Secrets of the Moscow yard

Even now, when the house on Big Dmitrovka 18\10 building 2 is still closed by a building film, it is possible to notice, that close to the neighbours it looks like a graceful lady of tiny constitution dressed in a pink-violet attire in pseudo-baroque style.

Written by:
Julia Tarabarina

31 August 2006

Object

Architect:

Firm:

Alexandrov and partners

Object:

Office building on the Big Dmitrovka 18/10 construction 2
Russia, Moscow, Big Dmitrovka street 18/10 construction 2

Project Team:
Alexandrov D.V., Kesler I.M.

2005 — 2006 / 2005 — 2007

State Unitary Enterprise " Moscow-center " the investor « Audit and the Finance »

This house is really very insignificant, it has a little bit more than thousand square meters. It consists of two occurring at different times and various parts. On a line of a lane - the windows surrounded by a fine stucco moulding in which without effort it is possible to learn a small merchant house, of provincial Moscow of the middle of XIX century, hiding as it quite often happens cellars - for all together the building recently has been recognized a monument of a cultural heritage. Its shape practically will not be changed, and a yard part will change greatly. The place of the extension depersonalized by repairs will borrow a translucent building of neocunstructivist forms.

The new, yard part will be made of two volumes: the four-storied basic, and adjoining them three-tier ledge. Difference of heights is conceived as refrain of the cascade of glass volumes of the next building designed and recently constructed also by Dmitry Aleksandrov (we have already wrote earlier -<http://agency.archi.ru/news_current.html?nid=1298>). Two houses are built in a dynamical composition carrying away by the rhythm. Usually a court yard is more boring then facades, and here the space changes, receives an internal intrigue, not losing the basic historical elements.

The new case "grows" from the old one, it stretches from it in a court yard and with its opposite end face "grows" to the next building. It turns out to be not one but two yard facades, almost completely glazed. This method, usual for office skyscrapers where because of the huge sizes the transparency does not mean defenselessness, seems to be surprising for a small, even tiny house which at a sight from appears almost completely pervious - it seems, that it can be “seen” through outside. However the court yard is closed, the pass to it is limited, that means the walls of surrounding constructions protect it from «alien’s eyes». For «it own people» this is a place for a vacation where it is always pleasant to dart a glance. Opening outside with the transparent walls, the offices become more spacious and is more human, getting remote, but known similarity to a park pavilion inside of an old Moscow manor. Or with the country terrace so easy feeling inside of space fenced by a fence of a garden - freedom and openness of which is provided with isolation from casual visitors. These sensations are seldom inherent in office, «the machine for work». And they are very pleasant. It is possible even to say that it is consonant to the western tendency of caring about the mood and state of health of the clerk all the day long spending on the workplace.

Weightlessness of glass walls helps the new, quite modern case, organically enter the dense building quarter. As we see, our lady is rather coquettish: on the one hand, it perfectly feels herself among wise experienced neighbours across the Big Dmitrovka, and on the other - has time to make advances with young, absolutely new, "gentlemen", nothing conceding neither those, nor others.

Architect:

Firm:

Alexandrov and partners

Object:

31 August 2006

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