The site intended for the construction of a residential complex is located in the central part of Kronstadt, between Surgin, Zosimov and Martynov streets. Until 2005, the motor transport enterprise GATP-24 was located here, and then the territory was patiently waiting for its investor. In 2011, it was acquired by the KVS company, which invited it to participate in the Studio 44 project. The developer explained his choice, first of all, by the fact that Nikita Yavein's team has vast experience in construction in the historical center. For Kronstadt, this was more than relevant: cultural heritage objects are located close to the future residential quarter, and it itself is included in a protected area, so that various restrictions were imposed on the new residential complex long before its appearance. In particular, the height of the buildings should not exceed 12 meters, and the length of the facades along the street front should be more than 50 meters, the roofs were to be pitched, and the overall compositional solution should correspond to the immediate environment.
Among the immediate surroundings, Posadskaya Street stands out - one of the oldest in Kronstadt, built up with 2-3-storey buildings. As Nikita Yavein explains, these volumes are certainly valuable for their authenticity, but they are quite capable of scaring off with their outward simplicity and brutality. Therefore, taking into account the scale of the environment set by these houses, the architects nevertheless decided to focus on them to a minimum and the new complex turned to them with a firewall wall of one of three buildings, which was given the shape of an extended rectangle.
Thus, the authors of the project isolate most of the site - the appearance of this kind of partition allowed them to play out the remaining territory as profitably as possible. They bring two "P" -shaped buildings to the house-plank, obtaining two closed courtyards and one open on the street. Zosimova. In fact, the projected residential complex is a double square, united in the depth by the same courtyard building. Moreover, the latter has a high base, and both closed courtyards are raised 1.15 meters above ground level.
“This layout seemed to us the simplest and most effective way to provide the necessary differentiation of spaces,” explains Nikita Yavein. - Through the middle courtyard, a passage is organized to the most comfortable apartments of a large area. In the courtyards, 26 meters wide, there will be recreation and children's playgrounds for all residents of the building, as well as individual front gardens of the apartments on the ground floor. The idea of including townhouses in the composition of the residential complex was prompted by the very same limitations - the low and relatively long facades asked for additional fragmentation, which the authors decided to make not only visual, but also functional. This is how apartments with an area of more than 100 square meters appeared in two inner buildings. m. - they are located on several semi-levels and have separate entrances, as well as adjoining territories. The outer perimeter of the residential complex is formed by economy-class apartments of a small area - mainly one- and two-room apartments.
The residential complex designed in this way is a rather dense and strictly organized structure, somewhat subtly reminiscent of either a fortress or a barracks. Probably, for a residential complex created for any other city, such a comparison would hardly be flattering, but for Kronstadt, founded by Peter the Great, it is not only appropriate, but also testifies to the most organic entry into the original historical environment. The architectural solution pursues the same goal: all residential buildings face the red lines of the quarter, the main facade is symmetrical and three-part. Both street and courtyard facades are finished with brick of two shades of red, acquiring a range that makes them even more related to their immediate surroundings. The plinth is faced with slabs of "Putilovsky" stone, and the pitched roofs are made of metal.
It is interesting that in both U-shaped buildings the upper "crossbar" is slightly longer than it should be - these "overhangs" are designed by the authors with rather massive rectangular bay windows and triangular pediments. Similar houses in the house fix the outer corners of the residential complex, facing the intersections. Like the austere white-painted entrance portals, these elements enrich the plasticity of the extended facades, making them more memorable and emphasizing the modern - “postmodern” - origin. The courtyard facades seem lighter due to the use of wide loggias-niches and continuous glazing of the stairs - the architects thus sought to visually expand the long elongated courtyards. And if in the architecture of the residential complex, as already mentioned, certain militaristic notes are appropriate, then the authors of the project did not want to liken the courtyards to the parade ground - with the help of paving, landscaping elements and generous landscaping, they gave each intra-quarter space their own memorable look.
