The beginning of summer is becoming an increasingly busy time for architects. Since Arch Moscow turned into a festival, various already well-known events began to join it: last year it was (also a festival) “Under the Roof of the House”, this year it was “Golden Section”.
The prize of the Union of Moscow Architects, which has earned a solid professional reputation over the 14 years of its existence, has been reformed for several years already. The result of the transformations was the establishment of the “Perspective” youth award, which, alternating with the “adult” Golden Section, was held twice already. This year it was the turn of the "cut", but at the same time "Arch Moscow" announced the youth program "Next" and it turned out a little strange. However, now every year young architects will receive a festival, one year - "Next", the next - "Perspective". In the meantime, the laureates of the Golden Section will be announced later than usual, and in a new place - at Arch Moscow.
This is not the only innovation. The organizers have introduced a new procedure for preliminary open "protection" of projects submitted for the award. Not all are defended, but only nominees - this year thirteen projects were selected from all submitted for the competition - six in the construction section and seven in the projects section. Public hearings were held last Wednesday in the house of architects: the authors of the selected works told the jury, as well as all those present (journalists and other spectators) about their idea. But only members of the jury had the right to ask questions. So they prepared to determine the winners.
The discussion that took place on May 20 alternated projects with buildings, and famous architects - with young authors. Zashchita began with a project for a puppet theater in Khanty-Mansiysk, an architectural and artistic object created by the architect Asya Midova and the artist Mikhail Shemyakin. This completely "puppet" theater, the architectural part of which echoes the work of Frank Gehry, should become a symbol of childhood and children's creativity for a cold Siberian city, in which winter lasts 9 months a year.
Among private residential buildings, a house in the village of Malakhovka by architect Vladimir Morgunov was chosen, reminiscent of the horizontal El Lissitzky skyscraper.
The jury also noted the Seasons complex on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, which has been much talked about and written about over the past two years, a project shown in the fall at the Venice Biennale.
The yellow-white panel houses in the 5th microdistrict of Vidnoye were represented by Alexander Skokan. From his story, it became clear that this is the first residential complex for this area out of six planned, and while others are not built, it is he who determines the appearance of the city from the highway. The second object of "Ostozhenka", already in the projects section, is the urban planning concept of the "AvanGrad" microdistrict in the city of Omsk. The new microdistrict is supposed to be built on the site of the currently existing village of Bolshaya Ostrovka, the development of which became possible thanks to a new bridge connecting the village with the city of Omsk. In order to prevent chaotic infill development, a general urban planning concept for the area was developed, which, however, presupposes the preservation of private houses of “especially persistent residents”.
The bath complex "Roof of the World" stands out among the nominated objects, a completely wooden building resembling an ancient Greek peripter in its layout, with a roundabout, columns and a flat roof. When its author Nikolai Belousov spoke about this complex, for the first and only time during the entire discussion there was a feeling that for the architect this building is a whole world, and the name "Roof of the World" probably reflects this very clearly.
"Defense" was accompanied by an exhibition. On May 19, the day before the discussion, an exposition of all the works submitted for the competition opened in the foyer of the Central House of Architects. Plates with projects and buildings are grouped by typology, although they are unlikely to be linked into a single system. Connected in curved snakes at an angle to each other, and arranged in rows, they formed cramped narrow corridors along which visitors were supposed to pass.
Walking along the winding "streets" between the tablets of the exhibition, one could be surprised at the variety of works that did not become nominees for the competition. Among them were urban planning projects, public buildings, private homes, and even the restoration of 19th century houses and temples. If I fantasize and imagine myself as a member of the Golden Section jury, then I personally would choose three projects - the Olympic lighthouse and the Termitary (architects Usov Y. Yu., Sazonova I., Nikitin A.), as well as Fleur House (architects Burkhanov Yu. G., Sokolova N. V.). The Olympic lighthouse is one of the many proposals for the pre-Olympic Sochi, which is a glass rod entwined with two spiral ramps with trees planted at the edges. Functional volumes are located here in glass spheres, taken out from the main rod in different directions. The second project, by the same authors as the previous one, "Termitnik", an office complex in Rio de Janeiro. The powerful imagery of the outer shell of the building really resembles the buildings of termites and makes us compare the hard work of the termites with the work of those people who will come to this office building. Fleur House is also filled with symbolism, but more romantic - this is a flower, where space-petals of different function are connected by a central atrium. The authors of the project argue that architecture should give people "love, goodness and beauty." Is there a ready-made manifesto for a new trend in architecture ?!
The discussion of the projects-nominees for the competition "Golden Section-2009" took place in a working atmosphere and was very reminiscent of student seminars at an architectural institute, where students go to the blackboard and report on the work done. Only here, not only beginners, but also eminent architects were among the participants in the "defense". After listening to all the authors, the jury of the competition retired to a meeting, following which the best projects and buildings of 2007-2009 will be selected. The solemn announcement of the winners and the presentation of the "Golden Section-2009" award will take place on May 25.
