According to the already established tradition, the presentation of each issue of the magazine "SPEECH:" turns into a small architectural holiday. And if the release of "winter" issues is usually marked by warming parties with mulled wine, then the "summer" issues become an excellent occasion for informal communication in the open air. It was on such a warm summer evening in 2008 that "SPEECH:" was first presented to readers - the presentation of the first issue took place in the courtyard of MuAra. A jazz orchestra also played on the impromptu stage, and the poplars generously sprinkled the guests down. Two years later, the magazine returned to this site as a sign of support and solidarity with the museum, which is now in the process of forming a new concept of development. The new director of the Museum, architects Irina Korobyina, an employee of the scientific department of modern architecture at MuAr Antonina Manina, deputy general director for the study, protection and restoration of architectural monuments of the Moscow Kremlin Museums Andrei Batalov and architect Mikhail Filippov briefly spoke about its main provisions at the presentation.
According to Irina Korobyina, the easiest way would be to order the development of the concept for the development of the museum to some prominent Western specialist, for example, one of the founders of the International Center for Cultural Research (IKW) Dieter Bogner, whom the CSA attracted as the main consultant to the "Museum of the XXI Century" competition In Perm. However, in this case, "simpler" does not necessarily mean "better" - Korobyina is convinced that the renovation of the Museum of Architecture. A. V. Shchusev should be conducted collectively, with the help of various Western and Russian experts, as well as everyone who is not indifferent to his fate. That is why the new director intends to announce something like an open competition of ideas - anyone can send their proposals on the development of this research and museum center, which is key for Russian architecture. Supporting Irina Korobyina's conviction that MuArt deserves the best, Andrei Batalov and Antonina Manina in their speeches made the main emphasis on the fact that a permanent exhibition must appear in the museum. It is no secret that for the last ten years it functioned mainly as an exhibition center, although, being the world's first specialized architectural museum, it has a rich collection reflecting the thousand-year history of Russian architecture, and has vast experience in research work. Mikhail Filippov also spoke out for this idea, giving the guests of the presentation a small excursion into the history of the world's architectural museums and their comparative analysis.
The second discussion that unfolded within the framework of the presentation of the fifth issue of SPEECH: was of an impromptu nature: the magazine's co-founder, architect Sergey Kuznetsov, invited his colleagues - young architects from Russia and Germany - to discuss the problems of practical application of innovative technologies, including in Russia. The question "is there an architecture of the future in Russia?" it can hardly be considered provocative, but put in this way, it initiated an interesting discussion about the potential and feasibility of the concepts "sustainability", "environmental friendliness", "energy efficiency" so fashionable today.
The lecture of the German architectural theorist and culturologist Kurt Reinhardt, which took place on May 29 within the framework of the Arch Moscow festival, became a kind of forerunner for the fifth issue of the magazine. It was called "Zollverein: Metamorphoses" and was dedicated to the modernization of the territory of the former coal plant in the city of Essen, which covers an area of 100 hectares. Largely thanks to the changes that took place here, the city of Essen and the adjacent cities, united in the Ruhr Metropolis, were able to defeat many competitors in the struggle for the title of European Capital of Culture 2010. At the beginning of the 20th century, this region was one of the most populated and developed industrial regions in Germany and Europe. But minerals do not last forever, in 1993 the last mine stopped its work, more than 2 thousand different buildings and structures were of no use to anyone. The German government decided to buy them out from their owners and carry out a global reconstruction, not by demolishing, but by preserving, restoring and re-profiling the former industrial facilities. Today, thousands of new jobs (mostly creative) have been created here, the territory is visited by almost a million guests a year. In his lecture, Kurt Reinhardt clearly demonstrated how the future can be built using available historical resources and modern technologies. The example of the Ruhr region, which has carried out a cultural, architectural and social revolution "peacefully", cannot fail to impress. Especially in light of the fact that in Russia similar post-industrial depressed areas are found everywhere and can be reconstructed in a similar way, with at least minimal interest from local or federal authorities.
The materials included in the fifth issue of SPEECH: are structured in such a way as to answer the question: is sustainable development a tribute to fashion or a guarantee of harmonious development of architecture in the coming decades? The editors clearly distinguish between the futuristic future that appears in the numerous visualizations created by architects using modern 3D computer programs, and the future that is determined by the strategies adopted today. If we draw a parallel with grammatical constructions, then the second can be called “future definite”, and it is he who is given the central place in the magazine. “And if earlier ideas about the future were globally optimistic, today they are treated more carefully and responsibly,” we read in the title article of the issue “The Future Begins Today” (authors Irina Shipova, Nina Frolova). - Dreams about the future have been replaced by concern for him. The world is thinking about what can be done today so that tomorrow still comes and so that it does not turn into another catastrophe. " It should be noted that "SPEECH:" is firmly faithful to the chosen format of the almanac, and reveals the set theme "For the future" in its entirety. For example, Bernhard Schultz reviewed the utopias of the 20th century - the ideas of architects of past generations about the future, and critic Denis Boke analyzed the concept of "Greater Paris" - one of the most ambitious projects aimed at transforming a fragmented metropolitan area of suburbs into a single convenient urban planning structure. The "Portrait" section contains interviews with three leading ideologues of sustainable architecture - Ken Young, Iñaki Abalos and Werner Sobek. And the "Object" section presents seven buildings created on the basis of the concept of "sustainability", that is, the most comfortable to use and do not violate the ecological balance either during construction, or during operation, or even in the case of disposal of buildings.
The general partner of the fifth issue of the SPEECH: magazine is Schneider Electric.
Presentation partners - Teatro del Gusto company, Premium Service company, Concept company.
