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.

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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

Faraday Grid

The project of the Omsk airport by ASADOV Architects is another concept among the 14 finalists of a recent competition. It is called “The Bridge” and is inspired by both the West Siberian Exhibition of 1911 and the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge over the Irtysh River, built in 1896. On one hand, it carries a steampunk vibe, while on the other, there’s almost a sense of nostalgia for the heyday of 1913. However, the concept offers two variants, the second one devoid of nostalgia but featuring a parabola.

Review

Midway upon the Journey of Our Life

Recently, Tatlin Publishing House released a book entitled “Architect Sergey Oreshkin. Selected Projects”. This book is not just a traditional book of the architectural company’s achievements, but rather a monograph of a more personal nature. The book includes 43 buildings as well as a section with architectural drawings. In this article, we reflect on the book as a way to take stock of an architect’s accomplishments.

Inverted Fortress

This year, there has been no shortage of intriguing architectural ideas around the Omsk airport. The project developed by the architectural company KPLN appeals to Omsk’s history as a wooden fortress that it was back in the day, but transforms the concept of a fortress beyond recognition: it “shaves off” the conical ends of “wooden logs”, then enlarges them, and then flips them over. The result is a hypostyle – a forest of conical columns on point supports, with skylights on top.

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Transformation of Annenkirche

For Annenkirche (St. Anna Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg), Sergey Kuznetsov and the Kamen bureau have prepared a project that relies on the principles of the Venice Charter: the building is not restored to a specific date, historical layers are preserved, and modern elements do not mimic the authentic ones. Let’s delve into the details of these solutions.

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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

Object

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.

Object

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.

News

Arch, Pearl, Wing, Wind

In the social media of the governor of the Omsk region, voting was conducted for the best project for the city’s new airport. We asked the finalists to send over their projects and are now showcasing them. The projects are quite interesting: the client requested that the building be visually permeable throughout, and the images that the architects are working with include arches, wings, gusts of wind, and even the “Pearl” painting by Vrubel, who was actually born in Omsk.

Object

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”.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.