The Archi.ru portal has already acquainted its readers with the results of the competition for the project of a residential complex on Rublevskoe highway, organized by the PIK group of companies. The project, developed by the architects of the Atrium bureau, took the third place by the results of the final voting of the jury, leaving behind only TPO Reserve and Sergey Skuratov's workshop.
The 2.6 hectare site is located at the intersection of Yartsevskaya Street and Rublevskoye Highway, five minutes from the Molodezhnaya metro station. It is part of a very green area of the capital, from an environmental point of view, perhaps one of the best in the entire city. However, in terms of urban planning, it somehow does not turn to call it prosperous: the development of Rublevskoye Highway is very monotonous and by no means always on the same scale as a pedestrian. That is why one of the main tasks faced by the contestants was to relieve the urban planning tension in this part of the city by placing a picturesque architectural dominant on the edge of the Krylatsky Hill.
In accordance with the terms of reference, architects Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochiy divided the complex into two buildings. The fundamental difference in this division was the difference in scale: majestic for a city highway and human for internal residential areas. The high-rise building consists of three towers, which are located along the Rublevskoye highway and support the scale of its development. As they approach the intersection, they increase in height and form a spectacular stepped silhouette. The highest, 40-storey, “holds” the corner with a powerful exclamation mark. The architects partly borrowed this composition from the residential complex "Rublevskiye Oty" located on the other side of Yartsevskaya Street, only there the towers seemed to be glued together, while the "Atrium" carefully articulates the volume of each skyscraper and places them at an offset angle to a single base, which makes the silhouette "Propyl" is more articulated and interesting. In addition, as the authors themselves explain, the resulting "wall" of towers perfectly protects the courtyard of the residential complex from the constant noise of the highway, and their turn provides a varied perception of the complex when moving from the center and from the region.
Due to the fact that the towers are located at an angle to the highway, two of them form expressive consoles from the side of the courtyard, and the corner one leaned against a residential building erected along Yartsevskaya Street, thereby forming a spectacular multi-height arch, which not only works as the main entrance portal, but also makes the yard space brighter.
The dynamics of the towers' reversal is emphasized by the decoration of the facades made up of volumetric panels located at different angles, due to which a barely noticeable ripple seems to run along the surface, and when the perspective of perception changes, the facade pattern becomes dynamic. This effect is multiplied by the combination of shades: the silvery and snow-white cladding here side by side with the golden one.
By arranging the high-rise volumes along the highway, the architects used the remaining area for block development on a smaller and therefore more humane scale: from four to nine floors. This made it possible to organically fit the second part of the residential complex into the urban fabric of the surrounding micro-districts, without violating its integrity by dotted inclusions of towers - a kind of illustrative example of achieving the necessary density in a humane way. Also, for better integration of the new residential complex into the surrounding buildings, the architects placed the surface of its courtyard at the level of the existing relief; the parking lot was completely hidden under the ground, which made it possible to comply with the restrictions on the building area.
However, the authors took care not only of the harmonious combination of the complex with the surrounding buildings, but also of the development prospects of the entire area as a whole. Already when working with the first sketches of the concept, it became obvious that the density of streets here (as, incidentally, in almost all Moscow microdistricts) is clearly insufficient - and the architects proposed adding two new roads, laying their routes around the site: one passage passes between the existing buildings parallel to Rublevskoe highway, the second repeats the direction of Yartsevskaya street. New roads could, according to the authors, become a transport framework for the subsequent consolidation of the surrounding areas - in other words, for building up voids with relatively low buildings, which could also make the urban environment of the area in question more humane.
Residential buildings are located along the perimeter of the site, forming a cozy and spacious courtyard with playgrounds and sports grounds, flower beds and a green lawn, and the lowering of the number of storeys to the southern border of the complex provides the courtyard and buildings with maximum insolation. Architects dress these houses more simply, but give them a characteristic faceted shape. The dancing rhythm of color-accented windows, cantilever protrusions and glazed first floors - everything is quite consistent with what we are used to seeing in the works of "Atrium". And in the center of the courtyard, a bright, rich yellow house fills the space with emotions and plasticity, creates a transition to a human scale and forms the internal zoning of the courtyard.
The hierarchy of apartments in the projected complex is built in accordance with the general compositional solution, meeting the needs of various categories of potential buyers. So, in three high-rise towers, the architects proposed to place representative apartments with a gorgeous view of the city. The building, "propping up" the 40-storey tower, is intended for economical rental housing, which is so lacking in the capital; low-rise buildings with windows overlooking the courtyard are perfect for families with children, and corridor-type apartments at the base of the towers are ideal for young people. The first floors of the complex are allocated for the placement of public functions, due to which, in turn, the problem of the lack of objects within walking distance is solved and pedestrian activity along the Rublevskoye Highway is activated, where public functions are located even on two levels.
The jury noted the idea of creating a human-scale environment protected from the noise and gas pollution of the Rublevskoye Highway by a wall of three high towers in a single block, as a special discovery of the Atrium. It was in this that Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochiy saw the key to solving the difficult urban planning situation of this place, which, in their opinion, could be radically improved.
