The pioneer camp, which will be discussed, is located in the west of the Moscow region. This is a quite typical object for its time - three-storey panel buildings were built on a wooded area and do not shine with the originality of the architectural solution. But the investor who acquired this land plot in ownership initially made a bet on the preservation of the buildings - and the point here is not only the desire to save money, but also the desire to create a new infrastructure facility “at the turn of the epochs”, in the form of which both Soviet origin and the ability to to flexible transformation to meet the needs of today. At the same time, the functionality of the reconstructed complex has changed several times - in fact, work on the concept is still ongoing: the architects and the developer are jointly looking for the optimal ratio of function, technology and the volume of developed areas. In total, the workshop has developed eight layout options, and at the moment the concept of the development of the territory of the former pioneer camp provides for the creation of a health-improving complex in its place.
The initially difficult task, set by the customer, was to preserve and use the buildings of the 1960s, leaving the despondency of obsolete boxes due to the new architectural image, and was complicated many times over by accompanying conditions. First, it was required to create a bright, unusual architecture “for a reasonable price”. Secondly, the existing lightweight foundations could not withstand the additional load. And although, according to the authors, it would be easier and more profitable to start from scratch, they have found a brilliant solution to this problem.
The concrete boxes of the residential buildings are masked with casings made of wood-glued structures. They are used both for facade cladding and as load-bearing elements: rafters and columns protruding beyond the contour of panel buildings. The advantages of this solution are obvious: glued wooden structures are light and do not require the construction of powerful foundations, do not form cold bridges at the junction with other materials. It is also important that this eco-friendly material allows you to create complex sculptural compositions that, for all their expressiveness, do not hit the budget too much.
In total, the architects had to reconstruct 5 buildings, three of which were interlocked by a "ladder", and two more are located at an angle of 90 degrees to them. In order not to spend money on the design of each "box" separately, Roman Leonidov unites the buildings: he draws a large triangle on the general plan, into which he inscribes all five volumes, each of which wears a "camouflage" made of wood, and fills the space between the buildings with elements of landscape design … Multilevel landscaping and a variety of new "skin" radically change the appearance of the former pioneer camp - now it is not five concrete parallelepipeds, but a dynamic and picturesque composition. Somewhere a spectacular roof with a pergola becomes a key element of the facade, somewhere wide horizontal ribbons sewn with inclined rectangular beams.
The compositional core of the complex is a round, recessed amphitheater, around which a strict orthogonal system of dormitory buildings and galleries connecting them is built. The amphitheater is designed for various outdoor entertainment events. And the galleries provide the inhabitants of each building with access to all the premises of the health-improving complex. Now, without going outside, vacationers can go to the dining room, to the gym, to recreational, medical and public areas. In addition, the complex is planned to include various workshops - ceramic, pottery, woodworking - designed for labor and creative therapy. The architects also actively used flat roofs, which will be used for the arrangement of tanning salons, cafes and recreational areas.
The authors make the most of the territory adjacent to the residential buildings. Rooms located on the ground floor have private patios overlooking the park and mini golf course. Residential and public spaces have a large area of glazing and face a landscape park in the northwest of the territory and a regular park with flower beds, paths and ponds located in the southeast. Thus, the landscape design of the site continues the given theme of the volumetric-spatial solution of the complex: strict geometry in an organic combination with natural chaos. This idea is emphasized by the choice of building and facade materials - industrial glued structures, metal and glass coexist with untreated stone, wood and textured plasters. The architects were able to realize the main wish of the customer - when looking at the complex, no one would even suspect that it was once an ordinary typical object. In addition, thanks to the proposed planning solution, the useful area of the complex has significantly increased, which means that Roman Leonidov's team was able to fulfill the requirement for the economy of the project in full.
