Upping the Stakes

The concept of a housing complex in Samara from T+T Architects: a new landmark in the cityscape, view of the Zhiguli Mountains, and VR technologies.

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

28 April 2022

Object

Over the last decade, Samara has become known, among other things, for its active high-rise construction – the grand-scale housing complexes are appearing even in the center of the city next to the Volga River. It is enough to take a brief walk around the city to appreciate the alternation of the bourgeois buildings of the 19th century and the new high-rise inclusions that quite recently replaced their old wooden neighbors.

The land site on the Moskovskaya street next to the Moskovskaya metro station, however, is quite different. It is part of the spacious territory of the former Bearing plant GPZ-4, intended to be turned into a residential area, i.e. an example of post-industrial redevelopment and transforming industrial estate into an urban fabric. The former plant is surrounded by the 1970’s construction, and is situated, speaking in general terms, at the border between the historical center and the Soviet part of Samara; a kilometer and a half in a straight line in the direction of the Volga, there is yet another large plant – the Maslennikov Factory, and its “wholesale kitchen and restaurant” building has been recently renovated to host a branch of the Tretyakov gallery.

The outlines of the territory of the former Bearing plan form a triangle because the Moscow Highway makes a 45° turn in the direction of the river. The entrance to the city from the side of Moscow and from the Kurumoch airport is hailed by the sharp nose of the triangle – by all the parameters, it looks like it lends itself for an entrance highlight, such as a tower or propylaea. All the more so because the left half of the “propylaea” at the fork is already there – this is the shopping and office center “Vertical” that features a 27-story tower, which is currently considered to be the city’s second highest.

The roundabout before the territory of the Bearing Plant, view in the direction of the city center, left of the Vertical mall
Samara – Yandex Maps

Judging by the views commanded by Vertical, the residents’ apartments will also command sweeping views: the Volga with its islands and backwaters, as well as the hills of the “Samarskaya Luka” national park on the opposite bank, and the Zhiguli Mountains in the distance.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that the maximum allowed height of construction here is 125m.

In 2020, a Samara-based developer held a competition for the concept of a high-rise multifunctional complex that will be built in the most advantageous of locations – in the triangular “nose” part of the territory of the former plan, a site with an area of 1.04 hectares. From the very start, the height was set at a maximum. The competition was won by Moscow-based T+T architects led by Sergey Trukhanov. Currently, the architects are working on the detailed concept.

Sergey Trukhanov, «Т+Т Architects»

The client set the task of offering interesting architectural solutions both at the competition and during the subsequent revision. We had to design, if not an iconic building, then at least a noticeable landmark, modern and matching the business class of the project.
I should note that the customer supported our original idea with “swivel” cantilevered structures, an emphasis on the plastique of the side-end facades, despite the fact that its implementation, of course, would be fraught with certain challenges, although they cannot be called prohibitively complex.… In particular, the “swivel” places yielded particularly spacious apartments; had it been without the swivels, we could have cut out smaller apartment, but the architectural solution turned out to be more important – we, as the authors of the project, of course, are very happy with this approach.

In spite of the fact that theoretically the architects could propose two towers of equal height, they discarded this approach as excessive, and ultimately, after the detailed concept was finished, the housing complex was composed of two different buildings. The buildings stand at an angle to one another, opening up towards the Volga and converging to the road junction. The volumes follow the directions of the main highways that form the site: the 22-story 2-section Building B on the left, from the side of the Vertical mall, stretches parallel to the Moscow Highway, and the 34-story 125m tower of Building A is turned to stand parallel to the Lunacharskogo Street.

zooming — The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. The master plan

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

The main side-end facades are designed like a giant Jenga, and are composed of cantilevers, turned one after another: the high-rises look, as if they are “put together” in front of our eyes of several parallelepipeds. The side end of the minor house is designed in a more reserved way – it is divided into three equal parts six stories high each, while the cantilevered volumes of the main tower are rapidly growing: 3-6-21, emphasizing the slenderness of the high-rise silhouette.

An important part in forming the “main façade” of the complex is played by the turns of the cantilevers, mentioned by Sergey Trukhanov. They do not just break at an angle – the outer surface bends smoothly, like a “gooseneck”, despite the fact that the “heads” seem to be examining the views of the crossroads and “exchange glances”. This adds some intrigue and dynamics and helps to fully explore the potential of the two volumes as a meaningful accent in the city space. At the same time, the above mentioned turns of the blocks add to the diversity of the views commanded by the apartments.

The buildings also differ from each other in their color, materials, decoration techniques, and even some stylistic preferences. The architects plan to clad the smaller volume in semi-opaque ceramic panels; the side-end cantilevers are encircled with “television” frameworks. The taller tower, more energetic by many parameters, is biased towards black: dark tinted glass, dark metal, and slender vertical faceting on the sidewalls.

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

The warm hue of the light-colored ceramics looks like plaster – the main “body” material of “classic” architecture. The material part is further strengthened by broad contour lines at the corners; on the farther sidewall, the verticals of the piers get grooves that look like flutes, which in a nuanced way echo Art-Deco architecture, consistently popular with developers.

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

The black tower, on the other hand, is closer to hi-tech due to its color, abundance of metal, and even the graphic horizontal “strokes” on the inner façade. All these allusions, however, are given merely as a hint: the houses are just as different as they are similar, just like “kin” towers should be within a single complex. For example, the main side ends are dominated by glass: combined with stemalite, it forms striking glass surfaces adorned by a fine relief grid.

The two buildings spring from a three-story stylobate with retail – stores, restaurants, a kindergarten, as well as playgrounds and public functions on all the three levels. On the plan, the stylobate is formed by two arcs – the elegant curve of its outer façade forms a plaza with a little park on the triangular “nose” in front of it. All of these spaces are open to the city people.

The plaza and the promenade running along the shop windows are continued by an amphitheater in a tell “arch” – a two-story rectangular opening with a slight perspective narrowing, cut along the stylobate’s symmetry axis. The arch is red–gold because of the reddish metal of the facing cassettes. Its upper opening faces west and, presumably, the red metal will catch and enhance the sunset light, making the evening time in the amphitheater space cozy and pleasant thanks to the opportunity to sit on the steps in the warm rays of the setting sun.

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

Residents will be able to climb the stairs inside the arch to their fenced yard on the roof of the stylobate; here, at the top, the boundary of the urban and private space of the complex will pass. The greenery of the yard, figuratively speaking, “descends” to the steps of the amphitheater: there will be both bushes and trees in there.

As for the yard on the roof of the stylobate, which covers an underground parking garage (2 levels underground, and one “behind the back” of the retail on the zero level), it is planned that it will be very green, very well lit, and landscaped abundantly enough – we will note here that the T+T portfolio includes quite a lot of projects of landscaping large housing complexes (including Moscow ones),and this expertise will surely be used.

1 / 5

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
2 / 5

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. THe transport pattern

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
3 / 5

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. THe function pattern

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
4 / 5

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. The lighting pattern

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
5 / 5

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. THe greenery pattern

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

The selection of apartments, as we usually say in such cases, is as diverse as the business class of the complex implies. The high-rise building A has more three-room apartments with an odd inclusion of a four-room one – not counting the living rooms; the 22-story building B is more biased to two- and single-room apartments; there are also studios, but they are not numerous.

1 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building A

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
2 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building A

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
3 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building A

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
4 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building B

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
5 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building B

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
6 / 6

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Building B

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

Curiously, this housing complex on the Moscow Highway in Samara is one of the first cases when T+T Architects actively used VR technologies as a design tool and a way to shortcut the distance between the architect and the developer. The VR model allowed the team to assess the scale, work on improving the composition, proportions, and even ergonomics. The client, on the other hand, got an opportunity to see the project through the eyes of the architects – and NOT as a “glamorous” presentation, but in a state of a real working process – Sergey Trukhanov emphasizes. The experience turned out to be positive, and allowed the team to save up their nerve cells and time; the architects are planning to continue to work with VR technologies.

Examples of VR videos made in the process of working on the project:

In the future, the company plans to continue working with the Samara-based company “APK Ritm”, which handles the Project and Working Documents stages; however, T+T Architects do author supervision at all stages of construction.

Thus, the complex, which together with the existing “Vertical” forms a high-rise “gate” of the entrance to the central part of the city, fits in with many metropolitan trends of recent years. Starting from the prestigious height –it is known that apartments are bought better and are more expensive in skyscrapers – and ending with the public spaces that the architects are planning to provide. Despite the fact that the Moskovskaya station area is still not deprived of public functions and retail, there are parks, clinics, and cafes with shops around – those additions that the stylobate part of the residential complex is designed to give the city seem useful. The complex is not just integrated into the existing system of public spaces, but develops it, offering a better organized and “advanced” version of the “urban scene”, designed both to intensify life, create some kind of active “hub” and simply give people yet another chance to admire the city, experiencing its space in a new capacity.

1 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. facades A-P

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
2 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Facade 1/1-1/8

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
3 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Facade 2/4-2/1

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
4 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan of the technical floor

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
5 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan of the 2nd floor

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
6 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan 3

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
7 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan of the 1st floor

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
8 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan of the -1st floor

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
9 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Plan of the -2nd floor

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
10 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Section view 1-1

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
11 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Section view 2-2

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
12 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Section view 3-3

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
13 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Facade G/1-A/1

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
14 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Facades A/1-G/1 and 8/P-2/4

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects
15 / 15

The architectural concept of the multifunctional housing complex. Facades 1/8-1/1 and K-A

Copyright: © Т+Т Architects

28 April 2022

Headlines now

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.

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.

Object

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.

Object

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.