In the security zone of the Moscow Kremlin, opposite the famous Pashkov House, a fence has recently grown, behind which they began to dig a foundation pit for the construction of a new depository, information center and storage facilities of the Kremlin museums. The construction site was soon blocked by activists, Gazeta reported, but the project, as it turned out, not only passed the Public Council, but also agreed with UNESCO. However, as Rustam Rakhmatullin notes in Izvestia, it was agreed without a dome - in the current version, developed by a team of architects led by Mikhail Posokhin, there is a belvedere dome.
The chief architect of Moscow, Alexander Kuzmin, gave a rather sharp rebuff to the city rights defenders. In his opinion, Borovitskaya Square is not a historical place, since it appeared as a result of the “general clearing” of the city, which was carried out in 1972 for the arrival of American President Nixon. The chief architect is convinced that the square still does not have its own face and that this must be corrected in the near future. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", in particular, quotes Kuzmin, who promised to soon take over its design from Volkhonka.
Let us recall that just a month ago, the "improvement" of Triumfalnaya Square began just as suddenly, where the authorities gathered to build an underground shopping center with a parking lot. Recently, city defenders appealed to UNESCO with a request to assign the square the status of a cultural heritage site, arguing that during the reconstruction it will lose its historical appearance and become unsuitable for meetings. Writes about this "Kommersant" ".
But the area of the Belorussky railway station for Muscovites seems to have been lost forever. Despite the fact that construction there has been going on for several years, the authorities have only recently finally approved the concept of its development, according to RIA Novosti. According to it, five levels of a parking lot and a shopping complex with a span of more than 100 thousand square meters will be built under the square. The historical overpass, for which the defenders of the heritage fought for a long time, will nevertheless be dismantled and then assembled, but already "in new dimensions while maintaining the architectural style."
As if responding to the growing discontent of Muscovites with the city planning policy of the city, the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Architecture decided to take care of the townspeople and revise the so-called. standards for comfortable living in a metropolis. As Aleksandr Kuzmin explained to journalists, the matter concerns the placement of social infrastructure facilities, however, it is not excluded that the authorities can justify sealing construction under this brand. Vremya novostei comments on the situation in more detail.
The Moskomarkhitektura continues to improve the adopted Updated General Plan for the Development of Moscow until 2025. For example, recently, as reported by Novye Izvestia, the committee completed work on the design of the boundaries of cultural heritage sites, united protected zones and protected zones of monuments. Adding them to the general plan will take time, but Alexander Kuzmin is absolutely sure that now the objects are not in danger.
In the second half of September, it also became known that the two largest metropolitan museums will face a global reconstruction. So, last week at the Polytechnic Museum a meeting of the Committee on Innovation Policy of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was held on the topic of the upcoming reorganization of its oldest collection and the building itself. According to Izvestia and Gazeta, the museum is supposed to be turned into a modern scientific center and transferred to self-sufficiency. According to the new director Boris Saltykov, only the central part of the building is of historical value - it will be restored, while the side wings, which were rebuilt in Soviet times, are being reconstructed only with the preservation of the familiar appearance of the facades. The courtyards will also be blocked, and a new building will be built for the storage facility on the territory of the Skolkovo innovation city.
The same Izvestia reports on the opening to the public of the former main museum of the country - the Lenin Museum on Red Square, which has not worked since 1993. It will become part of the so-called. the museum quarter, which will be created between Revolution Square and Nikolskaya Street. Design work is currently being completed by Mosproekt-2. In particular, the authors proposed to restore the meeting room of the State Duma, which was located in the museum building until 1917, as well as to close the space between the museum and the Mint, placing another exhibition pavilion there.
Another global reconstruction is planned on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center - the other day the authorities announced that a new concept had been developed to transform the former exhibition of the national economy into a modern exhibition complex. "Lenta-real estate" tells about this in more detail. The main construction will take place in the side alleys, where, in addition to new exhibition space, sports and landscape facilities will appear.
As usual, this month was not without disturbing news from the field of heritage protection. Thus, among the bells that had returned to the restored belfry of the Bolshoi Theater, the bell ringers accidentally identified several, expropriated from the long-suffering Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi. Izvestia writes about this in more detail. Arhnadzor calls for their return to their rightful owner. The newspaper "Kultura" published an article with an overview of the restorations carried out in Yaroslavl for its loud anniversary, and "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" covers the next demolition of the historic house - the authorities are going to sacrifice the so-called. house of Jurgens. Novaya Gazeta published a long article dedicated to Kizhi, which reveals the details of the restoration taking place in the Transfiguration Church. According to a number of experts, its methods are dubious and may end in disaster for the monument.
And finally, in the second half of September, the professional press published three interesting interviews at once. One of the journalists' speakers was the famous Dutch architect Erik van Egeraat, who is again designing for our country. In an interview with Interfax, Egeraat spoke in detail about his three new projects for Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Citizen magazine published an interview of Sergei Khodnev with the star of the world architectural scene and the owner of this year's Golden Lion, Rem Koolhaas, in which he talks about his teaching activities at the Strelka Institute in Moscow. Curator Yuri Avvakumov shared his impressions of the International Architecture Biennale in Venice with the magazine "Private Correspondent".
