Activation by Amelioration

A most interesting idea of a pilot renovation project developed by Ostozhenka and the Institute for Urban Economics consists in building underground parking garages combined with soil drains. In addition, the project is all about preserving the valuable land assets combined with the city getting a new large-scale street and a few minor ones as well.

Written by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

21 August 2018

News

Firm:

Ostozhenka Bureau http://www.ostarch.ru

In this issue, we are continuing to share about the works submitted for the competition of pilot territory renovation projects. What makes the district of Vernadskogo Avenue different, stuck, like on a thumb pick, on the metro station of the same name, is the prestigious status, characteristic of most areas of Moscow’s southwest combined at the same time with insufficient cohesiveness. The main task that the Ostozhenka architects set for themselves in their pilot renovation project was joining the new construction sites, currently chaotically scattered, together, and livening up the internal life of the area.

Naming their project “When the Trees Became Tall” (an allusion to the cult Soviet movie of the 1960’s “When the Trees Were Tall”), the architects stressed the importance of green framework to their project.

zooming — The renovation platform "Vernadskogo Avenue", Designed Drive 6640, the current state © Ostozhenka

“We do not destroy the existing vegetation – we only add to it. The green spaces between the buildings became a peculiar token for us: they are like a clock’s hands counting time – Andrew Gnezdilov says – the new houses fit in almost perfectly with the existing planning structure without destroying the vegetation in between them. And it must be noted that the planning pattern of the 1960’s is vital to this day: arranging the houses from north to south is convenient for the construction because it answers today’s insolation norms”. As for the “string” or “horizontal row” construction principle, the architects do change it: in the depth of the neighborhood, buildings of relatively moderate height (up to 8 floors) form semi-closed urban blocks, while near the future transport interchange hub, next to the metro station and near the Vernadskogo Avenue the architects form the blocks that consist of high-rise towers. This way, they accentuate the meaningful points and support the visual correlation with the existing surroundings – housing complexes of the 2000’s.

In order to tie the existing recreations into a single system, the architects add overland pedestrian crossings of the Vernadskogo Avenue in the vital points, proposing to synchronize the mode of the existing traffic lights – one will be able to cross the avenue by a pedestrian crossing, even if somewhat remote from the set of traffic lights, while the cars remain standing, and the traffic will remain unhindered as well because the authors do not propose to build new lights, attaching their crossings to the already existing ones; one must admit that this is a very subtle solution indeed.

One of the interesting features of the Ostozhenka project that caused much controversy at the exhibition held in the “House on Brestskaya” is the fact that the district is getting a new main street that literally grows from the Borovskoe Highway and other “desire paths”, already mastered by the local residents but in no way attached in terms of urban planning.

The highway only coincides with a no-name fragment of the new main street near Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Then, near the triangular square, the street turns right towards the center of the business activity – the metro station and the future transport interchange hub, where the project has office towers in it, resonant, in terms of proportion, to the construction of the late 2000’s on the peripheral part of the territory.

The street gets a zigzagging and winding contour with a few green branches but it is obvious that the main rod connects the metro station and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, thus coinciding with the path that has already been tread upon but has not been organized and landscaped yet. This path runs past a few schools and medical centers; according to the project, their public zones must be widened. This way, these public zones will find themselves not deep inside the city blocks but on the axis of the city activity. The continuation of the main street – which runs beyond the pedestrian crossing of the avenue – coincides with what is today the Ulitsa Semenova-Tyan-Shanskogo. What is still more interesting is the fact that as far as the Ulitsa Semenova-Tyan-Shanskogo and Designed Drive 6640 are concerned, the architects are proposing to tie them from the inside by an automobile drive, which will cross the Vernadskogo Avenue – this way, the place gets on the inside a full-fledged street of district importance, which will connect the two parts of this area. This part of the street runs exactly by the water parting line.

The main street is only part of the framework that the architects are proposing to build. Its second part is a system of the parks and ponds in its southeast part, which require a certain amount of landscaping work.

Their recreational semicircle locks on with the new city axis running through in-block passages at the end of the Ulitsa Semenova-Tyan-Shanskogo; on the other side it locks on with the new crossing over the avenue behind the string of ponds. The map clearly shows how the business function smoothly changes into the recreational one – they became the mutually penetrating halves of a single ring, whose purpose is to unite the two parts of the district.

As for the embellishments of the main “tree” of the street and the parks, these will be the in-block drives, which are much more numerous in the new construction plans, just as the revised paths and shortcuts, some of which become pedestrian-only, and some, on the contrary, take on more automobile importance. The main catalyst, however, is still the marked transport arteries.

“This looks very much like amelioration. If you take a swamp, the water is motionless in it – Andrew Gnezdilov comments on his project – What we do is create a channel, and then motion begins. We see our task in creating prerequisites for the qualitative changes. We also see the potential that this street has both in terms of commerce and as a driving force for developing a decent social life”. Thanks to this solution, the urban activities, which hitherto predominantly existed in the periphery of the district, are logically carried over to its center, and the district is “turned inside out”: along the pedestrians’ pathway unfolds infrastructure – social, commercial, and the kind that is meant to fill the route with impressions.

As far as the city blocks of the Vernadskogo Avenue are concerned, the problem of parking is particularly acute here. Answering this challenge, the Ostozhenka architects are proposing to place underground parking garages not in the basements of the buildings (which oftentimes complicated planning solutions due to the fact that the bearing columns in the basement have a space grid of their own) but underneath streets and alleys. The feasibility of using the streets to this purpose was calculated by the Institute for Urban Economics.

For years, Ostozhenka has been consistently guided by many of the principles outlined in this article in many of its projects, implementation get them both in Moscow and all across the nation. What’s remarkable is the fact that the 3D visualizations submitted by the office were notable for their conditional landscapes, while the other contestants were much after photographic realism. Although the façades of the volumes are but sketchily marked, the district in these pictures really came alive thanks to the shop signs and people that populated it. This is essentially what the company’s main principle is all about – when it does a renovation project it first of all cares about the environment, and not this or that specific building. “Life is smarter than we are – it is difficult to predict its exact scenario; we only create the basis for the qualitative changes – Andrew Gnezdilov explains – this is why we depicted those who will ultimately change this environment, the residents of this area who are the full-fledged stakeholders of this process”.

Firm:

Ostozhenka Bureau http://www.ostarch.ru

21 August 2018

Written by:

Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

Headlines now

Object

The Colorful City

While working on a large-scale project in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district – one that has yet to be given a name – Kleinewelt Architekten proposed not only a diverse array of tower silhouettes in “Empire-style” hues and a thoughtful mix of building heights, creating a six-story “neo-urbanist” city with a block-based layout at ground level, but also rooted their design in historical and contextual reasoning. The project includes the reconstruction of several Stalin-era residential buildings that remain from the postwar town of Kuntsevo, as well as the reconstruction of a 1953 railway station that was demolished in 2017.

Object

In Orbit of Moscow City

The Orbital business center is both simple and complex. Simple in its minimalist form and optimal office layout solution: a central core, a light-filled façade, plenty of glass; and from the unusual side – a technical floor cleverly placed at the building’s side ends. Complex – well, if only because it resembles a celestial body hovering on metallic legs near Magistralnaya Street. Why this specific shape, what it consists of, and what makes this “boutique” office building (purchased immediately after its completion) so unique – all of this and more is covered in our story.

Object

The Altai Ornament

The architectural company Empate has developed the concept for an eco-settlement located on a remote site in Altai. The master plan, which resembles a traditional ornament or even a utopian city, forms a clear system of public and private spaces. The architects also designed six types of houses for the settlement, drawing inspiration from the region’s culture, folklore, and vernacular building practices.

Object

Pro Forma

Photos have emerged of the newly completed whisky distillery in Chernyakhovsk, designed by TOTEMENT / PAPER – a continuation of their earlier work on the nearby Cognac Museum. From what is, in essence, a merely technical and utilitarian volume and space, the architects have created a fully-fledged theatre of impressions. Let’s take a closer look. We highly recommend a visit to what may look like a factory, but is in fact an experiment in theatricalizing the process of strong spirit production – and not only that, but also of “pure art”, capable of evolving anywhere.

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The Arch and the Triangle

The new Stone Mnevniki business center by Kleinewelt Architekten – designed for the same client as their projects in Khodynka – bears certain similarities to those earlier developments, but not entirely. In Mnevniki, there are more angular elements, and the architects themselves describe the project as being built on contrast. Indeed, while the first phase contains subtle references to classical architecture – light touches like arches, both upright and inverted, evoking the spirit of the 1980s – the second phase draws more distantly on the modernism of the 1970s. What unites them is a boldly expressive public space design, a kaleidoscope of rays and triangles.

Object

Health Factory

While working on a wellness and tourist complex on the banks of the Yenisei River, the architects at Vissarionov Studio set out to create healing spaces that would amplify the benefits of nature and medical treatments for both body and soul. The spatial solutions are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the landscape, as well as each other.

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The Blooming Mechanics of a Glass Forest

The Savvinskaya 27 apartment complex built by Level Group, currently nearing completion on an elongated riverfront site next to the Novodevichy Convent, boasts a form that’s daring even by modern Moscow standards. Visually, it resembles the collaborative creation of a glassblower and a sculptor: a kind of glass-and-concrete jungle, rhythmically structured yet growing energetically and vividly. Bringing such an idea to life was by no means an easy task. In this article, we discuss the concept by ODA and the methods used by APEX architects to implement it, along with a look at the building’s main units and detailing.

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Grace and Unity

Villa “Grace”, designed by Roman Leonidov’s studio and built in the Moscow suburbs, strikes a balance between elegant minimalism and the expansive gestures of the Russian soul. The main house is conceived as a sequence of four self-contained volumes – each could exist independently, yet it chooses to be part of a whole. Unity is achieved through color and a system of shared spaces, while the rich plasticity of the forms – refined throughout the construction process – compensates for the near-total absence of decorative elements.

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Daring Brilliance

In this article, we are exploring “New Vision”, the first school built in the past 25 years in Moscow’s Khamovniki. The building has three main features: it is designed in accordance with the universal principles of modern education, fostering learning through interaction and more; second, the façades combine structural molded glass and metallic glazed ceramics – expensive and technologically advanced materials. Third, this is the school of Garden Quarters, the latest addition to Moscow’s iconic Khamovniki district. Both a costly and, in its way, audacious acquisition, it carries a youthful boldness in its statement. Let’s explore how the school is designed and where the contrasts lie.

Object

A Twist of the Core

A clever and concise sculptural solution – rotating each floor by N degrees – has created an ensemble of “dancing” towers: similar yet different, simple yet complex. The designers meticulously refined a single structural node and spent considerable effort on the column construction – after that, “everything else was easy”. The architects also rotated the core walls on each floor to maximize the efficiency of the office spaces.

Object

The Sculpting of Spring Forest Matter

We’ve been observing this building for a couple of years now: seemingly simple, perhaps even unassuming, it fits in remarkably well with the micro-district context shaped by the Moscow MCD road junctions. This building sticks in the memory of everyone who drives along the highway, even occasionally. In our opinion, Sergey Nikeshkin, by blending popular architectural techniques and approaches of the 2010s, managed to turn a seemingly simple structure into a statement “on the theme of a house as such”. Let’s figure out how this happened.

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Water and Wind Whet the Stone

The Arisha Terraces residential complex, designed by Asadov Architects, will be built in a district of Dubai dedicated to film and television production. To create shaded spaces and an intriguing silhouette, the architects opted for a funnel-shaped composition and nature-inspired forms of erosion and weathering. The roofs, podium, and underground spaces extend leisure opportunities within the boundaries of a man-made “oasis”.

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Elevation 5642

The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a comprehensive development project for three ski resorts in the Caucasus, which have been designated as special economic zones of the tourism and recreation type. The first of these zones is Elbrus. The project includes the construction of new ski runs, cable cars, and hotels, as well as the modernization of stations and improvements to the Azau tourist meadow. To expand the audience and enhance year-round appeal, a network of eco-trails is also being developed. In this article, we provide a detailed breakdown of each stage.

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The IT Town

Taking the example of the first completed phase of the “U” district, we examine how the new neighborhood in Innopolis will be organized. T+T Architects and HADAA formed a well-balanced and ingenious master plan with different types of housing, a green artery, a system of squares, and a park in the town’s central part.

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The Heart Lies Within

The second-phase building of the Evgeny Primakov School already won multiple awards while still in the design stage. Now that it’s completed, some unfinished nuances remain – most notably, the exposed ceiling structures, which ideally should have been concealed. However, given the priority placed on the building’s volumetric composition, this does not seem critical. What matters more is the “Wow!” effect created by the space itself.

Object

Magnetic Forces

“Krylatskaya 33” is the first large-scale residential complex to appear amidst the 1980s “micro-districts” that harmoniously coexist with the forests, the river, the slopes, and the sports infrastructure. Despite its imposing scale, the architects of Ostozhenka managed to turn the complex into something that can be best described as a “graceful dominant”. First, they designed the complex with consideration for the style and height of the surrounding micro-districts. Second, by introducing a pause in its tallest section, they created compositional tension – right along the urban planning axis of the area.

Object

Orion’s Belt

The Stone Khodynka 2 office complex, designed by Kleinewelt Architekten for the company Stone, is built with an ergonomic layout following “healthy building” principles: natural light, ventilation, and all the necessary features for an efficient office environment. On the outside, it resembles – like many contemporary buildings – an iPhone: sleek, glowing, glass-and-metal, edges elegantly rounded. Yet, it responds sensitively to the Khodynka context, where the main theme is the contrast between vertical and horizontal lines. The key intrigue lies in the design of the “stylobate” as a suspended passage, leaving the space beneath it open for free pedestrian movement.

Interview

Grigory Revzin: “It Was a Bold Statement Made on the Sly. Something Won”

In this article, we discuss the debates surrounding the circus competition and the demolition of the CMEA building with the most renowned architectural critic of our time. A paradox emerges in the process: while nostalgia for the Brezhnev era seems to be in vogue in Russia, a landmark building – the “axis” of the Warsaw Pact – has been sentenced to demolition. Isn’t that strange? We also find out that wow-architecture has made a comeback as a post-COVID trend. However, to make a truly powerful statement, professionals still remain indispensable.

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Exposed Concrete

One of the stages of improving a small square in the town of Lermontov was the construction of a skatepark. Entrusting this part of the project to the XSA team, the city gained a 250-meter trick track whose features resemble those of land art objects – unparalleled in Russia in both scale and design. Here’s a look at how the experimental snake run in the foothills of the Caucasus was built.

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One Step Closer To the Dream

The challenges of getting all the mandatory approvals, an insufficient budget, and construction site difficulties did not prevent ASADOV Bureau from achieving its main goal in the realization of the school project in the town of Troitsk – taking another step away from outdated notions of educational spaces toward creating a fundamentally new academic environment.

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Chalet on the Rock

An Accor hotel in Arkhyz, designed by A.Len, will be situated at the gateway to the resort’s main tourist hubs. The architects reinterpreted the widely popular chalet style while adding an unexpected twist – an unfinished structure preserved on the site. The design team transformed this remnant into an exciting space featuring an open-air pool and a restaurant with panoramic views of the region’s highest mountain ridges.

Interview

Sergey Skuratov: “By and large, the project has been realized in line with the original ideas”

In this issue, we talk to the chief architect of Garden Quarters, looking back at the history and key moments of a project that took 18 years to develop and has now finally been completed. What interests us most are the transformations that the project underwent during construction, and the way the “necessary void” of public space was formed, which turned this remarkable complex into a fragment of a whole new type of urban fabric – not just at the horizontal “street” level but in its vertical structure as well.

Object

A Unique Representative

The recently concluded year 2024 can be considered the year of completion for the “Garden Quarters” residential complex in Moscow’s Khamovniki. This project is well-known and, in many ways, iconic. Rarely does one manage to preserve such a number of original ideas, achieving in the end a kind of urban planning Gesamtkunstwerk. Here is a subjective view from an architecture journalist, with an interview with Sergey Skuratov soon to follow.

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Field of Life

The new project by the architectural company PNKB (an acronym for “Design, Research, and Advisory Bureau”), led by Sergey Gnedovsky and Anton Lyubimkin, for the Kulikovo Field Museum is dedicated to the field as a concept in its own right. The field has long been a focus of the museum’s thorough and successful research. Accordingly, the exterior of the new museum building is gentler than that of its predecessor, which was also designed by PNKB and dedicated specifically to the historic battle. Inside, however, the building confidently guides the visitor from a luminous atrium along a spiral path to the field – interpreted here as a field of life.

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A Paper Clip above the River

In this article, we talk with Vitaly Lutz from the Genplan Institute of Moscow about the design and unique features of the pedestrian bridge that now links the two banks of the Yauza River in the new cluster of Bauman Moscow State Technical University (MSTU). The bridge’s form and functionality – particularly the inclusion of an amphitheater suspended over the river – were conceived during the planning phase of the territory’s development. Typically, this approach is not standard practice, but the architects advocate for it, referring to this intermediate project phase as the “pre-AGR” stage (AGR stands for Architectural and Urban Planning Approval). Such a practice, they argue, helps define key parameters of future projects and bridge the gap between urban planning and architectural design.

Review

Living in the Architecture of One’s Own Making

Do architects design houses for themselves? You bet! In this article, we are examining a new book by TATLIN publishing house. This book – unprecedented for Russia – features 52 private homes designed and built by contemporary architects for themselves. It includes houses that are famous, even iconic, as well as lesser-known ones; large and small, stylish and eccentric. To some extent, the book reflects the history of Russian architecture over the past 30 years.

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A City Block Isoline

Another competition project for a residential complex on the banks of the Volga in Nizhny Novgorod has been prepared by Studio 44. A team of architects led by Ivan Kozhin concluded that using a regular block layout in such a location would be inappropriate and developed a “custom design” approach: a chain of parceled multi-section buildings stretching along the entire embankment. Let’s explore the features and advantages of this unconventional method.

Report

Competition: The Price of Creativity?

Any day now, we’re expecting the results of a competition held by the “Samolet” development group for a plot in Kommunarka. In the meantime, we share the impressions of Editor-in-Chief Julia Tarabarina, who managed to conduct a public talk. Though technically focused on the interaction between developers and architects, the public talk turned into a discussion about the pros and cons of architectural competitions.

Object

Terraced Design

The “River Park” residential complex has confidently and securely shaped the Nagatinsky Backwater shoreline. Featuring a public embankment, elevated courtyards connected by pedestrian bridges, and brick façades, the development invites exploration of its nuanced response to the surrounding context, as well as hints of the architects’ megalithic design thinking.

A Kremlin’s Core and Meteorite Fragments

We continue our coverage of the competition projects for the residential district that the development company GloraX plans to build along the embankment of the Rowing Channel in Nizhny Novgorod. ASADOV Architects approached the concept through a deep dive into local identity, using storytelling to pinpoint a central idea for the design: the master plan and composition are imagined as if a meteorite had struck a “proto-Kremlin”. Sounds weird? Find more details below!

​Activation by Amelioration

Activation by Amelioration