According to Konstantin Romanov, an expert from Knight Frank, multifunctional complexes (MFCs) are traditionally understood as a structure in which three or more destinations that bring commercial income are connected. At the same time, the expert adds that consumer groups should not be interconnected only then it will be a multifunctional complex. IFCs are divided into two groups: vertical and horizontal. A high-rise building is more difficult to construct and operate, it has a higher loss factor - 30% and less area. MFCs are, by their very nature, rather urban development programs aimed at the regeneration of the area, therefore their construction requires large investments and only large developers can do it. The demand for the complexes is now small and a little more than 50 projects have been sold in Moscow.
The architects' speeches at the conference took place in case stady mode - that is, illustrating the topic by the example of their own projects. Roger Klein, director of SwankeHaydenConnell Architects (USA), is creating several multifunctional complexes in Moscow - the Eurasia tower at the Moscow-City MIBC and transforming the Slava plant into a multifunctional complex at the intersection of Leningradskoye Shosse and Tverskaya-Yamskaya. The architect considers the regulation of traffic flows to be the most important condition for the existence of the IFC - “otherwise the investment will not pay off,” therefore the project plans to create an additional highway and a 4-level underground parking. The ensemble of the complex consists of six buildings with the tallest one being 22 floors in the center, on which a large screen will be erected. In the center of the building there will be a compulsory public space - the Winter Garden, which can be modified into both an ice rink and a stage. Klein said that the most important thing in the complex and what the customer wants to see: "… of course, this is an original, unlike anything project, the combination of various functions and parts, and last but not least, the return on investment." The key to success here is a convenient entrance, in other words, access to the object.
Architect Mikhail Khazanov noted that the topic of multifunctional complexes in general is new - just remember the medieval monasteries, prisons, Soviet boarding houses - all of these were micro-cities. At the same time, according to him, modern IFCs have a number of restrictions - they should not be built in the center, deflecting the blow from the historical part of the city, and in general it is better for them to be carried out of the city, to separate satellites, such as in Washington or Astana. One of such projects is a city in the city of "Khimki-City", in which, apart from historical places, there will be full provision of modern life: houses, offices, shops, cultural and entertainment centers, social facilities, as well as parks, gardens, water pools and water area. The project is designed to develop a dull, depressive territory - by creating new accents "bigger, wider, higher", behind which a whole world will open up, closed from the Moscow Ring Road. When asked about the main load on the main highways, the architect replied that since Moscow always develops "from star to circle", the installation of large objects at the intersection of centrifugal forces and the ring will give rise to the development of roads, since it will primarily be beneficial to the investors themselves.
The architectural bureau RMJM, which recently became famous in Russia because of the Gazprom skyscraper, represented by the executive director Tony Kettle, noted that when creating the IFC, they are guided by the context of the area - to create a unique solution, the cultural content of the region and the rational combination of functions. In support of this, the bureau presented a project of the wedding palace City Palace for Moscow City, in which a spiral tower should be a symbol of hugs. As the author noted, the creation of such a form was inspired by the spiral shape of the Tatlin tower and the domes of Orthodox cathedrals. The second icon-building project, also of a twisting shape, is the Gazprom City tower, which, in the speaker's own words, “is a spark that can ignite a depressed area”. Moreover, in the author's opinion, unlike Moscow, the City format is not suitable here and only one tower is needed. As expected, the journalists asked questions about the correct place for the high-rise tower, to which the author and general director of City Palace Andrey Marinichev replied that for St. Petersburg the idea of verticals is traditional and the project is located quite far from the historical center. They said that they love this project and hope for its approval.
The statement by the Dutch architect Erik Van Egerat, whose position is somewhat opposite to his predecessors, was quite ambitious. The architect believes that modern life is very diverse and therefore the mixing of the most diverse functions of “everything and everyone” reflects this in the best possible way: “it does not matter what style you have, what direction, etc. - the main thing is that the object is good and pleasant for life."
"Why is Moscow such a rich city, but building is so monotonous here?" - asks Egerat and proposes several IFC projects for Russia - one for St. Petersburg near New Holland and Marinka, another for the "Golden Island" in Moscow. According to the architect, the functions of the building should not be demonstrative, flashy, everything should look like a single large project. At the same time, specifically for Russia, Egerat recommends every time to create something unusual and not copy what has been done in Asia or America. So, for example, in the multifunctional complex for the "Golden Island", opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the author proposes to connect the two banks and attach the object to the Russian context by placing paintings by Russian artists on the facade - the architect has been promoting this idea for several years after the failure of the "Avangard" complex on Yakimanka. Egerat treats high-rise buildings badly, he believes that it is difficult to build upward, moreover, there is a danger of making a "dead object", as well as constructing one large building next to another. "The form is not so important - the main thing is that the project has a long-term value."
It is easy to see that all the architects who spoke agreed that multifunctional complexes have a future, but with different reservations. They are needed in undeveloped areas and at the same time require good infrastructure, including transport, plus considerable investments. It is safer to build complexes horizontally, and before construction to carry out marketing of the territory to identify "unoccupied" functions. It is important to correctly distribute appointments and, accordingly, unconnected flows, as well as create favorable public areas. At the same time, it is necessary to find a balance between public and commercial areas in order for the complex to pay off. And yet, any project should be "original" and at the same time take into account the context, which also affects the demand and price.
