Archi.ru:
Nikita Igorevich, the last time we spoke with you two years ago, and one of the central topics of our conversation then became the just deadly competitions for projects for the reconstruction of New Holland and the Polytechnic Museum, the results of which, to put it mildly, amazed you. How relevant is the topic of the contests for Studio 44 now?
Nikita Yavein:
- We are still very active in tenders, considering this method of obtaining orders one of the most interesting from a professional point of view. This year, in particular, we took part in several large competitions for objects in Astana - at the Expo, the Ministry of Defense (while they reached the final, the results have not yet been summed up) and the Palace of Youth (won). Several significant competitions were held in St. Petersburg, for example, for a residential complex on the Karpovka embankment and the concept of building a district on Oktyabrskaya embankment, which we won, and for the "Judicial Quarter", in which we lost. In general, we have chosen the following tactic for ourselves: when developing a concept, we invest in it to the maximum, but we do not change our principles. In particular, we never rely on the "wow effect" and do not work "in styles."
It seems to me that you have just named the two most win-win strategies for winning contests
- In general, it seems to me that more and more competitions are being held today, the results of which are very easy to predict in advance. And this worries and depressing me tremendously. Cities continue to be filled with pseudo-architecture, outright kitsch, although until recently, it would seem, there was a hope that this topic would remain forever in the 2000s … No, I quite understand Americans who sincerely believe that Venice in Las Vegas is better than real Venice - cleaner, neater, cheaper, smells better, and gondoliers are more polite, but why make Las Vegas out of a real multi-layered historical city?..
It's no secret that for many people, at least in Russia, designing "in style" is still synonymous with preserving a historic city
- This is a deception, and shameless! According to my observations, it is these projects that cause the greatest damage to the city. And the point is not only in the distortion of the true historical fabric - I assure you, only a few are concerned about these lofty matters - but in the fact that it is under the cover of "classicism" that valuable environmental objects are demolished more easily and faster, the hands of an architect and a developer seem to be untied: they say, think, let's build the same thing. But modern architecture enters the city more carefully and responsibly, which, in my opinion, characterizes it doubly well.
Only in some of the competitions does one or another architectural solution win, much more often architects today are forced to "measure" the cost of their services, as, for example, happened with Apraksin Dvor, in the last tender for the development of the concept of reconstruction of which was won by Timur Bashkaev's bureau, which offered a ridiculously low the price. How, in your opinion, will the fate of this site develop?
- In my memory, about ten projects for the reconstruction of Apraksin Dvor have already been developed, including by the most eminent foreigners. These proposals can be divided into two types: the first completely ignored the protection legislation, the second - considerations of recoupment. These were all very beautiful concepts, but there was a feeling that their authors were sure: everything is being done for a budget and given to someone. As for Timur Bashkaev, I deeply respect him as an architect, but I still don’t really understand how he is going to deal with this long-suffering site - as far as I know, his studio does not have a license to work with monuments. The work that has already been completed can hardly be called a project, but rather a functional zoning scheme, and there is no economy in it. But taking into account resettlement, the cost per square meter of housing there will be at least 100-120 thousand rubles, or even all 170 thousand. Who will buy an apartment for that kind of money, especially in a building without parking and with a restaurant on the ground floor? Maybe in Moscow such miracles are possible, but in St. Petersburg they will never become a mass phenomenon - the incomes of the townspeople are not the same, alas! So, it seems to me, it is too early to put an end to the history of the search for the optimal scenario for the development of Apraksin Dvor. I think that in the end, if any project is implemented, it will be the one that will combine the requirements for the protection of monuments with minimal profitability. All other developments will die their own death.
And do you have a lot of direct orders, when the developer goes to the workshop directly?
- Yes, quite a lot. I think this is a consequence of the experience gained and a good reputation - we are able to bring projects to implementation and do it efficiently, and therefore customers come to us again and again. And since in our country this business is still largely based on trust, we very much appreciate the customers who return to us, and in general, to be completely honest, now we are trying to work mainly with those of them with whom we have already been tested “in battle.
We are currently working on a number of major restoration projects -
Alexander Palace, "Mikhailovskaya Dacha", adaptation of the First Cadet Corps for the needs of St. Petersburg University. There are large new construction projects - the Galaktika area behind the Varshavsky railway station, an office complex near Sytny market, the Railway Museum. The Olympic Station in Sochi has already been completed. Now we are starting work on the third stage of the Eifman Academy.
In one of your recent interviews, you said that you consider the Ballet Academy one of the best buildings in your entire career
- I'm very proud of this object, really. In a confined area, in very difficult urban planning conditions, we managed to create not just a complex that functionally meets the task at hand, but a whole special world, all the architectural and interior elements of which, I hope, will contribute to the creative development of students. The third stage of the academy will be located in a nearby school built in the 1930s. We keep its external dimensions and facades, but we rebuild it inside, continuing the theme of the “children's world” that we have invented - a system of chamber terraces, atriums, playgrounds. An auditorium will be built in the courtyard of the school, which will be connected with the main building by a passage.
This project really captivates with its elegance and filigree elaboration of all the smallest details. Studio 44 gave a completely different character to the residential complex on Karpovka - a project that caused a flurry of criticism for its monumentality and brutality
- I think, whatever we did there, it would cause controversy, too responsible place. But what is there now, the gap in the corner, is also terrible, and it is clear that this needs to be corrected. We continue to refine our project, and, perhaps, we were a little too hasty to publish the initial sketches - now the silhouette, plastic, facades have been worked out much deeper, and we hope that this complex will become a worthy part of the "facade" of the embankment. This, of course, also depends on the quality of implementation, which now, alas, too often leaves much to be desired … Perhaps this is the only thing that I envy my Moscow colleagues: the cost of construction is much lower than in Moscow, but the quality is affects enormously. The client simply cannot afford expensive materials and experienced contractors. Especially the comfort class "sags", of course. We are trying to compensate for this by urban planning means, creating a thoughtful and comfortable living environment, for example, as in the “Ideal City”. In general, urban planning projects are more interesting to me now - it seems to me that the time for drawing facades has passed, and it is possible to achieve a fundamentally different quality of the environment only with the help of urban planning strategies on a macro scale.
Is your work in Astana also such a macro-scale for you?
- Every project is an experiment. Now we are working on the Youth Palace, and it is such a grandiose object that I can hardly even grasp it. And it continues to grow! Now, for example, a wedding palace has been added to it. I think nowhere else in the world is there an object in which so many commercial and non-commercial functions are combined in one volume. And I sincerely want to look at the company that will manage it. However, I had similar concerns about the Schoolchildren's Palace, but I was there recently, everything lives and works, although I arrived unexpectedly and no one prepared a "picture" for me.
Are you going to open an office of Studio 44 in Kazakhstan, since there are so many orders there?
“I don’t think he’s needed.” The Basis company operates there - a development, construction and design organization, our reliable partner and ally, and we do all projects together with them. Studio 44 will not conquer the Kazakh market alone.
In general, in recent years, a lot of new employees have appeared in the workshop?
- Strictly speaking, over the years the workshop has turned into a bureau, which includes as many as three workshops. One is involved in the restoration and adaptation of monuments, the second is in charge of large housing projects, and the third, which I personally oversee most, is responsible for experimental, foreign and public facilities. From the point of view of creativity, the current structure of "Studio 44" is even somewhat large - we have more and more objects that run absolutely parallel to each other. I think that the day is not far off when some of the employees who have grown up within our walls will open their own business - I will help them in every way in this, although I am not going to let like-minded people go far.
