Beloyarskiy is a small town in the Khanty-Mansiysk District. Located on the left bank of the Kazym River and once the land of reindeer herders, today it is actively developing, mainly due to the transportation of gas. Both modern residential and technological public facilities are being built in it - the Ice Palace, a hotel, and a children's and youth center. However, the pressure of capital on architecture in Beloyarskoye is incomparably weaker than, say, in the same Surgut or Khanty-Mansiysk, and, probably, this is why its new buildings turn out to be such original and striking works of modern architecture.
Ecocenter "Nuvi at" was originally conceived as a complex of premises for the administration of the unique natural park "Numto", but later it was decided to supplement the administrative function with a museum one and create an exposition in the new building dedicated to the nature of the region, its traditional crafts, culture and life of the indigenous population. To solve this problem, the architects of the City-Arch workshop used the principle of combining modern technologies and traditional constructive and artistic techniques for this region.
"Nuvi At" (translated from the Khanty language - "white night") is located in the northwestern part of Beloyarsky, on a new square that closes the perspective of Central Street. The Kalten hotel complex (also designed by City-Arch) is also located here, and two facilities flank the space of the square, which in the future is planned to be used for city events and celebrations. The master plan shows that Nuvi At has such an extended volume that it actually serves as a bridge between the square and the neighboring street. The architects took this urban planning feature into account by arranging a covered pedestrian gallery in one of the complex's facades.
The eco-center building is formed by two components: a horizontal prismatic volume of a triangular section and a truncated cone divided by this prism in two. “These volumes carry the most important figurative message,” explains Valery Lukomsky. - The conical volume is a metaphor for the traditional dwelling of the peoples of the region - the plague. A real chum is always divided into two zones - male and female. The long and narrow boat - oblas, used by the indigenous population for fishing and moving along numerous rivers and lakes, became the prototype of the horizontally lying prism”. As a literal reminder and reinforcement of the general image, the architects placed one of the first exhibits at the main entrance to the building - a real oblas.
The parts of the cone are solved in different ways. One of them, facing the rear façade, is a deaf volume, clad from the outside, like the entire plane of the façade, with metal. The second, organizing the southern facade, consists of two volumes: closed, with a staircase inside, and open, with a translucent frame structure, the basis of which is made up of giant poles. The prototype of the latter was the traditional chum, which is always erected with the help of long and strong wooden poles. And it is through this half of the cone that the already mentioned pedestrian gallery passes. The structural part of the building, covered with banners with ethnic drawings of the peoples of the North, serves to accommodate the outdoor exposition.
Reindeer skins are an indispensable material in the life of indigenous peoples. With their help, the facades of the entrance group were decorated, the beams were decorated, with graphical lines dissecting smooth metal planes. Another decorative element is the narrow openings of the windows, symbolizing, according to the architects, numerous large and small rivers that form the relief of the Beloyarsk region. The insertion above the entrance group is also symbolic - a prismatic element made of rods, echoing the shape of the main volume. As Valery Lukomsky explains, it is designed to awaken many natural associations: this is the rafting of the forest along the river, when trunks, branches and twigs float in a chaotic disorder; this is also the needles of impassable local forests.
The triangular ends of the main volume, which are wooden canvases with a volumetric pattern cut out on them, are also very interestingly solved. The symbolic image of the moon in the form of a round opening at the end of the entrance group and the sun at the opposite end are directly related to the ideas of indigenous peoples about the world order, the movement of good and evil forces. The plasticity of these patterns and the surprisingly accurately selected rusty shade resemble the numerous swamps located on the territory of the region - however, to an outside observer who has not been to the North, this association becomes obvious only when the architect shows aerial photography. On the other hand, it is very easy to guess the purpose of a mace braided with a rope, suspended above the main entrance - of course, this is a talisman so characteristic of indigenous peoples.
The exposition of the museum is still being formed, so it is too early to talk about how much the new cultural object is in demand in Beloyarskoye. However, it is already clear that the building of the eco-center itself has become its new attraction. And most importantly, it has been convincingly proven: traditional materials and forms reflecting the peculiarities of nature, culture and world outlook of the region can be successfully integrated into the modern architectural environment.
