По-русски

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.

24 April 2024
mainImg
Not long ago, in March, intermediate results of the competition for the new Omsk-Fedorovka airport were announced, and then the winner was named – it was HVOYA.

A month ago, when we began to delve into the competition projects, it seemed that there were seven finalists, of which four were selected, and then one. In fact, there were more finalists; initially, about 14 projects participated in the competition. Half of the projects did not make it to the finals, but judging by what we managed to see, none of the projects lacked boldness. We hope to showcase at least some of them.

The architects of KPLN (this acronym stands for “close-up” in Russian), drawing inspiration from Omsk’s history – a city founded as a stronghold on the Siberian frontiers and having existed for quite some time in this capacity – were inspired by the image of an “ostrog” or “wooden fortress”. However, they turned the fortress upside down, or rather not the entire fortress, but the sharpened ends of logs, separating them from the bases and increasing them by a factor of fifty.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN


  • zooming
    The search for form. Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN


The gigantic inverted cones are as tall as the terminal itself, and honestly, at first glance, you wouldn’t guess that they are the sharpened ends of some imaginary fortress logs. That is, Shklovsky’s “defamiliarization” phenomenon indeed occurred. The cones are composed of steel supports, fan-like and diverging from a common support point at the bottom to a ring at the top. Inside the ring is a skylight, and along the surface of the cone are thin steel cables that camouflage the main supports and accentuate the stereometric surface. The structure is transparent, and natural light from the skylights could illuminate the entire space, while in the evening, conversely, the conical volumes would glow from within.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. View of the terminal as seen from the plaza
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The main hall of the airport
    Copyright: © KPLN


Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. View of the building as seen from the railway platform
Copyright: © KPLN


Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. An overview from the driveway
Copyright: © KPLN


These luminous “vessels” standing on one point, looking like glasses or giant “office buttons”, are a stunning sight to see. They certainly set the module pitch, and the building construction becomes somewhat atypical for an airport, where typically a decorated hangar forms the basis. Here, the entire plan is subordinated to circles, which, however, is no less rational. The architects even devised a logo for the project – made up of circles.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    The passenger flow of the 2nd floor. Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
    Copyright: © KPLN


Inside, benches or green hillocks of buffer zones were planned around the supports. The architects also proposed a winter garden with live trees and geoplastics inside the interior. Different light messages could be projected onto the surface of the cones.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The registration area
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The luggage claim hall
    Copyright: © KPLN


The cones penetrate even in the two-tiered parts of the space, along with natural light and spatial scenography.

This was supposed to create a strong sensation akin to a hypostyle hall filled with columns. The difference is that the classic historical hypostyle is usually dark, which also captivates the imagination, while this one is bright and is entirely strung on the floating strings. It would likely be an intriguing impression.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. View of the arrival/departure hall
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The registration area
    Copyright: © KPLN


Of course, this approach somewhat disrupts the usual notion that the more open the terminal hall, the better. But then again, on the other hand, the supports are point-like, the cones of the columns are high enough, and the emotional effect of the interior is entirely unexpected, although some resemblance to airports with their mushroom-shaped columns may be felt here.

Cones are not the only modules for constructing volume and space here. In unison with them, albeit in the background where things by default must be less exposed, metal and glass cylinders are used for technical rooms and some other facilities. Their pitch is different but they are subject to the same module. From a birds-eye view, the airport would look astonishing: like an imposing conglomerate of buttons, or perhaps nails, submerged to varying depths, or perhaps like some kind of giant keyboard.

  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. General view from above from the apron
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. SView of the building from the airfield
    Copyright: © KPLN


Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. General view from the top from the side of the plaza
Copyright: © KPLN


The string of small cones covering the railway station is also intriguing. They are like mushrooms, larger at the main spot, and smaller on the periphery.

Cones and cylinders, all these “buttons” are the main sculptural gesture, but not the only architectural solution of the project. In particular, the architects propose a two-story terminal for saving space and streamlining passenger flows.

The plaza in front of the airport is made two-tiered: there is both parking and a landscaped area closer to the entrance to the airport. But its main feature is the “gaping holes”. The exits from the underground level, equipped with arc-shaped steps, look almost like natural caves. From them, there is an impressive view of the terminal cones, energetically belligerent. It looks like a true guardian of the country’s southern borders.

Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders
Copyright: © KPLN


The underground square in front of the entrance was also planned to be illuminated with round skylights, which, besides their practical function, also carried a conceptual load, resembling small buttons scattered outside the contour of the main lines and spots.

  • zooming
    1 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The location plan of the airport
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    2 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The master plan
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    3 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The front plaza
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    4 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. The territory improvement
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    5 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. Section 2-2
    Copyright: © KPLN
  • zooming
    6 / 6
    Omsk-Fedorovka Airport. Guardian of the southern borders. Section 1-1
    Copyright: © KPLN


Bunch columns with support at one point are a common technique in modern architecture, but in this case, an explanation for the form has been found, and precisely the way it should be: historical, rooted in context, but completely unrecognizable literally. In other words, if the project were implemented – and we are reminding you at this point that it did not win the competition – if it were implemented, one can imagine the surprise of a tourist or a city guest, being told that these cones made of steel cables serve as a reminder of the old wooden turrets of the fortress walls.

Well, maybe they would have believed it, but not right away.

24 April 2024

Headlines now
Champions’ Cup
At first glance, the Bell skyscraper on 1st Yamskogo Polya Street, 12, appears strict and laconic – though by no means modest. Its economical stereometry is built on a form close to an oval, one of UNK architects’ favorite themes. The streamlined surface of the main volume, clad in metal louvers, is sliced twice with glass incisions that graphically reveal the essence of the original shape: both its simplicity and its complexity. At the same time, dozens of highly complex engineering puzzles have been solved here.
History never ends
The old railway station in Kapan, a city in southern Armenia, has been given new life by the Paris-based design firm Normal Studio. Today, it serves as a TUMO center.
A Deep, Crystal Shine
A new luxury residential development by ADM architects is set to rise in the Patriarch’s Ponds district, not far from Novopushkinsky Square. It will replace three buildings erected in the early 1990s. The project authors, Andrey Romanov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova, have placed their bets on the variety among the three volumes, modern design solutions, and attention to detail: one of the buildings will feature smoothly curved balconies with a ceramic sheen on their undersides, while another will be accented by glass “sculpture” columns.
A Roadside Picnic of Urban Planning Theorists
Marina Egorova, head of Empate Architectural Bureau, brought together urban planning theorists – the successors of Alexey Gutnov and Vyacheslav Glazychev – to revive the substance and depth of professional discourse. At the first meeting, much ground was covered: the participants revisited the theoretical foundations, aligned their values, examined a cutting-edge case of the Kazan agglomeration, and concluded with the unfathomable intricacies of Russian land demarcation. Below, we present key takeaways from all the presentations.
Perspective View
CNTR Architects has designed a business center for a new district in Yekaterinburg, aiming to reduce the need for commuting and make the residential environment more diverse. The architectural solutions are equally focused on creating spatial flexibility, comfortable working conditions, and a memorable image that could allow the building to become a spatial landmark of the district.
Malevich and Bathhouses, Nature and High-Tech
The Malevich Bathhouse complex is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025 on the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway. The project, designed by DBA-GROUP under the leadership of Vladislav Andreev, is an example of an unconventional approach to the image of a spa in general and of a bathhouse in particular. Deliberately avoiding any kind of allusion, the architects opted for streamlined forms with characteristic rounded corners, a combination of wood with bent glass, and restrained contemporary shapes – both inside and out. Let’s take a closer look at the project.
Rather, a Tablecloth and a Glass!
After many years, the long-abandoned Horse Guards Department building in St. Petersburg has finally received the attention it deserves: according to a design by Studio 44, the first restoration and adaptation works are scheduled to begin this year. Both the intended function and the general scope of works imply minimal alteration to the complex, which has preserved traces of its three-century history. All solutions are reversible and aimed, above all, at opening the monument to the city and immersing it in a lively social scene – hence the choice of a cultural center scenario with a strong gastronomic component.
​Materialization of Airflows
The Nikolai Kamov International Airport in Tomsk opened at the end of August last year. We have already written about the project – now we are taking a look at the completed building. Its functionality is reinforced by symbolic undertones: the architects at ASADOV sought to reflect local identity in the architecture as fully as possible.
The City as a Narrative
Sergey Skuratov’s approach to large urban plots could best be described as a “total design code”. The architect pays equal attention to the overall composition and the smallest of details, striving to ensure that every aspect is thoroughly thought out and subordinated to the original vision. It’s a Renaissance-like approach, really – a titanic effort demanding remarkable willpower and perseverance. The results are likewise grand – architecture that makes a statement. This article looks at the revived concept for the central section of the Seventh Heaven residential district in Kazan, a composition so thoroughly considered that even the “gradient of visual emphasis” (sic!) across the facades has been carefully worked out. It also touches on the narrative idea behind the project – and even the architect’s own doubts about it.
A Garden of Hope for Freedom
In October, at the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, the Prison Yard Garden opened on the site that had served as a prison from the 18th century until the Khrushchev Thaw. The architectural concept was developed by NOῨD Short Film, and the landscape design by the MOX landscape bureau. In fact, there are two gardens here – very different ones. We try to understand whether they evoke the right emotions in visitors, while also showing the beauty of June’s ruderal plants in bloom.
A Laconic Image of Time
The Time Square residential complex, built on the northern edge of St. Petersburg, appears more concise and efficient than its neighbor and predecessor, the New Time complex. Nevertheless, the architect’s hand is clearly felt: themes of “black and white”, “inside and outside”, and most notably, the “lamellar” quality of the facades that seems to visibly “eat away” at the buildings’ mass – everything is played out like a well-written score. One is reminded of both classical modernism and the so-called “post-constructivism”.
The Flower of the Lake
The prototype for the building of the Kamal Theater in Kazan is an ice flower: a rare and fragile natural phenomenon of Lake Kaban “froze” in the large, soaring outlines of the glass screens enclosing the main volume, shaping its silhouette and shielding the stained-glass windows from the sun. The project, led by the Wowhaus consortium and including global architecture “star” Kengo Kuma, won the 2021/2022 competition and was realized close to the original concept in a short – very short – period of time. The theater opened in early 2025. It was Kengo Kuma who proposed the image of an ice flower and the contraposition of cold on the outside and warmth on the inside. Between 2022 and 2024, Wowhaus did everything possible to bring this vision to life, practically living on-site. Now we are taking a closer look at this landmark building and its captivating story.
Peaceful Integration on Mira Avenue
The MIRA residential complex (the word mir means “peace” in Russian), perched above the steep banks of the Yauza River and Mira Avenue, lives up to its name not only technically, but also visually and conceptually. Sleek, high-rise, and glass-clad, it responds both to Zholtovsky’s classicism and to the modernism of the nearby “House on Stilts”. Drawing on features from its neighbors, it reconciles them within a shared architectural language rooted in contemporary façade design. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done.
An Interior for a New Format of Education
The design of the new building for Tyumen State University (TyumSU) was initially developed before the pandemic but later revised to meet new educational requirements. The university has adopted a “2+2+2” system, which eliminates traditional divisions into groups and academic streams in favor of individualized study programs. These changes were implemented swiftly – right at the start of construction. Now that the building is complete, we are taking a closer look.
Penthouses and Kokoshniks
A new residential complex designed by ASADOV Architects for the Krasnaya Roza business district responds to its proximity to 17th-century landmarks – the chambers of the Hamovny Dvor and St. Nicholas Church – as well as to the need to preserve valuable façades of a historic rental house built in the Russian Revival style. The architects proposed a set of buildings of varying heights, whose façades reference ecclesiastical architecture. But we were also able to detect other associations.
Centipede Town
The new school campus designed by ATRIUM Architects, located on the shores of a protected lake in the Imeretian Lowland Ornithological Reserve, represents an important and ambitious undertaking for the team: this is not just a school, but a Presidential Lyceum for the comprehensive development of gifted children – 2,500 students from age 3 through high school. At the same time, it is also envisioned as a new civic hub for the entire Sirius territory. In this article, we unpack the structure and architecture of this “lyceum town”.
Warm Black and White
The second phase of “Quarter 31”, designed by KPLN and built in the Moscow suburb town of Pushkino, reveals a multifaceted character. At first glance, the complex appears to be defined by geometry and a monochrome palette. But a closer look reveals a number of “irregular” details: a gradient of glazing and flared window frames, a hierarchy of façades, volumetric brickwork, and even architectural references to natural phenomena. We explore all the rules – and exceptions – that we were able to discover here.
​Skylights and Staircase
Photos from March show the nearly completed headquarters of FSK Group on Shenogina Street. The building’s exterior is calm and minimalist; the interior is engaging and multi-layered. The conical skylights of the executive office, cast in raw concrete, and the sweeping spiral staircase leading to it, are particularly striking. In fact, there’s more than one spiral staircase here, and the first two floors effectively form a small shopping center. More below.
The Whale of Future Identity
Or is it a veil? Or a snow-covered plain? Vera Butko, Anton Nadtochy, and the architects of ATRIUM faced a complex and momentous task: to propose a design for the “Russia” National Center. It had to be contemporary, yet firmly rooted in cultural codes. Unique, and yet subtly reminiscent of many things at once. It must be said – the task found the right authors. Let’s explore in detail the image they envisioned.
Greater Altai: A Systemic Development Plan
The master plan for tourism development in Greater Altai encompasses three regions: Kuzbass, the Altai Republic, and Altai Krai. It is one of twelve projects developed as part of the large-scale state program bearing the simple name of “Tourism Development”. The project’s slogan reads: “Greater Altai – a place of strength, health, and spirit in the very heart of Siberia”. What are the proposed growth points, and how will the plan help increase the flow of both domestic and international tourists? Read on to find out.
The Colorful City
While working on a large-scale project in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district – one that has yet to be given a name – Kleinewelt Architekten proposed not only a diverse array of tower silhouettes in “Empire-style” hues and a thoughtful mix of building heights, creating a six-story “neo-urbanist” city with a block-based layout at ground level, but also rooted their design in historical and contextual reasoning. The project includes the reconstruction of several Stalin-era residential buildings that remain from the postwar town of Kuntsevo, as well as the reconstruction of a 1953 railway station that was demolished in 2017.
In Orbit of Moscow City
The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.
The Altai Ornament
The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.
Pro Forma
Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.
The Arch and the Triangle
The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.
Health Factory
While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.
The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest
The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.
Grace and Unity
Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.
Daring Brilliance
In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.