Recently, architectural exhibitions in Moscow do not please with either interesting projects or expositions. On the one hand, given the current state of Russian architecture, it’s somehow boring to be surprised, on the other hand, it’s quite a shame that the Zodchestvo-2011 festival, which was held this year under the loud slogan “Russian Architecture”, was no exception. As stated in the press release, “the rich program of the festival acquaints the participants and guests with the architectural traditions of the peoples of Russia and the latest achievements of urban planning”, but in the process of viewing it quickly became clear that all the traditions were in the past, as well as the latest achievements in architecture. and even more urban planning. Against such a bleak background, the ceremony of awarding the winners of Zodchestvo did not inspire optimism in advance. And these expectations were generally justified: no discoveries happened at the closing of the festival.
First of all, the very format of the ceremony. This is a long and boring event, lasting several hours and consisting of an endless listing of the official names of projects and their authors. The main intrigue of the evening, in theory, was the "Crystal Daedalus", but there were so few applicants for the national architectural award this year (only two gold diplomas) that the result could be predicted with a probability of 50 percent. And before anyone's predictions came true, a variety of people rose to the stage for three hours for intermediate awards. Within the framework of the ceremony, the Landscape Architecture 2011 award, diplomas of the Russian Academy of Arts and diplomas of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation were presented, the results of the competition for the best periodical about architects and architecture were summed up (the magazine SPEECH: was recognized as the award), the competition for the best film about architecture and architects, etc. etc.
In the middle of the event, Andrei Bokov, President of the Union of Architects of Russia, mentioned that recently the Union has been actively cooperating with the Give Life Foundation, which provides assistance to children with oncological, hematological and other serious diseases, after which the results of the children's art show were announced. In this nomination, the prize went to a boy from Ingushetia for a drawn film about the towers, and the adult audience concluded that, most likely, in the light of the publicized cooperation, Daedalus will be awarded to the Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, and not to the museum reconstruction project. reserve "Oranienbaum".
However, even the most confident in their innocence had to wait some more time: before the presentation of the Daedalus, within the framework of the Zodchestvo summing up ceremony, diplomas were awarded for eco-friendly buildings and diplomas for the very fact of participation in the festival.
The Vladimir Tatlin Prize - Grand Prix in the Projects section - went to Studio 44 under the direction of Nikita Yavein for the Boris Eifman Dance Academy in St. Petersburg. By the way, this victory was even more predictable than the outcome of the struggle for "Daedalus", since the Academy of Dance was the only project awarded with the "Golden Diploma". The Echo Leonidov Prize, which is awarded for the original interpretation and development of the ideas of the famous Russian constructivist, went to Anna Spirikova and Magdalena Yanakidis for the concept of renovating the historical part of the city of Ples. And the medals to them. Vasily Bazhenov for his contribution to the development of modern architecture were awarded to Totan Kuzembaev, Alexei Ginzburg and Sergei Tchoban.
As for the "Crystal Daedalus", the national architectural prize was indeed awarded to the Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology. The team of authors headed by Alexander Asadov took the stage and unexpectedly, very sincerely and informally thanked for the award. The architects said that they were undoubtedly pleased to receive the Daedalus, but most of all they were pleased with how their object settled down, how the center workers prepared for the opening, Spartak fans cleaned the territory, and the chief doctor washed the floor in the lobby half an hour before the official opening of the complex. In other words, the authors acknowledged that the awards were awards, but most importantly, that a new hospital appeared in the capital, in which children are treated for the most terrible diseases of our time. Is the social significance of the property sufficient to be nominated for a national award in the field of architecture? Apparently, in the opinion of the Zodchestvo jury, more than.