the love of the avant-garde – stated in this case as a direction-image – for the color of the red banner, and the fact that the theater was created and built during the Soviet era...

Meanwhile, over the past 30 years we have experienced several waves of architects, artists, and even art critics’ love for the avant-garde, and very often their search was limited to the “Mayakovsky” gray, black, white and red color scheme from the cover of the book by Selim Khan-Magomedov. The combination quickly bored everyone and was replaced by a “sure-thing” light-gray and black.

Making, as a tribute to avant-garde, the whole building red is not exactly a precedent but, on the other hand, it rarely happens on such a grand scale. Very few architects make such bold statements.

And if the comparison with “turning inside out” came to mind above, then the semantic reversal continues here as well: according to the author’s description, the inspiration for the choice of red was not at all the “proletarian red”, but quite the opposite – the scarlet satin fabric that was used in the 19th century to cover the walls of the foyer of the Imperial Bolshoi Theater. On the one hand, it was pompous, luxurious, noble and bourgeois. But on the other hand – a little clue – the architects discovered somewhere: back then, in Imperial times, the red color of satin was compared to the color of molten iron. This is not the most obvious, but still a “bridge” to Krasnoyarsk metallurgy, for one thing, and, second, through industry to the avant-garde.

The clue does not seem the most obvious to me personally, but it contains the same potential for a “werewolf”, a gesture through which the scarlet interior of theatrical luxury, when turned from the inside out, acquires – first of all at the level of emotional perception, and then everything else – another, obviously “detached” meaning, as is required of contemporary art.

The theater would have become such a bright accent, that any Marseille would have been jealous.

Nikita Yavein, Studio 44

The red color was suggested by my colleague Ivan Kozhin. I must say, it comes not only from the name of the city: there is one absolutely red building nearby – the local history museum, designed by Leonid Chernyshev in 1912-1914 in the “Egyptian style”. It stands by the bridge on the bank of the Yenisei River, in direct sight of the theater.

We understood, of course, that making the building red was a bold decision, but we decided to take this risk because we found it interesting and, as you can see, not devoid of direct contextual justification.

In general, it could be in all senses a vivid statement on the subject of theater and the life of modern theater in general. Needless to say, the project fits well in the context of Studio 44’s creative search. One of the first things that come to mind is the Museum of Science and Technology in Tomsk, where there was also a lot of frame and distribution of functions into distinctly separate volumes, and the project Museum of Modern Art in Ufa, where multifunctional, transformable, including public, spaces were “packed” into several giant plates with lattice trusses.

Now let us examine some of the details of the proposal by Studio 44.

Since the authors presrve the old hall and stage, the building is less deep than the Wowhaus project (6 m versus 10 m), but the top is more prominent (the top mark is 36 m). In the foyer, there is a buffet and checkroom, on the left there is a VIP hall and on the right there is a museum. On the stage, there is a turntable and stage mechanics. Behind the stage, there are warehouses, above the side wings are ballet classes, on the right, there is a duplicating stage. To the west end of the building, behind the stage, a 20-meter-long “beam” of the administrative part is attached on the back side; it contains all the offices, which are quite numerous.

Axonometry. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
Section 1-1 (longitudinal). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44

Northern Facade. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
The rear west facade (administration offices). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44

In the eastern entrance area above the double-height foyer, which is historic in its entirety, there is a whole mini-city of additional volumes. The technical floor separates the upper part from the lower part, and above it there is a children’s opera studio, a recording studio, a choir room, a multifunctional hall with its own foyer for individual performances, and a restaurant with a kitchen and dining room in the lower tier. All of this first surrounds the main auditorium as an integral conglomerate, and then, higher up, is divided into volumes grouped along the contour of the open amphitheater on its roof – a kind of volumetric “crown” that can also be compared with the buildings around the town square.

The architects compare their open amphitheater to a city square and even propose a slogan “meet you ON the Opera”.

Nikita Yavein, «Company:»

The phrase “meet me ON the opera” is not our invention, but a kind of Krasnoyarsk meme.

We started the project by interviewing Krasnoyarsk residents, trying to find out what they think and say about the opera building. We found out a couple of popular sayings and we used them, I would say literally, in our building. Since we have a public square on the roof, it would be possible to “meet ON the opera” here in about as literal sense as you can imagine.

Thus, the upper plaza is planned as open and accessible. According to the plan, it would be accessible via external glass escalators.

And these escalators are not, of course, hidden in round tubes, as on the facade of the Pompidou Center, but in square ones – yet the analogy still suggests itself. To put it bluntly, the avant-garde urge to take the interior outside was at one time successfully supported by the experiments of deconstructivism in general, and Piano and Rogers in particular. In this case, Nikita Yavein’s Krasnoyarsk project 2023 is neither one nor the other, but a certain sum of experiments of the whole century /as well as, I remind you, of the author himself / with a certain amount of retro, pulling the 1970s (Bobur) to the 1920s (Melnikov?).

The energy of the external elevators support, and perhaps even decorate, the grids of the stair-elevator towers, and in some places the loggias: they both balance the composition and strengthen the avant-garde associations of the project.

The east facade (main entrance). Reconstruction concept of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
The southern facade. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44

We must admit that the Studio 44 architects were so focused on the public and other stuffing of the theater itself that they treated the square in quite a matter-of-fact fashion. One can understand them: such a bright and complex building demands pause in front of itself, it is so saturated by itself – not only with its function but also with its form, movement, and color – that it seems excessive to fill the city around with something. And the concise approach, the wide step of parallelepipeds and columns, inherited from the theater and repeatedly developed, also requires not a park, but a square similar to the one that was originally conceived here.

In general, it is quite clear why this project came second. It is a wow statement on the edge, tuned, I would allow myself to put it this way: for the taste comparable to the views of some avid contemporary theatergoer or art connoisseur (well, maybe not any, but some kinds), in general, for the audience, quite sophisticated in the spectacle and, at the same time, the one who is not afraid of a bright statement. In itself, brightness is both a minus, because it gets boring, although in this case it is compensated by the scale and simplicity of forms, and a plus, because it makes the building exceptional and provides integrity, gathering many parts into one.

What the project is obviously not designed for is domestic nostalgia. This is probably why there is no mention of the sculptures of the muses on the facade, even though they could always be kept and exhibited in the Theater Museum, or even of the stained-glass window, which is indeed present in the colleagues’ concept. But then again, on the other hand, if we remember about the casts and “turning inside out”, we will see that there the hall was replaced by a completely new one, and here it is preserved: the seasoned spectator of the Krasnoyarsk Theater, coming to a performance and passing by the red facade and red foyer, would probably feel like home afterwards.

That is, the architectural solutions are in some ways identical, and in some ways diametrically opposite. I wonder how the Commission for the Unification of Ideas will deal with them now.

1 / 9

Plans at the elevation -6.300 and -3.300. Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44
2 / 9

Plans at 0.000 and 3.400. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
3 / 9

Plans at the elevation 6.800 and 10.200. Concept for the reconstruction of the D.A. Khvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater

Copyright: © Studio 44
4 / 9

Plans at the elevation 13.600 and 17.000. Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44
5 / 9

Plans at the elevation 19.600 and 21.390. Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44
6 / 9

Section 2-2 (transverse). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D.A. Khvorostovsky. Section 2-2

Copyright: © Studio 44
7 / 9

Section 3-3 (transverse). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D.A. Khvorostovsky. Section 3-3

Copyright: © Studio 44
8 / 9

Section 4-4 (transverse). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D.A. Khvorostovsky. Section 4-4

Copyright: © Studio 44
9 / 9

Section 5-5 (transverse). Concept of reconstruction of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after D.A. Khvorostovsky

Copyright: © Studio 44

13 June 2023

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

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

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.

Object

Projection of the Quarter

No one doubted that the building that Vladimir Plotkin designed as part of the “Garden Quarters” would be the most modernist of all. And it turned out just that way: while adhering to the common design code, the building successfully combines brick and white stone, rhythmically responding to the neighboring building designed by Ostozhenka, yet tactfully and persistently making a few statements of its own. This includes the projection of the ideal urban development composition “14–9–6”, which can be found right next door, mathematical calculations, including those for various types of terraces (and perhaps the only reminder of the Soviet past of the Kauchuk rubber factory!), and the white “cross-stitch” pattern of the façade grid.