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”.

Written by:
Natalia Koriakovskaia
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

11 March 2024

Overview

Moscow has entered a new era of residential skyscraper construction, unprecedented in scale and height. It is not surprising that after the period of toggling between the Stalin-era high-rise style and the laconic “pencil” towers, the city has embarked on a search for an original form of high-rise buildings. But then again, come to think of it, this search has never ceased since it began in the 1920s, only slowing down from time to time. Some ideas remain hidden under the cover of closed-door competitions, but the “open” part is publicly known quite well.

In short, the process is ongoing, and against the backdrop of the nation’s capital’s high-rise boom, the goal of such exploration is not just coming up with some non-trivial forms but also testing some prejudices for strength.

zooming — Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro

Andy Snow, a British-born architect and creative director of Genpro, positions his project – as he said in an interview with Tatlin magazine, for example – precisely as a myth-buster.

We are really proud of this project. While conceptualizing Jois, we aimed to challenge prevailing myths surrounding skyscrapers, incorporating unique solutions that set a premium standard in Moscow. For instance, we debunked the belief in insufficient fresh air in tall buildings and the absence of small windows – our design features small windows above 75 meters, equipped with protective valves. We also addressed the misconception that skyscrapers lack social spaces and countered the idea that the best apartments with terraces should be reserved for the upper floors.

In our approach, premium apartments are situated in the lower tier, featuring expansive “balcony” terraces that extend across multiple facades and visually engage with the “park” courtyard, generously adorned with greenery. These apartments define the distinctive shape of the buildings, seamlessly emerging from the ground and connecting the tower bases. This form not only presents a recognizable silhouette from a distance but also offers breathtaking views. The process required meticulous effort; for the lower floors, standard layouts were impractical, prompting us to essentially start from scratch. Jois stands out as one of the most extensive and challenging projects in my career.

I express gratitude to the developer, MR-Group, for their understanding and cooperation. We successfully navigated the idea through various iterations of project development, maintaining its original design integrity. The role of Genpro as the general designer has been instrumental in ensuring the complex’s successful execution. In my view, Genpro stands as one of the most robust general design companies in the Russian market.

Jois is one of the new iconic projects of Moscow’s “skyscraper trend”; its construction began in August 2023. It continues the so-called “Big City” beyond the Zvenigorodskoe Highway, stretching towards Zorge Street, that is, it is part of the “protuberance”, a huge spot of urban territory that was previously almost entirely filled with industrial parks, and is now being intensively cleared and built upon. Nearby is the Moscow Central Ring line, with its “Khoroshevo” station just 300 meters away, making the transportation accessibility of this location excellent. Additionally, nearby is the business center “1Zhukov”, and there are ambitious plans for construction in the adjacent areas. The Jois complex itself will appear on the territory of the former concrete products plant No. 17.

Jois multifunctional complex. First phase of construction. Photo montage

Copyright: © Genpro
Jois multifunctional complex. First phase of construction. Photo montage

Copyright: © Genpro

In fact, Jois consists of two high-rise residential complexes – from 48 to 57 floors, with the highest point at 338.5 meters – and an administrative/business center. The plan shape of each of the three objects resembles a boomerang: two two-section residential buildings are opened in different directions, one to the east, the other to the west, and the third one, the office building, being slightly wider, is located closer to the Moscow Central Ring, completing the composition.

The two pairs of volumes are arranged on either side of the subway line passing beneath the site, over which a courtyard/park/boulevard is designed, with a tiered contour merging into the surrounding stylobates.

Project of the park courtyard. Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro

The courtyard/park is meant to compensate for the lack of greenery in the city for the residents and office workers while simultaneously creating a vibrant public space filled with cafes and shops, which is absolutely essential for a complex of this scale.

While the business center consists of two towers with a parabolic plan contour, placed on the “boomerang” stylobate with “bases of parabolas” slices facing each other, the pairs of residential buildings merge on their stylobates with terraces of the lower (premium) apartments to form two giant U-letters – a visually powerful and instantly recognizable form, which has all the grounds to claim an iconic status – a crucial quality for large modern buildings. They resemble horseshoes or magnets, with upward-pointing ends, different in height in one complex, and of an equal height in the other.

Terracing the lower floors becomes a successful way to give extra strength to the U-silhouette towers. Their form is not merely “put together”; it is composed of terraces, which, in turn, provide spacious apartments equipped with outdoor leisure space. The terraces are planned to be greened, as seen in the project visualizations, featuring numerous trees in containers, their steps rising from the courtyard and the roof of the stylobate like a kind of green mountain. Above, the live greenery finds its reflection in the form of “diamond rust” metal elements on the glass facades.

The decorative elements on the facades include fiber-concrete and concave terracotta displays of semi-circular shape in section. The terrace railings are made of tempered glass. Between the floors, projecting decorative elements made of “M”-shaped aluminum sheets are used.

Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro
Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro

Each lower balcony protrudes further than the upper one, but the upper one also protrudes relative to the wall, creating a canopy over the open balcony-terrace space, providing protection from the sun and rain.

This approach simultaneously enriches the form, deconstructing the shape of the towers’ bases, and enhancing the resemblance of those bases to a layered mountain, which is then sculpted into smooth, almost entirely glass, surfaces at the top.

Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro
Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro

The volumes of the towers themselves are not rectangular in plan; their corners are cut in the search for optimal views, insolation, and, at the same time, they feature a streamlined, asymmetrically faceted shape. Meanwhile, on the pedestal, as we remember, they are also turned towards each other at an angle – as a result, the contours of the terraces also consistently rotate, forming, when viewed from above, a shape reminiscent of a fractal. It all looks as if the houses had a half-sun skirt and were gently dancing, with their folds moving.

Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro
Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro

The lower part of the towers seems to be wrapped in additional skin. Or, simply put, the building unfolds before our eyes “putting itself together” from horizontal plates.

It is worth noting that terraces in modern Moscow construction have proven themselves quite effective in recent years – it has become evident that they go a long way to solve the problem of snow removal, and the issue of bad weather is effectively addressed by awnings and, for example, gas lanterns. What is also important, apartments with terraces sell first and at higher prices in residential complexes. Plus, terraces and balconies, all these “inhabited projections”, make the building look more “inhabited” – it interacts better with the city space.

Andy Snow joins those buildings that have already contributed to debunking the myth of the inconvenience of terraces in Moscow's climate and proposes a new step – combining terraces with a skyscraper, merging them into a cohesive “city” where different characteristics of individual parts are fused within an integral volumetric composition.

And, of course, this opens up beautiful views of the city, from a level comfortable for humans.

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Jois multifunctional residential complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
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Jois multifunctional residential complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
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Jois multifunctional residential complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
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Jois multifunctional residential complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro

Regarding the windows, according to construction regulations, at a significant height, they do not open for ventilation. In Jois, ventilation flaps are applied above 75 meters, with inward-opening and protective screens made of perforated metal placed in front of them. Below 75 meters, apartment windows are made of aluminum profiles with double-glazed windows and noise-proof ventilation valves. Additionally, French balconies with glass panel railings are incorporated into the transparent structures on the residential floors.

In addition to apartments, the project includes children’s clubs, fitness centers, a health center, a spa, and well-designed open spaces for communal activities. Finally, there is the business center. Its task is to enrich the future environment functionally, which is absolutely necessary for 300-meter residential complexes. It is challenging to say how realistic it is to buy an apartment right next to your office or even within the same project, yet Moscow is increasingly recognizing the need for multifunctionality in large new developments.

The sculptural solution of the business center, as noted earlier, somewhat echoes the residential “pairs” while differing from them. Here, there is no U-shaped silhouette or terraces, but the plan contours take on a distinct parabolic outline, and the facades feature a thin, smoothly embedded vertical relief in glass. These details allow the architects to signify the affiliation of office buildings to the entire complex and at the same time indicate their functional distinction: if the residential buildings expand at the bottom, the offices efficiently “pull” their volumes “together”.

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The administrative and business center

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
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The administrative and business complex

Copyright: image provided by Genpro
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Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro
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Jois multifunctional complex

Copyright: © Genpro

In summary, a new tall structure, over 300 meters high, has emerged among Moscow’s new developments with a recognizable form determined by its content.

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that the stepped or gradual growth of a skyscraper from its stylobate, as well as the connection of towers with such bases, is an entirely groundbreaking solution; there are plenty of examples, such as here, here, here, here, and here. Or even here. For buildings of this scale, a transition from a wide bottom to a slender tower at the top – resembling the growth of a tree – is a technique that sort of suggests itself. There are U-shaped solutions, looking like a half-house with a “tail”, and structures more reminiscent of aquatic plants sprouting from calyxes. However, each such solution is usually associated with a large scale and an inclination towards a symbolic expression, easily recognizable from a distance. These U-shaped structures will be quite visible from the windows of the Moscow Central Diameter train. The chances of this project being executed are quite significant.

It is planned that this complex will be built in three phases, starting with the northern pair of residential buildings.

11 March 2024

Headlines now

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.

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.

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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

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.

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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.

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

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.

Object

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.