По-русски

Yuri Vissarionov: "Building nine-story panel houses near "Arkhangelskoe" Estate would not be a good idea".

The authors of the project that took the third place at the AGR contest of "Ilinskoe-Usovo" turned their concept into a statement. They deliberately digressed from the technical specifications to propose an alternative version of building on the federally protected territory - more unobtrusive than what is currently planned to be implemented.

Alla Pavlikova

Interviewed by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

23 October 2015
Interview
mainImg

Arch.ru:
- Why did you decide to participate in this contest? 

Yuri Vissarionov:
- We always like participating in various contests and we like winning - which is often the case. The contest for the best housing project of "Ilinskoe-Usovo" was appealing to us, first of all, because of its very subject that we wanted to make a statement about. We liked the challenge, and we particularly liked the place. Lately, we have worked a lot in Moscow suburbs. This is a "living branch" that is quick to yield fruit. Generally speaking, you have a lot more chances to have your project implemented in the Moscow area that in the city itself. It was also interesting for us to analyze the type of recreational housing. I've been into recreational housing for the better part of my life. This is something that I started my career from when I was working in KurortProject. Already at that time, I had an opportunity to do some experimental design - we tried to develop ecological settlements, and tried to come up with the principles of what is now known as carpet housing. In the project of "Ilinskoe-Usovo", an attempt was made to implement different types of recreational buildings; we also tried to single out the ones that were more attractive to the potential customers. Today, fewer and fewer people are interested in buying flats in these huge "anthill" residential buildings; people are more interested in something that is proportional to the human scale, and something that is situated in a less aggressive environment. So it is not by chance that these giant residential high-rises stand half-vacant - the developers simply can't sell them. 

zooming
Yuri Vissarionov
Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Functional zone layout © Vissarionov Studio


- What were the benchmark data for your design there? What did the customer want? Initially, the project was several times turned down by the expert board. What was wrong with it? 

- The construction site is situated in Moscow area between two such unique monuments of history and architecture as the estates of Arkhangelskoe and Usovo. The customer bought a large share of land there and he decided to build a standard residential area of panel houses without so much as a giving a slight consideration to its surroundings. Not to mention the fact that the very would-be construction site is a landscape monument, a place that was for centuries owned by the Russian royal family. This is a very special territory that is surrounded by monuments of culture and unique natural objects, so it came as no surprise that the whole local community stood up against this construction. The project was several times considered by the public council and the town-planning board of the Moscow area only to be turned down again and again. The local community was categorically opposed to any kind of construction here. For this reason, actually, the customer agreed to conduct the contest in the first place.

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the "quadrant" planning © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe © Vissarionov Studio


- But the conditions set before the participants of the contest did not really contradict (in fact, did not contradict at all) the initial project of building in Ilinskoe-Usovo, so, what's the deal?

- Yes, when we were getting the contest specifications, they let us know that the target number of floors was nine. We were also told that this "conforms to the requirements of the landscape and visual survey". According to my estimates and my colleagues', however, the benchmark data did not at all provide for all the viewing points. The customer's desire to see the cheap panel houses also did not go. It was clear that such construction in such a place was clearly inadmissible. It would have inevitably destroyed the panoramas of the great architectural ensembles located nearby. Besides, one must note the transport constituent part of this project which is also far from perfect. The site has neither transport infrastructure in it nor a decent driving access. As the main transport, they proposed the tram that proceeds in the direction of the Krasnogorskaya Square. I am not sure, however, that one tram line will be enough to solve the transportation problem there.

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe © Vissarionov Studio


- What did you do to handle this controversy between the contest specifications and the real design conditions?

- We did not really care whether or not our project conformed to these specifications. We seriously believe that these specifications are incorrectly formulated, to put it mildly. However, it was important for us to reconcile the customer, the architects, and the city community, and still more important - not to do any harm to the historically valuable surroundings. This is why we came up with an alternative version that could please everybody. Here is the thing - you cannot blame the developer for wanting to capitalize on the land site that he bought. In my opinion, this is not his personal mistake - rather a "system" one. 

- Please share more about your proposal. Why is your project special? What makes it different? 

- We came up with a solution that is different and that has integrity to it. In our project, those nine-story houses are few and far between. Predominantly, it is about medium and low-rise structures. These nine stories only come up on one side, thanks to a significant relief drop of about 20 meters. Situated in the lowland, these buildings go practically unnoticed in the overall panorama; they merge with the horizon line. As for the topmost point of the site, we designed two and three-story nice little houses that do not at all get in the way of the viewer's perception of the historical estate complexes. This is the so-called "carpet" type of planning that, in my opinion, deserves close attention today. Such houses have a very high density; you can build them without any lifting cranes in fact, virtually, with your bare hands, significantly reducing the costs. Insisting on the large number of floors the developer looks to get a great output of usable square footage. However, this is a common mistake because, today, the high-density carpet housing is oftentimes a lot more cost-efficient. We cut down on the number of floors at the same time keeping the required housing density. This is what sets our project apart from the others that provided for the usual rank-and-file nine-story things, however in conformity with the contest specifications. 

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Master plan © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. The diagram of building typology and the functional zoning © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Lanscaping plan © Vissarionov Studio


- What were the crucial differences between your proposal and the contest specifications then, if you're saying that the square footage figures turned out to be even better than what was initially required? 

- The customer was not only interested in the square footage alone. He was looking to overbuild the site with the typical panel nine-stories, and, the way I see it, did not want to consider any alternatives whatsoever. 

- Which ideas of your project do you consider to be the most important and interesting? 

- We worked first of all with the landscape and we wanted to consider all of its peculiarities as much as possible. In such places, the natural scenery is not an obstacle - rather, it's a helper. As a result, the whole territory was conditionally divided into four parts including the central one, each part representing a certain construction archetype. The center was designed as a circle but the shape does not really matter here, it could have been anything. Designing the center is the easier part, designing the edges is always far more challenging. On one of the plans, we represented practically the entire history of this area's town-planning - from the early XX century up to the present day. Yesterday was represented by Corbusier buildings, a reinvented linear city with five and six-story houses. 

We even tried to look into the future by proposing a design option that, as it seems to me, will be next big thing: a contemporary version of the "garden" city, a morph-type that we ourselves developed. It contains, among other things, sport facilities and the housing for the athletes. Thus, the project represents all the epochs of town-planning - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Development drawings © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the "quadrant" planning © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Archetype of the residential construction © Vissarionov Studio


But the most interesting type is the dense carpet plan of the top part of the slope. This is like returning to the medieval harmonious function. As a matter of fact, the medieval building was still more interesting and complex. And in our case we've got more organized planning. The buildings are arranged in such a way that they form a "block within a block" with an exit to the recreation areas, green half-open yards and courtyards, and a chain of interflowing public territories. But, to my mind, it is today that these ideas become ever more vital. These three and four-story buildings give a great housing density. What is interesting is the fact that each part of this territory, regardless of the specific district, has the same housing density. Chances are, the judging panel of the contest did not even notice that.

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. Archetype of the residential construction © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe © Vissarionov Studio


There is a tram line that runs through the entire area and connects its parts. Besides this main tram line that goes outside this area, we proposed to add an internal express streetcar here. 

- Which housing typologies are represented in the project? 

- We came up with unconventional solutions just by using conventional sections. Two thirds of the territory are occupied by the low-rise housing. This is the type of housing of tomorrow with large apartments for large families. We also provided for the longitudinal housing, hotels, youth hostels, and students' dormitories. Thus, our project realizes the principle of coexistence of different typologies. In one part of the city, different age groups of people with different life views can live in comfort. And, what is remarkable, we created such environment that will make one want to come to stay. While a person is young he can afford to have lodging that is less expensive and smaller in size - say, living in a dorm or a studio apartment. After he starts a family and has some kids he can find a house more suited to his circumstances in this same neighborhood. And, as he gets old, he can move closer to the nature, say, to the "garden" city. Apart from that, our project provides for the construction of a medical, educational, and administrative centers, educational facilities for children, and a school of prospective development. In effect, this is a project of a perfect city that you cannot build but you can try to get as close to it as possible. The only thing that our city does not provide for is the place of application of labor. Still, however, nearby, in the Zakharkovskaya river basin, on the territory of Moscow, as a matter of fact, there is the International Financial Center where, hopefully, a lot of people who are going to live here will be able to find work. 

- And the contest specifications - did they provide for any place of labor application?

- They did not. And this is yet another serious limitation. 

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View from the central boulevard © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the entertainment center from the central boulevard © Vissarionov Studio


- What is your general opinion of the district of "Ilinkskoe-Usovo"? 

- I think that this is a dead-end situation. The standard approach would be misplaced here; this is a barbarian and destructive handling of the environment. If the whole world built like that we will soon have neither architecture nor historical legacy. This is why we from the very start decided to run this risk and take this chance breaking away from the technical specifications. 

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the block housing © Vissarionov Studio


- If you had not been bound by the contest specifications how would you have handled this territory?

- If you're building something you must observe the architectural and town planning rules and regulations. Hiding the tall buildings underneath and leaving the smaller ones at the topmost part was the right solution. Besides, what's more important, it did not encroach in the least on the investor's interests. Quite the contrary, if he had implemented this project he would have gained a lot more. The interesting cluster type housing, the buildings commanding fine views - all this is a very attractive environment for the contemporary buyer. This "river basin", eco-friendly, and very neat principle of urban planning would be exactly in its place here. A cluster grows from its environment and a cluster must not contradict it - otherwise it will destroy everything around it like a cancer cell. The construction devised by the investor was very much like these dangerous cells. But it's not how it's supposed to be. It's not only about making money short-term or building a monument to the architect's ambitions. This is about forming an environment that will be comfortable for the people to live in, long term, for decades to come. Of course, there are different approaches to designing things. There is a scientific aspect just as there is the artistic and the commercial ones. An architect must be able to combine all these ideas, at the same time pushing the interests of people on top of everything. For us, it was from the very start not so much a contest project as an attempt to create our own methodology.

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the city center © Vissarionov Studio


- So, do you think the contest winning project cannot be implemented at this place? 

- Well, that would not be a good idea. Of course I wouldn't like to talk down the work of my colleagues. Still, however, in this situation the architect must not be at the developer's beck and call. It was specifically noted that the contest winning project provided for atrium-like planning but if you placed tall buildings according to such a principle, to my mind, this is a very ambiguous and double-sided solution. Generally, today people tend to take the profession lightly. And I think it's a crying shame. And I think this situation must be improved. The profession must only welcome the professionals. If the contests failed to improve the situation then this means that you have to look for other ways to solve the problem. A few years ago there was an attempt to create the chamber of architects but still it was a no go. And soon this will lead to a situation when there will be no architects left that are capable of doing any independent thinking - we will only have the people that will be able to fulfill the developers' orders.

Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the "dot-dash" housing © Vissarionov Studio


Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the block part © Vissarionov Studio
 

- Do you know the further destiny of this project? Will the customer attract you to further work on this project as the finalists of the contest? 

- I don't know anything about how this project is getting along now. We asked the same question at the discussion with the judging panel and with the developer but we did not get any definite answer. Of course, we would like to hope that we would be at least included in the author list. It would be fair to divide this area between the three architectural studios that took the top three places. We would be happy to handle the section with the carpet design. In my opinion this project would be better off if they handed it over to the Institute of General Plan of Moscow region.
Architectural and engineering proposal on the housing project in Ilinskoe. View of the high-rise part © Vissarionov Studio


23 October 2015

Alla Pavlikova

Interviewed by:

Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov
Headlines now
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.
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.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
​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.
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.
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.
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.
Three-Part Task: St. Petersburg’s Mytny Dvor
The so-called “Mytny Dvor” area lying just behind Moscow Railway Station – the market rows with a complex history – will be transformed into a premium residential complex by Studio 44. The project consists of three parts: the restoration of historical buildings, the reconstruction of the lost part of the historical contour, and new houses. All of them are harmonized with each other and with the city; axes and “beams of light” were found, cozy corners and scenic viewpoints were carefully thought out. We had a chat with the authors of the historical buildings’ restoration project, and we are telling you about all the different tasks that have been solved here.
The Color of the City, or Reflections on the Slope of an Urban Settlement
In 2022, Ostozhenka Architects won a competition, and in 2023, they developed and received all the necessary approvals for a master plan for the development of Chernigovskaya Street for the developer GloraX. The project takes into account a 10-year history of previous developments; it was done in collaboration with architects from Nizhny Novgorod, and it continues to evolve now. We carefully examined it, talked to everyone, and learned a lot of interesting things.
A Single-Industry Town
Kola MMC and Nornickel are building a residential neighborhood in Monchegorsk for their future employees. It is based on a project by an international team that won the 2021 competition. The project offers a number of solutions meant to combat the main “demons” of any northern city: wind, grayness and boredom.
A New Age Portico
At the beginning of the year, Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport opened Terminal C. The large-scale and transparent entrance hall with luminous columns inside successfully combines laconism with a bright and photogenic WOW-effect. The terminal is both the new façade of the whole complex and the starting point of the planned reconstruction, upon completion of which Tolmachevo will become the largest regional airport in Russia. In this article, we are examining the building in the context of modernist prototypes of both Novosibirsk and Leningrad: like puzzle pieces, they come together to form their individual history, not devoid of curious nuances and details.
A New Starting Point
We’ve been wanting to examine the RuArts Foundation space, designed by ATRIUM for quite a long time, and we finally got round to it. This building looks appropriate and impressive; it amazingly combines tradition – represented in our case by galleries – and innovation. In this article, we delve into details and study the building’s historical background as well.
Molding Perspectives
Stepan Liphart introduces “schematic Art Deco” on the outskirts of Kazan – his houses are executed in green color, with a glassy “iced” finish on the facades. The main merits of the project lie in his meticulous arrangement of viewing angles – the architect is striving to create in a challenging environment the embryo of a city not only in terms of pedestrian accessibility but also in a sculptural sense. He works with silhouettes, proposing intriguing triangular terraces. The entire project is structured like a crystal, following two grids, orthogonal and diagonal. In this article, we are examining what worked, and what eventually didn’t.
An Educational Experiment for the North
City-Arch continues to work on the projects that can be termed as “experimental public preschools”: private kindergartens and schools can envy such facilities in many respects. This time around, the project is done for the city of Gubkinsky, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. A diverse educational and play environment, including a winter garden, awaits future students, while the teachers will have abundant opportunities to implement new practices.
Alexandra Kuzmina: “Working is easy when the rules are the same for everyone”
The subject matter of Moscow Region’s booth and presentations at Zodchestvo Festival was the concept of “Integrated Land Development”, and for a good reason: this task is very challenging, very relevant, and Moscow Region has already accumulated quite a formidable experience in this regard. In this article, we are speaking to the main architect of the region: about master plans and who makes them, about where you obtain resources for creating a comfortable environment, about her favorite projects, about why there are so few good architects, and what we should do with the bad ones.
The Cemetery: Inside and Outside
The workshop organized by the Genplan Institute of Moscow scored one of the two first places at the “Open City” festival. Its subject is reorganization of municipal cemeteries. Two action plans were proposed, diametrically opposite: one for the downtown and one for the suburbs.
Our Everything
Who is Alexey Shchusev? In the last couple of weeks, since the architect’s 150th birthday, different individuals have answered this question differently. The most detailed, illustrated, and elegantly presented response is an exhibition held in two buildings of the Museum of Architecture on Vozdvizhenka. Four curators, a year and a half of work performed by the entire museum, and exhibition design by Sergey Tchoban and Alexandra Sheiner – in this article, we take you on a tour of the exhibition and show what’s what in it.
For Mental Reboot
At the architectural competition held in 2023 in Novosibirsk, the project by GORA Architects – a pedestrian bridge leading to the town of Bor – was awarded the “Golden Capital” prize. In this country, more than a hundred pedestrian bridges are constructed each year. What makes the Bor bridge different?
Gold Embroidery
A five-story housing complex designed by Stepan Liphart in Kazan, responds to the stylistically diverse context with its form, both integral and agile, and as for the vicinity of the “Ekiyat” movie theater, the complex responds to it with a semblance of theater curtain folds, and active plastique of its balconies, that bear some resemblance to theater boxes. Even if excessively pompous a little bit, the complex does look fresh and modern. One will have a hard time finding Art Deco elements in it, even though the spirit of the 1930s, run through the filter of neo-modernism, is still clearly felt, just as a twist of the Occident.