Several publications posted an interview with Sergei Tchoban this week. In a conversation with Expert, the architect expressed the opinion that modernist buildings are not suitable for Russia. This is due to the harsh climate and low quality of construction, which is why minimalist buildings look bad in our country and age quickly. Tchoban sees the way out in the following: “in Russia you shouldn't make flat facades - you need depth, relief”. Also, in his opinion, the local construction industry should be developed. And architects “need to forget what foreigners think of us and what our own modernist parts of our brain think of us. The way out is to come up with your own architecture, and not look at the West."
At Interview Russia, Choban spoke about the Russian architectural tradition, the specifics of working with a Russian customer and why our country is not at all suitable for architectural stars.
On the pages of the Gorod 812 portal, architectural critic Mikhail Zolotonosov spoke with Sergei Tchoban about how to reconcile modern architecture with St. Petersburg. The main thing, according to Tchoban, is to create a design code for the historical center, which would include such parameters as the permissible height of buildings, the percentage of glazing, material and more: environment, it will untie our hands and save us from discussions about how high or low our building is, whether we have a conscience or not, and will turn us to what our architects need to pay attention to - skill."
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Arch Moscow exhibition that took place in Moscow at the end of May, several articles appeared in the press this week. "Expert" noted that this year the exhibition has ceased to be oppositional, since the archpower took the most active part in it: the chief architect of the city presented a program to improve the quality of Moscow architecture, as well as a joint exhibition of architectural drawing with Sergei Tchoban.
On the pages of Ogonyok, Grigory Revzin also pondered, but with a feeling of “a certain split”, over the unexpectedly occurring metamorphosis with the character of the exhibition, which had become semi-official. Nevertheless, he praised the exhibition, saying that it "wondered" for the first time in recent years. According to the critic, Arch Moscow has clarified several important facts: “we can build high-quality, sophisticated buildings of modern architecture, we have architects who are able to work at the world level, we are building public buildings and houses for the middle class, and this is quite possible”.
In a conversation with Kommersant, the curator of Arch of Moscow, Bart Goldhoorn, also noted that with the arrival of a new chief architect, the nature of the exhibition has changed dramatically: “It's one thing when you tell something to a person who doesn't react in any way and just smiles sweetly. It's another matter when your interlocutor himself says what you have been trying to convey to the professional community for the last ten years. And he spoke about his joint work with the Research and Development Institute of the General Plan for the creation of residential buildings of various architecture on an industrial scale.
By the way, RIAN Nedvizhimost published an interview with the chief architect of the Research and Development Institute of the General Plan, Andrey Gnezdilov, who was appointed to this position 3 months ago. According to Gnezdilov, one of his main tasks is to change the capital's normative base for urban planning, which now "bears the imprint of the socialist world order."
Meanwhile, debates continue in Moscow over the feasibility of reconstructing Leninsky Prospekt. Mikhail Blinkin, an expert on transport development, in an interview with Novaya Gazeta spoke about why the reconstruction of Leninsky is a fundamental urban planning project and what irreversible consequences it can lead to: “The plan for the reconstruction of Leninsky Prospekt is a plan for the urban murder of a lively and beautiful street … Leninsky's reconstruction is dangerous in that it divides the existing, lively urban environment into closed enclaves. The expert also explained why the residents' protests against reconstruction are more than selfish interests.
Continuing the topic, the Cityboom newspaper published excerpts from the final report of foreign experts Vukan Vuchik, Tour Hotwaite and Jean-Claude Ziva, who investigated projects for the reconstruction of Leninsky Prospekt and the North-West Expressway. Experts came to the conclusion that the projects are ineffective and will only exacerbate transport problems.
In the meantime, experts and citizens are struggling with destructive projects for the city in the present, architects-futurists visiting the capital talk about its possible future. Walking around Moscow with one of such specialists, Briton Liam Young, The Village correspondent learned that the capital's strength is its ability to adapt to chaos, and the development of the city may consist in “building new modern buildings on top of these historic buildings. Not destroying, but as if supplementing them."
Interestingly, Moscow city rights activists would agree with Liam Young's words … This week, in continuation of the story with the Circular Depot, Arhnadzor published a chronicle of the nighttime destruction of the monument. The destruction, named by "Russian Railways" as an example of "civilized European practice for the preservation and use of cultural heritage sites of world importance." City activists cited the words of a British architect who carefully reconstructed a similar Depot in London: "A wonderful opportunity was lost to breathe new life into the body of an old friend."
And in St. Petersburg, Art1 talked with the deputy chairman of the St. Petersburg VOOPIIK Alexander Kononov about working days, how to find a dialogue with developers, and what "sore spots" on the city map are bothering city defenders now.
Also this week it became known that a program to save wooden architectural monuments will be launched in St. Petersburg, and in Ryazan, on the contrary, this weekend residents will arrange a farewell bike ride through the wooden architecture objects sentenced to demolition, - IA Regnum reported.
In the meantime, the practice of architectural expeditions to heritage sites will be resumed in Irkutsk, the ISTU portal reported. In the summer, the first group of students will go to survey the wooden monuments of the region. Based on the results of the expedition, it is planned to develop projects for the reconstruction of buildings.
