Archi.ru: - Oleg, how long has your bureau been developing projects for the reconstruction of these two areas? Is it true that this is Wowhaus' own initiative and not a city order?
Oleg Shapiro: - Public spaces and the harmonization of the urban environment have always been and remain the most important topic for us, and wherever possible, we try to declare that activism should be an integral part of the professional position of any architect. An architect is by definition a socially responsible person. As for the Wowhaus, we have always tried to find painful points of the city, spaces, the change of which, in our opinion, will become an impetus for a qualitative transformation of the environment, and to develop strategies for such changes.
For example, two years ago we proposed the theme of low embankments, which would allow, without changing the existing urban landscape, to create new spaces and routes for walking. Alas, it is very difficult to implement this project for all its obviousness and usefulness - first of all, for administrative and organizational reasons. construction over water requires a myriad of approvals.
Around the same time, we completed and published a concept for the integrated development of the Boulevard Ring, designed to transform this longest pedestrian zone in the city center into a full-fledged open public space. The problem of the Boulevard Ring is not that there are no repairs in some of its parts - there, thank God, everything is neat, but this is not enough. We proposed to conditionally divide the ring into several thematic sections, while it is better to connect the boulevards between - somewhere with the help of a bridge, somewhere with the help of updated underground passages. But our most important idea, which does not even require investments, is that the Boulevard Ring will only begin to live a full life when it has a unified administration. Today there are 12 boards, each of which is trying in every possible way to throw off responsibility for the boulevards. Another global topic of ours is the so-called. "Green loop", which should stretch from Vorobyovy Gory to 3rd Golutvinsky lane and in the future, with the help of low embankments, to Zamoskvorechye. Part of this plan - the Crimean embankment - has already been implemented.
All these projects were indeed developed by us on a voluntary and gratuitous basis - as possible scenarios for the development of the city, some of which the city then listened to. And in the same way, we spoke about other spaces. In particular, about Triumfalnaya Square - a space that is symbolic and very important for Moscow, which today is absolutely abandoned, although it is right under the nose of GlavAPU.
Since the project was presented at a meeting of the Public Council for Public Spaces, many media publish it as the final version of the square's reconstruction
- In fact, so far this is only a concept, and perhaps even a pre-concept. The strategy for transforming the square, which personally seems to us reasonable and which we want to offer the city. Perhaps the most important point: we do not agree that Triumfalnaya Square needs improvement. In fact, it needs much more - a strong and bright solution must be developed for it, which will return the square to the status of a significant space.
It is clear that this square is a classic space of the Stalinist Empire style. But it is not at all necessary that the surface of the square itself was solved in the same style. In the end, the XXI century and the city as a living organism have gone quite far from the era of the 1950s. Modern Triumfalnaya Square is such a very nervous city center, a place where many streams intersect, because here, in addition to the metro, there are three theaters and several important ministries and departments. In summer, you need to hide from the sun, so we suggest planting trees in the square. In winter - somewhere to meet and hide from the cold, so a cafe appeared. And also a very good view of Moscow opens from here - and therefore we propose to make a viewing platform above the Garden Ring. But all this is just a rough outline, the main thing that we wanted to show with our proposal is that Triumfalnaya Square deserves modern and bright solutions.
And the Revolution Square? At what point did you start doing it, and what, in your opinion, is lacking in this space?
- Everything is not enough! No, seriously, today it is one of the most indistinct spaces in the structure of the city center, which became especially evident after the neighboring Nikolskaya Street became a pedestrian street. Walking along Red Square or Nikolskaya, pedestrians sooner or later inevitably end up on Revolution Square and find themselves in a space that can hardly be called a square - it is so illogical and chaotic it is built up. In our opinion, it is necessary to get rid of the structures existing today that interfere with the review of historical buildings and the Kitaygorodskaya wall, as well as two huge "tongues" of asphalt left from the time when there was a transport interchange on the square, and instead of a parking lot, organize a recreation area … In developing this project, we also wanted, first of all, to draw attention to the existing problems of the area, which are enormous. It is not enough just to voice this, while a published draft inevitably entails a discussion - this is what we are trying to achieve.
In the eyes of critics, Wowhaus now looks like a monopolist that has arrogated to itself the right to occupy almost all public spaces of the Moscow center
- We understand that from the outside it can really be perceived that way. I think such a bias arises, first of all, because public spaces as a problem in the city have generally begun to be dealt with not so long ago, only about three or four years ago. And we really have a direct relationship to this as one of the founders of Strelka. I remember when Strelka was just beginning and Koolhaas proposed the topic of public spaces, almost everyone answered him with one voice: “What are we actually going to talk about there?” However, after only a few years, only the lazy is not talking about them - is this progress? Of course, this is not only our merit, but a global trend, which, fortunately, quickly reached Moscow.
And now that the topic itself is in demand, we want to go further. For a year now, the Public Council for Public Spaces has been working in Moscow, but, firstly, few people know about it, and secondly, it considers little. One thing follows from the other: often this body simply has nothing to discuss, since few concepts for the development of public spaces in Moscow are being developed. And it is clear that Wowhaus cannot fill this gap on its own. Therefore, now we are taking the initiative to create with the council a kind of platform, a two-way communication space, where the city administration would announce all the sites, the fate of which it intends to deal with in the coming years, and the architects, in turn, could offer their own options for the development of these places.
In other words, a bank of ideas that everyone can replenish?
- You see, if everyone can do it, it will very quickly turn into a collection of crazy ideas. Of course, the concepts should undergo a certain selection for professionalism and, if you like, social responsibility, these should be proposals based on full-fledged work, and not just on a cry that, say, all cars should be removed from the center.
And how can such a selection be carried out? Portfolio competition?
- This is quite an option, but it entails the creation of additional commissions. It seems to me more reasonable to develop a form for submitting a concept that would provide confirmation of the availability of professional education and experience. It will become a kind of filter, guaranteeing that sensible and thoughtful proposals will be submitted to the Council.
Maybe spaces like Triumfalnaya Square are still worthy of full-fledged architectural competitions, and not a collection of concepts according to the principle "with the world on a string"?
- Unfortunately, today a professionally organized competition is a very expensive and long history, take at least Zaryadye. Do not forget that, in accordance with the existing legislation, the city, announcing a competition for a particular object, actually bypasses the law. Therefore, before talking about the mass organization of competitions, including for urban public spaces, it is necessary to approve the very procedure for holding them: transparent and open. Until this is done, in our opinion, it is possible to anticipate the implementation of the next improvement project only by proposing alternative scenarios for the development of public spaces. This is what we see as our main task, mission, if you will.
