Transformation of "Belgrade"

The project of renovating "Belgrade" Hotel will turn it into a practical and fully-equipped facility, at the same time carefully preserving the recognizable style of the soviet modernism - and will even restore the symmetry of the Smolenskaya Square.

Written by:
Alla Pavlikova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

18 February 2016

Object

Architect:

Firm:

Т+Т Architects https://tt-arch.ru/

The new year saw "Belgrade" Hotel, built back in 1976 in pair with its "twin" tower on the Smolenskaya Street, shut down for reconstruction with an accompanying closing ceremony. The very fact is a precedent in itself - because normally guests and reporters are invited to an opening ceremony of something. In this case, however, people were invited to close this facility, see one of its walls publicly torn down, walk around its now-deserted floors, peek into the soviet-era rooms with light bulbs screwed out and furniture partially taken out as well, but nonetheless commanding the same magnificent views of the Moskva River and the high-rise of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nearby. The hotel in its original condition - and it must be noted at this point that ever since it was built, the building was never remodeled - was seen by the crowd for the last time. On the 15th of January, the construction work began.

zooming — Project of renovating "Belgrade" Hotel. Version 2 © T+T Architects

The project of reconstructing and changing the plan of the hotel with regard to the requirements of the well-known Azimut Hotels chain was developed by the Russian company "T+T Architects". The first thing that the architects had to take into consideration was the importance and the very specifics of the hotel's location - on one of the city's main squares. The Smolenskaya Square was formed in the first half of the XX century, its main centerpiece being the high-rise of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Built in 1976 and 1973 respectively, and flanking the square from the west, the two identical towers of the hotels "Belgrade" and "Golden Ring" were meant to complete the architectural ensemble as two giant propylaea, a grand entrance to the Stalin high-rise.

The high degree of "involvement" of the building with the context made the architects refrain from the idea of making any radical changes to its architecture, even though some of the early versions of the project provided for significant changes. The long-term work inside the company and interacting with Moscow's numerous municipal agencies (the project, among other things, had to get the approval of Moscow's architectural board) helped find the best possible solution that was focused on the preservation of the historical look of the modernist high-rise. The rhythm, the texture, and the colors of the façades, the fenestration, and the integrity of the overall composition - the architects were to keep all of these intact, at the same time updating the building and breathing a new life into it. As for the "old" walls with their prominent vertical pattern and the signature "rib" feel, the architects decided to reconstruct them very delicately, changing all the old materials with the new ones, up-to-date and technology friendly.

For example, the existing structure of aluminum cross-beams with multiple glass units will be changed to new glazing of varying transparency but of the color identical to the original. In the dull sections, the architects are planning to use blacked-out glass with a soft shimmer, while in the rooms it will be fully transparent high windows commanding panoramic views of the city. The piers between the windows will be coated with tinted glass panels that will also repeat the structure and the color of the finish of the building. In addition, by using extra decorative vertical lamellae, the architects proposed to give it a more slender and upright look. The first floor will be covered by new stained glass made from refined glass of particular transparency. Only the stone pylons that flank the bottom part of the building will be left in their places. They will be renovated, cleaned from the dirt and the streaks, and the cracks in them will be fixed. These massive, slightly concave pylons of natural stone will become one of the most palpable reminders of the authentic history of this building, its material fragment from the 1970's, clearly readable from a comparatively close range.

The top part of the twenty-floor high parallelepiped will get a two-story glass buildup with an elliptical plan. This is the most noticeable addition of all that are made in the course of this reconstruction, and it is necessitated by the fact that the twin tower of "Golden Ring" hotel got such a buildup as early on as in 2003, and the new glass volume over "Belgrade" will only restore the symmetry of the architectural ensemble. But then again, the architects themselves confess that if they had not had to take into consideration the already existing buildup over the neighboring tower, they would have opted for a rectangular plan - such an option was even proposed in one of the early versions of the project.

Inside the glass buildup, there will be a restaurant commanding panoramic views of the city and the Moskva River. The vacant part of the roof around the ellipsis will also be made usable - with the restaurant's summer terraces and sightseeing platforms. In addition, the buildup will include small stores, a fitness center, and a cafe.

Yet another important task for the designers was accentuating the grand entrance to the hotel. Today, finding it is no easy feat - there is neither marquee nor sign, the doors mixing in with the background of the first floor. In order to repair this significant omission, the authors proposed to mark the entrance with a broad black frame of the rectangular portal - such an accent would not go unnoticed against the backdrop of refined glass with minimal joints, opening up the view of the hotel lobby. The architects also proposed to cap the entrance with a semitransparent faceted marquee - although the implementation of this particular element is still to be discussed.

The inside space of the hotel that, when remodeled, will claim four stars instead of today's three, will also change significantly. The engineering lines will be all replaced with new ones. The basement will get a new parking garage. All the premises, including the entrance lobby with its grand staircase and the conference halls will be brought to meet the requirements of the new hotel chain operator.

At the example of "Belgrade", the customer is looking to implement the concept of a smart-hotel, its priorities being functionality, laconism, and modern technologies. For this reason, the rooms will get equipped with new high-tech gadgets, the entrance lobby will turn into a co-working zone where one can enjoy a cup of coffee or organize business meetings 24/7. The second floor will be occupied by retail stores. At the expense of developing the floors that are unused today, the architects will be able to boost the number of hotel rooms from 236 to 474. One of the floors will be exclusively occupied by six large conference halls. In a word, keeping the recognizable features of the building's historic identity of classic modernism, the renovated "Belgrade" promises to become a comfortable, state-of-the-art, and quite reasonably priced city hotel with an attractive location. The renewed building is expected to open by 2018.

Architect:

Firm:

Т+Т Architects https://tt-arch.ru/

18 February 2016

Headlines now

The Paradox of the Temporary

The concept of the Russian pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka, proposed by the Wowhaus architects, is the last of the six projects we gathered from the 2022 competition. It is again worth noting that the results of this competition were not finalized due to the cancellation of Russia’s participation in World Expo 2025. It should be mentioned that Wowhaus created three versions for this competition, but only one is being presented, and it can’t be said that this version is thoroughly developed – rather, it is done in the spirit of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, the project is interesting in its paradoxical nature: the architects emphasized the temporary character of the pavilion, and in its bubble-like forms sought to reflect the paradoxes of space and time.

The Forum of Time

The competition project for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka designed by Aleksey Orlov and Arena Project Institute consists of cones and conical funnels connected into a non-trivial composition, where one can feel the hand of architects who have worked extensively with stadiums and other sports facilities. It’s very interesting to delve into its logic, structurally built on the theme of clocks, hourglasses and even sundials. Additionally, the architects have turned the exhibition pavilion into a series of interconnected amphitheaters, which is also highly relevant for world exhibitions. We are reminding you that the competition results were never announced.

Mirrors Everywhere

The project by Sergey Nebotov, Anastasia Gritskova, and the architectural company “Novoe” was created for the Russian pavilion at EXPO 2025, but within the framework of another competition, which, as we learned, took place even earlier, in 2021. At that time, the competition theme was “digital twins”, and there was minimal time for work, so the project, according to the architect himself, was more of a “student assignment”. Nevertheless, this project is interesting for its plan bordering on similarity with Baroque projects and the emblem of the exhibition, as well as its diverse and comprehensive reflectiveness.

Report

The Steppe Is Full of Beauty and Freedom

The goal of the exhibition “Dikoe Pole” (“Wild Field”) at the State Historical Museum was to move away from the archaeological listing of valuable items and to create an image of the steppe and nomads that was multidirectional and emotional – in other words, artistic. To achieve this goal, it was important to include works of contemporary art. One such work is the scenography of the exhibition space developed by CHART studio.

The Snowstorm Fish

The next project from the unfinished competition for the Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2025, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, is by Dashi Namdakov and Parsec Architects. The pavilion describes itself as an “architectural/sculptural” one, with its shape clearly reminiscent of abstract sculpture of the 1970s. It complements its program with a meditative hall named “Mendeleev’s Dreams”, and offers its visitors to slide from its roof at the end of the tour.

The Mirror of Your Soul

We continue to publish projects from the competition for the design of the Russian Pavilion at EXPO in Osaka 2025. We are reminding you that the results of the competition have not been announced, and hardly will ever be. The pavilion designed by ASADOV Architects combines a forest log cabin, the image of a hyper transition, and sculptures made of glowing threads – it focuses primarily on the scenography of the exhibition, which the pavilion builds sequentially like a string of impressions, dedicating it to the paradoxes of the Russian soul.

Part of the Ideal

In 2025, another World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan, in which Russia will not participate. However, a competition for the Russian pavilion was indeed held, with six projects participating. The results were never announced as Russia’s participation was canceled; the competition has no winners. Nevertheless, Expo pavilion projects are typically designed for a bold and interesting architectural statement, so we’ve gathered all the six projects and will be publishing articles about them in random order. The first one is the project by Vladimir Plotkin and Reserve Union, which is distinguished by the clarity of its stereometric shape, the boldness of its structure, and the multiplicity of possible interpretations.

Object

The Fortress by the River

ASADOV Architects have developed a concept for a new residential district in the center of Kemerovo. To combat the harsh climate and monotonous everyday life, the architects proposed a block type of development with dominant towers, good insolation, facades detailed at eye level, and event programming.

Object

In the Rhombus Grid

Construction has begun on the building of the OMK (United Metallurgical Company) Corporate University in Nizhny Novgorod’s town of Vyksa, designed by Ostozhenka Architects. The most interesting aspect of the project is how the architects immersed it in the context: “extracting” a diagonal motif from the planning grid of Vyksa, they aligned the building, the square, and the park to match it. A truly masterful work with urban planning context on several different levels of perception has long since become the signature technique of Ostozhenka.

Object

Generational Connection

Another modern estate, designed by Roman Leonidov, is located in the Moscow region and brings together three generations of one family under one roof. To fit on a narrow plot without depriving anyone of personal space, the architects opted for a zigzag plan. The main volume in the house structure is accentuated by mezzanines with a reverse-sloped roof and ceilings featuring exposed beams.

Object

Three Dimensions of the City

We began to delve into the project by Sergey Skuratov, the residential complex “Depo” in Minsk, located at Victory Square, and it fascinated us completely. The project has at least several dimensions to it: historical – at some point, the developer decided to discontinue further collaboration with Sergey Skuratov Architects, but the concept was approved, and its implementation continues, mostly in accordance with the proposed ideas. The spatial and urban planning dimension – the architects both argue with the city and play along with it, deciphering nuances, and finding axes. And, finally, the tactile dimension – the constructed buildings also have their own intriguing features. Thus, this article also has two parts: it dwells on what has been built and what was conceived

Object

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.

Object

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.

Object

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”.

Overview

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”.

Object

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

send.project

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.

Object

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.

send.project

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.

Object

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.

send.project

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.

send.project

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.

send.project

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.

Object

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.