Destroying StereotypesThe architects of DNK ag approached the task of doing a comfort-class housing project as a super-objective. They were ultimately able to break the frame of “inexpensive housing equals standardized blocks of flats” staying, at the same time, within their budget constraints. Their customized and professional approach to mass housing construction allowed the architects to create a comfortable and human-friendly urban territory.
Lens in the Spirit of Maurits Escher
The architects of UNK project brought back to life a difficult yet promising land site next to the “Prospect Vernadskogo” metro station, building the “Academic” business center upon it. The thought-out functional program, technological innovations, and special attention given to forming the building’s identity helped to successfully overcome all the challenges.
Y-Generation Culture CenterThe architects of Wowhaus have finished the construction of the Innovation and Culture Center in the city of Kaluga. In spite of the fact that in the course of the design process the functional program of the building kept changing as fast as innovations grow obsolete these days, the architects were still able to cope with the situation turning the project into a closely-knit hub of various cultural and sports scenarios with a flexible set of features.
Aleksey Ginsburg: “You cannot just go ahead and renovate the Narkomfin Building”The founder and CEO of Ginsburg Architects shares about the details of the plan for renovating the Narkomfin Building (which is about to begin), about the unique system of engineering lines that Moisey Ginsburg proposed for this building, about the necessity of extra survey of the place, and about the project of organizing the building’s adjacent territory that providers for lowering of the driveway level.
At the Edge of Time
“Eugene Gerasimov and Partners” has designed one of the lots of the first stage of “ZilArt” residential complex. The residential building with a confined space of the inner yard turned out to be quite cheerful-looking but against the background of its neighbors it looks pretty traditional – living exactly up to its function.
Vladimir Plotkin: “We wanted to create a free and transparent space”Monday, June 12, was the last opening day of “Ottepel” (“Thaw”) exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery on the Krymsky Val. For Vladimir Plotkin, it became the first experience of designing an exhibition space. We spoke to the architect about the background of this exhibition and its main ideas.
Julius Borisov: “The next generation will change their apartments like gadgets”At the panel discussion “For whom and how do we build our housing projects?” held within the framework of the urban forum named “Sreda dlya Zhizni” (translated as “Living Environment”), the head of UNK Project spoke about how the housing will look for “Generation Z”. We asked Julius Borisov to share in more detail about how in his opinion the criteria of evaluating the quality of housing and the architect’s work will change in the future.
Hotel at the Palm Island The house that Karen Saprichyan designed at the man-made island in Dubai boasts all the features of a luxury resort, at the same time remaining quite an urban one, retaining its elegance, and demonstrating the author’s response to the context, both cultural and seaside type.
Blank Architects: “No excuses apart from architecture”Created by foreign architects in Russia, this architectural company is perceived by the outside world as “Moscow-based”. Blank Architects makes democratic decisions and sees its mission as making “responsible architecture”, even if it is sometimes at odds with the Russian construction rules and regulations. The company also values creativity, allows for no excuses, and is interested in everything that can influence its projects one way or another.
A High Line ComplexBoasting a unique set of features interconnected in a sophisticated way, this complex consists of ten different units. The Saint Petersburg architectural company A.Len designed it for Voronezh on the basis of the soviet sports center “Energiya”.
Kai Weise: “Monument-centric approach is outdated”In this interview Kai Weise, an architect and an active proponent of disaster risk management for cultural heritage sites, elaborates on his vision and expertise of disaster response in Asian context.
Vis-a-vis with a ParkThe contest project that the “Gran” firm prepared for the Malaya Trubetskaya Street in Moscow is based on the author’s vision of what a club house may look like amidst dense and high-profile surroundings. The two units are designed as volumetric frames of apartments overlooking the park.
Archimatika: it’s time for “sleeping belts” to wake up. Uniting the imagery and the construction typology of a historical city with the lush vegetation of a “garden town”, Archimatika proposed for a peripheral yet actively developing area of Lviv a fragment of new-type city environment meant to inspire “feelings of a new quality”.
A Parents’ DreamLocated in the very heart of Kiev’s residential area “Comfort Town”, the complex “Academy of Modern Education” includes a kindergarten, a junior high school, and a dedicated art school. In this project, Archimatika came up with architecture that answers to the high tempo of metropolitan life and addresses many of everyday challenges that modern parents are confronted with.
High-rise ProposalFor the Kiev-based architects Alexander Popov and Dmitry Vasiliev, working with the territory of “Filikrovlya” became the first project they ever did for Moscow. Daringly, yet for a reason, the architects broke the height restrictions.
Jurassic Polytechnic ParkLots of bridges, an amphitheater, and relaying of secret engineering lines: a story about how the architects of Wowhaus revised the concept of organizing the territory of the Polytechnic Museum proposed in 2011 by Jun’ya Ishigami.
Impromptu Speech on a Given TopicRigorous prescriptions of the customer’s corporate style did not stop T+T Architects from coming up with individual solutions for the Moscow office of the French company Orange Business Services.
A Fountain Town“Atrium” Architects’ housing project on the Novoalekseevskaya Street in Moscow combines old XIX century buildings, futuristic architecture, and the principles of a comfortable city.
Evgeny Gerasimov: we are interested in designing for Saint PetersburgIn this article, we are speaking to the architect on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the bureau “Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners”: about the lineup of his studio, about the diversity of tasks that his company handles, about the specifics of its working processes, about partnership with Sergey Tchoban, and about the soviet and post-soviet architecture.
Drawing LifeThe exhibition "Architects Drawing Life" features the works of three young architects of "Group ABV" and reflect their interests and hobbies.
Nikita Yavein: "The more professional architectural companies there are on the market, the better".In this article, we discuss the state of things on the architectural market, the professional education, the young colleagues, and the benefits of competition; speak about the transformation of “Zodchestvo” festival, and about the future plans of “Studio 44”, a company that has already been around for 25 years.
An Ice Fairy TaleA new building of the sports complex belonging to Saint-Petersburg’s SKA club has been designed by a team of architects on the basis of a concept that won an open competition.
Tricolor on the Neva River Last year, in Saint-Petersburg, at Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospect 120, was completed the construction of the All-Russian Research Institute for Radio Equipment (OAO “VNIIRA”) which is part of OOO “Contsern PVO Almaz Antei”. The project was designed by “Anatoly Stolyarchuk Architects” and “Studio 44”.
Living Next to LyceumThis housing project, boasting a water channel, a landscaped park of its own, and the proximity to the renovated “Imperial Steam Engine Shed”, is one of the three finalists of the competition organized by the client.
Moscow-BerlinThe club house Gorokhovsky’12 is a vivid example of a laconic and integral, although by no means minimalist or scarce, architectural solution that its author considers to be slightly Berlin-ish. The injection was a success because there is a fair share of Moscow in this house as well.
House Turned Inside Out In Moscow Area, Roman Leonidov designed a private residence called Hampton House, the insides of which echo its outer shell and continue it, thus making the architecture of the house not only laconic but also integral - in full accordance with the principles set by the gurus of modernism.
Five TowersPristine lines of the façade grid on the outside and picturesque drawings by Sergey Tchoban on the inside: the housing project "Vodny" – designed by SPEECH.
Mercury PlanetThe Moscow-area town of Zheleznodorozhny is going to get a new shopping center designed by "Arkhstroidesign". For Aleksey Ivanov, this is already his second attempt to get his project implemented on this land site.
Perpendicular Reality The giant complex of Moscow City that appeared on the map of Moscow a few years ago makes one wonder about a lot of various aspects of architectural typology of high-rise buildings. The phenomenon of a "vertical city" and solutions proportionate to it were discussed in our conversation with Sergey Estrin – the author of a whole number of bright projects of public and residential interiors in Moscow's high-rises.
An Imposing AdditionGrouped together to form an architectural ensemble of the medical center of the 1980's - 2000's, several hospital buildings maintain a contextual connection with the surrounding volumes, at the same time suggesting a much more integral and laconic solution.
Meander with a Metallic Glitter The multifunctional project of "Danilov Plaza" - built by SPEECH Architects on the Novodanilovskaya Embankment in Moscow
Framework in SpaceDeveloped by "Studio 44", the project of a judo school is based on the opposition of the modernist principle of point support and the openness of deconstruction - with their sources lying in the traditional Japanese architecture. A fair share of abstraction helps to add some stylistic discourse to the necessary level of generalization.
Shakespeare's ShelterAn interview with the winner of "Home for Shakespeare" contest, an architect of Wowhaus, Esbergen Sabitov, and the company leader Oleg Shapiro about how a tower became a home for the famous playwright.
Taganka GateThis multifunctional complex that Aleksey Ginsburg has been designing for more than seven years now is going to occupy a land site on the outside part of the Garden Ring right before the tunnel entrance, and become a vis-à-vis of the building of the Taganka Theater.
The Emblem of a Building Estate A building with a curving, bionic shape was built by Sergey Tsytsyn in the middle of a future building estate within a single year. It became the locomotive of the whole development.
INION: the perfect library and a citadel for the lyrical and humanities-minded type
In connection with the current contest for the best project of restoring the INION building, we are publishing a chapter about it taken from an Anna Bronovitskaya and Nikolai Malinin book "Moscow: Architecture of the Soviet Modernism. 1955–1991" that is due to be published by "Garage" Museum in October 2016.
More Atmosphere
A housing project on the Novoslobodskaya Street: a fragment of a historical brick façade, modern stone and glass... and a grand green semi-hill cascading down from the roofs of the stores into the yard.
"Superblock" on the WaterfrontThe multifunctional housing project "Megalit" in Saint Petersburg's Nevsky District - designed by "Eugene Gerasimov and Partners".
Introvert Colossus
The multifunctional complex "Lotus" stands out among Moscow's projects of recent years. In this article, we examine the end result, analyze its image, and try t -o sort out our impressions of it.