The “Perspective” review-competition is being held for the third time (in two years, starting from 2006, alternating with the “Golden Section”) and during this time it managed to become really popular among young architects. The secret of such authority is simple: the prize is awarded to novice designers, but when evaluating their work the jury does not make any “age” discounts. The organizers of the show are generally convinced that young architects do not exist - there are talented architects who have recently entered the profession, for whom Perspektiva is a kind of first reporting line, an opportunity to show what has already been done. Moreover, it was done in real practice, whether it be work in a well-known architectural bureau, in its own workshop, or creative pursuits "on free bread". "Perspective" is by no means a competition of diploma projects, in the creation of which teachers always take an active part (by the way, there is a special prize of the Union of Architects to encourage the best graduation works), but absolutely independent projects or works performed as part of the author's collective. In the latter case, of course, the key role is played by the degree of personal contribution of the novice architect to the object - only those sections of the project in the development of which the competitor took direct part in, documented by the rest of the team of authors, can be submitted to the review.
In the year of its establishment, "Perspektiva" was awarded almost only for buildings - the jury took off their hats to those architects who are ready to learn from a young age to implement their projects in Moscow. In fact, then dozens of interesting concepts and design ideas were left behind, which became the reason for serious criticism of the new competition. But as a true youth show, Perspektiva turned out to be very easy-going and all sorts of changes: in 2008, projects were already evaluated along with buildings, and in 2010, not only recent graduates, but also students were allowed to participate in the competition. True, their works were evaluated separately, and graduates, unlike students, had to pay for participation in the competition - speaking about this at the award ceremony, the organizers clearly felt some awkwardness, but admitted that there was another way to find funds to publish the catalog “Prospects -2010”they did not have.
Another innovation this year was an additional task, which the organizers called a clause - all participants in the competition were asked, in addition to the main projects, to submit sketches of the Perspective's corporate identity, diplomas and the main prize. But expectations did not come true - as the jury members disappointedly stated at the awarding ceremony (this year it included Stanislav Kulish, Nikolai Lyzlov, Alexander Skokan, Andrey Taranov and Vladimir Yudintsev), almost two-thirds of the participants simply ignored this condition of the competition, and the clause had to be removed from the agenda - otherwise, "Perspective" -2010 simply would not have taken place. But those who were not too lazy to spend energy on the development of corporate identity, the jury specially noted. Honorable mentions in this nomination were awarded to Eric Valeev and Alexey Ryumin, and the winner of the main prize was Marina Ilyushina, a 5th year student of the Moscow Architectural Institute, who was entrusted with finalizing the Smotr's corporate identity by the spring of 2012.
In total, 39 student works and 135 works of certified young architects took part in the competition this year. The presented projects differ so much from each other in typology, scale and style that the jury decided to limit themselves to choosing a few of the most interesting ones, but not to distribute places on the podium between them.
In the competition of student works, the projects “City Gene” by Anna Norina, “High Mountain Chair” by Marina Ilyushina and “Museum of the Armenian Genocide 04.24.1945” by Vahe Ghazaryan were recognized as the best. Anna Norina, graduating from the Moscow Architectural Institute this year, has devoted her research to the habitat of the future. City Gene combines all the necessary components of a comfortable existence - from landscaped courtyards and cozy public areas to rainwater collection systems and solar panels. But the architect considers the main condition for the existence of the city of the future to be a person who prioritizes love, aesthetics and self-actualization - it is no coincidence that Anna Norina chose the short but capacious postulate “To live differently” as the motto of her project. And although the "City Gene" was developed as an urban planning concept for the development of the space between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, it is clear that it can be "implanted" into the structure of any earthly city. Marina Ilyushina's project belongs, rather, to the genre of urban furniture, but it solves equally important aesthetic and social problems. The High Altitude Chair is a proposal for a new use of I-beams, which are a dime a dozen in the area around the industrial Italian city of Darfo. The architect rethought the low-aesthetic metal structures as a support for a high seat, climbing onto which one can admire the picturesque view or meditate. Vahe Ghazaryan's project is also permeated with strong social pathos - his museum of the Armenian Genocide is combined with the Armenian cultural center, which is intended to symbolize the victory of art and creativity over any repression.
In the competition for the works of certified architects, the "Perspective 2010" prizes were awarded to five projects. These are the "Museum of Architecture" by Alexey Ryumin, the concept of a new type of housing "Just assemble a house" by the Milk_factory workshop (by the way, a month earlier this project was awarded a special diploma of the International Festival of Architecture and Design "Under the Roof of a House"), the museum complex "Field of the Kulikovskaya Battle" Ekaterina Kayuk and Anton Lyubimkina (co-authored with S. Gnedovsky and I. Bushminsky), as well as the portfolio of the megabudka group and the creative duet of Dmitry Alexandrov and Vera Gapon. At first glance, the work of practicing architects is much more down-to-earth and sober practicality than the poetical research of students. However, this practicality has nothing to do with "mother" architecture - novice designers tend to genuinely and artlessly care for the end consumer, be it a museum visitor, a customer of a private cottage or a child growing up in a divorced family. For the latter, Dmitry Alexandrov and Vera Gapon came up with a special transforming wardrobe that can turn into a place for rest and work: purchased by parents in two copies, this “house in the house” will provide the child with a familiar environment in the apartment of both mother and father.
All the winners of "Perspective-2010" were awarded with diplomas of the show and an architectural excursion to Great Britain, and also received the right to join the Union of Moscow Architects without passing the admission commission. In the very near future, ten creative and original designers will join the ranks of this organization, so the competition has certainly fulfilled its main mission. Well, the future prospects of its winners already depend on themselves and, perhaps, first of all, on their willingness to maintain their creative and unbiased view of the surrounding reality.
