Karen Saprichyan: "An artist is a broad notion"

An interview with Karen Saprichyan, an artist and a sculptor.

Interviewed by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

30 April 2015

Interview

Archi.ru:
Your company was founded back in 1999, after a serious economic crisis shook this country. Why did you make such a courageous decision? How difficult was it starting a new company back in those days?

Karen Saprichyan:
I decided to start my own company while I was at the top of my activity. At that time, I was doing the mosaics for the decoration of the underground crossings at the Pushkin Square in Moscow. This work was scheduled to coincide with the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow. And it was also at that time that I was introduced to Alexander Asadov with whom we immediately started working together on the project for the Central Election Committee of Russia. For its central hall, I created Florence-style mosaic patterns from granite and polished brass. It was an exciting time, crisis or no crisis.

zooming — Karen Saprichyan © Grand Project City

How did your company develop from then on? Which moments would you mark as important ones?

There were important moments still before I founded the bureau. I graduated from the Stroganov College. However, my very first works were already connected with architecture. One of the most notable events for me was my participating in the project of reconstructing the Gorky Street, now Tverskaya. It was back in 1987. The studio of "Mosproject" under the leadership of Victor Gostev, was responsible for forming the outward appearance of the street, while I, in cooperation with the company "Mosinzh" developed the solutions for all the underground spaces. The reconstruction was to cover the Pushkin, Tverskaya, and Manezh squares. The latter was given special attention: it was planned to create there a lot of pedestrian zones, restaurants, museums, and shops - but still in numbers significantly smaller than there are now. The project was approved by the authorities and it got all the required permissions. But, sadly and quite unexpectedly, Victor Gostev died. The project was handed over to another group of architects and then it was implemented in quite a different way.

The next serious stage in my career was the large project that was arranged to coincide with the four hundredth anniversary of the city of Surgut. Then there was a whole layer of work in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk. And still after that, a milestone for me was my participation in designing the Olympic objects.

You designed a lot for the Western Siberia and Khanty-Mansiysk. How valuable was that experience?

It was tremendous. Back in those days, I would not have been able to implement anything of such magnitude in any other Russian city. Later on down the line, a lot of motifs and techniques that I tried out in Khanty-Mansiysk - I used them on my Olympic projects. But the most important thing that work gave to me is the great partners, designers, and manufacturers with whom I've been working up to the present day. To me, implementing a project is as important as designing it - because very often the architectural ideas suffer from the poor-quality construction.

Which projects became your favorite or maybe "milestone" ones for you?

First of all, this is the monument to the pioneers of Yugra in the shape of a tall three-facet pyramid and the square of Slavonic Writing in Khanty-Mansiysk. The pyramid was indeed a unique project for its day and age. Standing atop of a high mountain, on the edge of a steep precipice, it required a great deal of effort to implement. It was at that time that I was lucky to meet Nodar Kancheli, who did a great deal for this project to become a reality. Later on, together with him we built in Khanty-Mansiysk five more projects of such great complexity that other designers were even afraid to start working with them. The shape of the pyramid is also very symbolic. Each of its three facets shares about the conquering this land: first by its native population, then by the Cossacks, and, finally, by the oil miners who came to Siberia. The pyramid looks absolutely sculptural, especially together with the dynamic backlight, but it's also functional, too: in its central part there is an interactive museum, its second floor has a restaurant in it, and on top of it there is a sightseeing platform that commands the view of the whole city. Many times, this tower hosted various international meetings, and even summits of the European Union.

For the Slavonic Writing Square, I came up with the integrated territorial solution: in that project, a land plot with a height difference of 24 meters got a cascade of backlit fountains with sculptural elements. On its very top, we installed the monument to Cyril and Methodius that was executed by me and my team of sculptors, and, as you ascend the temple stairs, we put up the signs with the Bible commandments inscribed on them. The construction work was also done by my construction company here.

Out of my objects that were designed in the contemporary styles or in the style of "hi-tech", I would note the Sport Fame Square where unusual architectural techniques are combined with exceptional functionality. This project was implemented in 2002. Back then, the idea of hanging a glowing torch above the visitors' heads looked very daring.

However, the most interesting project for me was the multifunctional recreation complex on the embankment of the Moskva River. It was our joint project with Alexander Asadov that we did for "Mirax" Company. We proposed to throw over the river a beautiful pedestrian bridge with a hotel on its top floors that grows from a large recreation area organized along the embankment. And, at the customer's request, when still in the concept phase, we, together with the Central Research and Development Project Institute of Metallic Building Structures, developed all the necessary units, proving that building such a bridge was quite realistic but, regretfully, it was never built.

Also, I cannot help but mention the project proposal on the reconstruction of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, where we proposed to recreate the lost buildings. Or the project of the stadium in the city of Nizhny Novgorod that reacts to the vicinity with the nearby church and at the same evoked associations with the colorful fairs that this city has always been famous for. All these ideas were really interesting but they were still left unimplemented. As far as the implemented projects are concerned, I would mention the Sochi ones.

Please share more about the single concept for the Olympic Sochi. How was it developed?

This concept was all about developing the motorway network on the territory starting from the Sochi Tunnel to Adler Airport and further on to Krasnaya Polyana. At the same time, the project provided not only for building the road junctions and portals of the tunnels but also the buildings adjoining the highway. For example, the roofs of all the houses standing along the road were substituted with approximately identical ones, designed in a single style - which made the surroundings look like a cozy southern town. We also installed new fences and public transportation stops; landscaping work was done.

We were also able to implement the Olympic Rings. Essentially, they are not even rings but sculptural compositions mounted on a metallic framework and fastened with specially chamfered aluminum panels without so much as a hint at a seam. Inside the rings, there are the beautiful openwork constructions that echo the decoration of the tunnels. Initially, the rings were meant to serve as giant arches through which the roads might actually meander. Later on, however, because of their proximity to the airport runways, we had to significantly diminish them in size - from 22 to 16 meters - and change their location. As a result, it was only the yellow ring named "Asia" that remained an arch - the entrance to the airport's VIP zone. All the other rings remained to be just decorative elements.

As for the entrance portals to the tunnels, I proposed to decorate them with a sophisticated snow-white structure that looked like a cobweb or maybe a hoarfrost. Such "irregular" structure has no analogues in the world, and implementing this project required not just a great designer but the best in the world. We did find a practical solution but we were not able to ultimately implement all of our ideas. Even though it got all the necessary approvals in the highest circles, our concept was drastically curtailed when it came to implementation, shattered to pieces, in fact. Regretfully, in this country you always need to be prepared for this: once it comes to implementation, especially of such large-scale projects as the Sochi one, the original idea is often changed beyond recognition.

How did the idea of decorating the tunnels with such sophisticated structures come about?

The idea came about long before the Olympic building, back in those days when I was working in Sochi with "Avtodor". Back then, I proposed a similar solution but my customer refrained from implementing it. It was only two years later that I got the opportunity to get back to the solution that I had come up with and use it in the Olympic concept. I was only able to implement my sophisticated ideas thanks to my cooperation with Russian Railways but, alas, the project did not go any further.

You said several times that a lot of your projects were done in collaboration with Alexander Asadov. How and why did this creative union come about? Do you work together today?

Like I already said, I met Alexander Asadov a long time ago when I was working on the project of the Central Election Committee of Russia. We found common ground at once, and our further collaboration came naturally. Over the years of our friendship we've done about fifty collaboration projects. We keep working together today as well. For example, we work on the projects of "Spartak" Stadium, the residential building on the 2nd Samarskaya Street, and "Landyshi" hotel.

Who does what in your consortium? Who is ultimately responsible for the concept? For its implementation?

It's always different. Sometimes one of us comes up with the concept and the other one embellishes on it. Inside, we are very similar, we think big, and our perception of the architectural space is similar, too. And, on top of that, we know how to yield to one another, which is, probably, the most important thing.

What is on your studio's agenda today?

Presently, our top priority is finishing the decoration of the building of the MEDCI Clinic at the Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. Our main task was designing the decorative elements of the building's facades that were developed from my sketches. And, yet again, I must say that this building - which is practically finished now - looked totally different in the original version. This was a house designed in the constructivist spirit - very simple, balanced and wholesome. However, the customer did not approve of that building, so I had to come up with another version.

Just as much effort we are putting now into the project of "Spartak" stadium. This stadium is very interesting for its multifunctionality. Apart from its direct sport function, it can also be used as the all-purpose concert hall for organizing shows of various complexity, up to the performance of Circus du Soleil.

Do you have any architectural preferences or maybe your favorite architectural style?

Regretfully, the contemporary Russian architecture mostly follows the current trends, copying the existing techniques. This is why I have a lot of issues with the contemporary architecture. There was a time when I was saying that the architecture will in fact turn into sculpture, that its plastique will be coming first, and the function will become secondary. And this is the way it happened, actually. Just think of the works by Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid. Lately, this trend has started to abate. No one can tell what will be hot tomorrow. This, however, only holds true for the big architecture. As far as day-to-day life is concerned, things are a lot more on the grassroots level here. Our freedom of choice is very limited: if you see an opportunity to do a project, you just jump at it. And as for the "free creation", it is only possible on paper. It is hard for me to define my style because it all depends on the situation and on the specific project. And each project required a specific approach with its style varying from classic to hi-tech.

It is known that, aside from architecture, you are a well-known artist...

Yes, I have done a lot of drawing and painting, and took part in exhibitions. My works were sold successfully. Most of my drawings were done without any sketches or studies. For example, "Unable to Fly" that was exhibited at Art-Manezh in 1996. In ways, it became a symbol of those days: you have wings but you still are earthbound. Then I was into sculpture. Again, this all started in Khanty-Mansiysk where we created Russia's first Pieta for the Victory Park. There were also many of my other sculptural works, down to my custom-designed wrought-iron fence. Further on, we, together with Nikolai Lyubimov, did the sculptures of Cyril and Methodius. I also worked with Andrew Kovalchuk creating the large sculptural composition named "Yugra".

After you graduated from the Stroganov College you actively participated in Russian and the world's contests and exhibitions. What achievement of those days is the most important for you?

My main reward and achievement is the fact that over 150 of my drawings were bought by the leading galleries of America, Europe, and Japan. Although today I would happily have those drawings back because today I cannot draw the way I could back in those days. In the late eighties, there were a lot of foreigners in Moscow who were interested in my art. Lots of art shows and exhibitions were organized in Europe and America as well. Gradually, however, I put this all by to fully dedicate myself to architecture. Today, I create my works solely for my architectural projects - mosaics, sculptures, and bas-reliefs.

Still, having become predominantly an architect, you do not give up on the fine arts altogether. Is it difficult combining them all?

Back in the soviet times, it was all divided into sections, the monumental artists, the drawing artists, the sculptors, and so on. To me, an artist is a very broad notion that covers such profession as an architect, a sculptor, a painter, and many others. For example, two months ago at the Pushkin Square seven of my mosaics were put up. At the same time, Moscow is now building three buildings upon my projects. These are, in fact, quite different fields of endeavor. But it seems to me that I am somehow able to combine all these activities, not to mention the fact that I implement my projects myself down to the last detail.

Probably, the most vivid example of such "gesamkunstwerk" in your portfolio is the Khanty-Mansiysk pyramid?

Yes, it obviously combines architectural and artistic techniques and means of expression. Under my supervision, the Kaluga Sculptural Factory produced for it over three hundred meters of bas-reliefs, the construction being also supervised by the Academy of Fine Arts. The plastic language of the Sochi tunnel portals is more contemporary; I think it has to do with my early paintings; this is especially true for the shape that is born from the intertwining structures.

The same can be said about the restoration of the substation in Sochi: in that project I, for the first time in Russia, actually, was able to employ perforated facades. Now they are very popular with a lot of architects. There is also a "dark" side to it: both in painting and in drawing I have a lot of "architecture".

Presentation of Karen Saprichyan projects:
http://gp-city.ru/Saprichian%20Karen%20portfolio%20(start&wait%20for1min).pps

30 April 2015

Headlines now

Architecton Awards

In 2025, the jury of the Architecton festival reviewed the finalist projects through live, open presentations held right in the exhibition hall – a rather engaging performance, and something rarely seen among Russian awards. It would be great if “Zodchestvo” adopted this format. Below, we present all the winning projects, including four special nominations.

send.project

Garden of Knowledge

UNK architects and UNK design created the interiors of the Letovo Junior campus, working together with NF Studio, which was responsible for developing the educational technology that takes into account the needs and perception of younger and middle school children.

The Silver Skates

The STONE Kaluzhskaya office quarter is accompanied by two residential towers, making the complex – for it is indeed a single ensemble – well balanced in functional terms. The architects at Kleinewelt gave the residential buildings a silvery finish to match the office blocks. How they are similar, how they differ, and what “Silver Skates” has to do with it – we explore in this article.

Overview

On the Dynastic Trail

The houses and townhouses of the “Tsarskaya Tropа” (“Czar’s Trail”) complex are being built in the village of Gaspra in Crimea – to the west and east of the palaces of the former grand-ducal residence “Ai-Todor”. One of the main challenges for the architects at KPLN, who developed the project, was to respond appropriately to this significant neighboring heritage. How this influenced the massing, the façades, and the way the authors work with the terrain is explored in our article.

Object

A New Path

The main feature of the Yar Park project, designed by Sergey Skuratov for Kazan, is that it is organized along the “spine” of a multifunctional mall with an impressive multi-height atrium space in its middle. The entire site, both on the city side and the Kazanka River embankment, is open to the public. The complex is intended not to become “yet another fenced enclave” but, as urban planners say, a “polycenter” – a new point of attraction for the whole of Kazan, especially its northern part, made up of residential districts that until now have lacked such a vibrant public space. It represents a new urban planning approach to a high-density mixed-use development situated in the city center – in a sense, an “anti-quarter”. Even Moscow, one might say, doesn’t yet have anything quite like it. Well, lucky Kazan!

Object

Beneath the Azure Sky

A depository designed by Studio 44 will soon be built in Kenozersky National Park to preserve and display the so-called “heavens” – ceiling structures characteristic of wooden churches in the Russian North, painted with biblical scenes. For each of these “heavens”, the architects created a volume corresponding in scale and dimensions to the original church interior. The result is a honeycomb-like composition, with modules derived directly from the historic monuments themselves, allowing visitors to view the icons from the historically accurate angle – from below, looking upward. How exactly this works is the subject of our story.

Object

The Power of Lines

The building at the very beginning of New Arbat is the result of long deliberations over how to replace the former House of Communication. Contemporary, dynamic, and even somewhat zoomorphic in character, it is structured around a large diagonal grid. The building has become a striking accent both in the perspective of the former Kalinin Avenue and in the panorama of Arbat Square. Yet, unfortunately, the original concept was not fully realized. In 2020, the Moscow ArchCouncil approved a design featuring an exoskeleton – an external load-bearing structure, which eventually turned into a purely decorative element. Still, the power of the supergraphic “holds” the building, giving it the qualities of a new urban landmark with iconic potential. How this concept took shape, what unexpected associations might underlie the grid’s form, and why the exoskeleton was never built – all this is explored in our article.

News

Resort on the Kama River

Wowhaus has developed a project for the reconstruction of Korabelnaya Roshcha (“Mast Grove”), a wellness resort located on the banks of the Kama River.

Object

Nests in Primorye

The eco-park project “Nests”, designed by Aleksey Polishchuk and the company Power Technologies, received first prize at the Eco-Coast 2025 festival, organized by the Union of Architects of Russia. For a glamping site in Filinskaya Bay, the authors proposed bird-shaped houses, treehouses, and a nest-shaped observation platform, topping it all with an entrance pavilion executed in the shape of an owl.

Object

The Angle of String Tension

The House of Music, designed by Vladimir Plotkin and the architects of TPO Reserve, resembles a harp, and when seen from above, even a bass clef. But if only it were that simple! The architecture of the complex fuses two distinct expressive languages: the lattice-like, transparent, permeable vocabulary of “classical” modernism and the sculptural, ribbon-like volumes so beloved by today’s neo-modernism. How it all works – where the catharsis lies, which compositional axes underpin the design, where the project resembles Zaryadye Concert Hall and where it does not – read in the article below.

Object

How Historic Tobolsk Becomes a Portal to the Future

Over the past decade, the architectural company Wowhaus has developed urban strategies for several Russian cities – Vyksa, Tula, and Nizhnekamsk, to name but a few. Against this backdrop, the Tobolsk master plan stands out both for its scale – the territory under transformation covers more than 220 square kilometers – and for its complexity.

Object

St. Petersburg vs Rome

The center of St. Petersburg is, as we know, sacred – but few people can say with certainty where this “sacred place” actually begins and ends. It’s not about the formal boundaries, “from the Obvodny Canal to the Bolshaya Nevka”, but about the vibe that feels true to the city center. With the Nevskaya Ratusha complex – built to a design that won an international competition – Evgeny Gerasimov and Sergei Tchoban created an “image of the center” within its territory. And not so much the image of St. Petersburg itself, as that of a global metropolis. This is something new, something that hasn’t appeared in the city for a long time. In this article, we study the atmosphere, recall precedents, and even reflect on who and when first called St. Petersburg the “new Rome”. Clearly, the idea is alive for a reason.

Object

On the Wave

The project of transforming the river port and embankment in the city of Cheboksary, developed by the ATRIUM Architects, involves one of the city’s key areas. The Volga embankment is to be turned into a riverside boulevard – a multifunctional, comfortable, and expressive space for work and leisure activities. The authors propose creating a new link with the city’s main Krasnaya (“Red”) Square, as well as erecting several residential towers inspired by the shape of the traditional national women’s headdress – these towers are likely to become striking accents on the Volga panorama.

Interview

Valery Kanyashin: “We Were Given a Free Hand”

The Headliner residential complex, the main part of which was recently completed just across from Moscow City, is a kind of neighbor to the MIBC that doesn’t “play along” with it. On the contrary, the new complex is entirely built on contrast: like a city of differently scaled buildings that seems to have emerged naturally over the past 20 years – which is a hugely popular trend nowadays! And yet here – perhaps only here – such a project has been realized to its full potential. Yes, high-rises dominate, but all these slender, delicate profiles, all these exciting perspectives! And most importantly – how everything is mixed and composed together... We spoke with the project’s leader Valery Kanyashin.

Object

The Keystone

Until quite recently, premium residential and office complexes in Moscow were seen as the exclusive privilege of the city center. Today the situation is changing: high-quality architecture is moving beyond the confines of the Third Ring Road and appearing on the outskirts. The STONE Kaluzhskaya business center is one such example. Projects like this help decentralize the megalopolis, making life and work prestigious in any part of the city.

send.project

Perpetuum Mobile

The interior of the headquarters of Natsproektstroy, created by the IND studio team, vividly and effectively reflects the client’s field of activity – it is one of Russia’s largest infrastructure companies, responsible for logistics and transport communications of every kind you can possibly think of.

Object

Water and Light

Church art is full of symbolism, and part of it is truly canonical, while another part is shaped by tradition and is perceived by some as obligatory. Because of this kind of “false conservatism”, contemporary church architecture develops slowly compared to other genres, and rarely looks contemporary. Nevertheless, there are enthusiasts in this field out there: the cemetery church of Archangel Michael in Apatity, designed by Dmitry Ostroumov and Prokhram bureau, combines tradition and experiment. This is not an experiment for its own sake, however – rather, the considered work of a contemporary architect with the symbolism of space, volume, and, above all, light.

Object

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.

send.project

Semi-Digital Environment

In the town of Innopolis, a satellite of Kazan, the first 4-star hotel designed by MAD Architects has opened. The interiors of the hotel combine elegance with irony, and technology with comfort, evoking the atmosphere of a computer game or maybe a sci-fi movie about the near future.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Interview

Grigory Revzin: “What we should do with the architecture of the seventies”

Soviet modernism came in two flavors: the good, author-driven kind, and the bad, standardized kind. The good kind was “on the periphery”, while the bad kind was in the center – geographically, in terms of attention, scale, and everything else. Can we demolish it? “That would be destroying public consensus out of thin air”. So what should we do? Preserve it, but creatively: “Bring architecture into places where it hasn’t yet appeared”. Treat these buildings not as monuments, but as urban landscape. Read our interview with Grigory Revzin on the pressing topic of saving modernism – where he proposes a controversial, yet really intriguing, way of preserving 1970s buildings.

Overview

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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”.