Shukhov tower
A new wave of controversy about the future of the Shabolovka tower was in the press this week. RIA Novosti informs from the words of the representative of the current owner of the tower of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS) that the survey of the monument, which was carried out by the All-Russian Research Institute for Civil Defense and Emergencies of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, has been completed. Result: the tower belongs to the 3rd category of accident rate, that is, its limited operation is possible. Natalya Dushkina, an expert in the field of heritage protection, considers such a conclusion to be an “amazing progress”, because before we were convinced that it was about to collapse. In addition, Andrei Batalov, expert of the Commission under the Moscow Government on urban planning activities within the boundaries of sights and protection zones of cultural heritage sites, Andrei Batalov, said that the Moscow City Heritage Agency is ready to conduct an examination to recognize the tower as a federal heritage site and submit the results to the Ministry of Culture of Russia.
Activists continue to draw attention to the issue. Gazeta.ru publishes a video in which Leonid Parfenov talks about his attitude to the tower on Shabolovka. He considers disassembly impossible: "everyone in childhood took apart the watch, and then unnecessary parts remained - the same will happen with the tower." This recording is the first in a series of videos in which famous people share their opinions about the tower. The Village announces free bike tours dedicated to avant-garde architectural monuments and engineer Shukhov. They will be held on April 20, May 17 and 18. The organizer is the educational project “Moscow through the eyes of an engineer”. But public initiatives do not always go smoothly. Yopolis writes that the activists have already submitted two requests to the Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption of the city of Moscow to hold a rally on April 24 against the dismantling of the tower. The authorities did not agree on both actions.
The chief architect of Moscow, Sergei Kuznetsov, sees no motivation for moving the tower to another location, IA Regnum reports: “in its place in the area of constructivist buildings, surrounded by a number of objects, it is dominant, and cultural integrity is formed in the area of Shabolovka Street”. The head of the press service of FSUE RTRS Igor Stepanov in the program "Grani Grada" said that, according to the security obligation, restoration work must begin no later than August 2014. Under the restoration, his department still means the dismantling of the tower.
Interview
A number of publications have published extensive interviews with architects and theorists this week. The main topic of the conversation between Polit.ru and Grigory Revzin was legacy and power. The critic spoke about the situation with the Shukhovskaya tower (“the threat hung and hangs”), Arkhangelsk, the Dynamo stadium, as well as city protection organizations and the upcoming lecture at the Theater Center. V. Meyerhold.
The portal of the Moscow Archcouncil asked Sergei Tchoban about the exhibition "Only Italy!" in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery, which united architectural drawings, sketches, drawings and sketches under one common theme - Italy. Sergei Tchoban heads the Fund for the Museum of Architectural Drawing, which co-organized the exhibition. He hopes that the exhibition will serve as a call to abandon blind copying of Western architecture. It should be replaced by the creative study of heritage, its comprehension through drawing, absorption of the basics and turning them into your professional tool.
Archi.ru talked with the head of the Wowhaus architectural bureau Oleg Shapiro about how the ART OVRAG festival of new urban culture in Vyksa can change the city. The editor of the Mezzanine magazine, Evgenia Gershkovich, spoke about the serious problems in the field of interior design: the lack of interesting projects and the need for a practically absent critical look.
The hero of "Expert", architect Yuliy Borisov spoke about why it is difficult and expensive to build in Russia, why celebrity architects have not implemented a single project in our country, and also spoke about the Russian idea in architecture. Also, "Expert" is trying to figure out what good architecture is, and publishes the opinion of experts on several landmark projects in Moscow over the past 20 years.
Finally, a kind of one-sided interview with Mikhail Zolotonosov appeared on the pages of the Gorod812 edition. After an unsuccessful attempt to meet and talk with the chief architect of St. Petersburg, Oleg Rybin, the journalist formulated 38 topical issues that the executive branch does not want to clarify. Gorod812 publishes some of them.
Petersburg: Manhattan, palaces and excavations
At the last City Council of St. Petersburg, a new concept for the development of the "Marine Facade" was approved on the reclaimed territory in the water area of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Kommersant writes that St. Petersburg Manhattan, which was to be dominated by the "business island" with 200-meter high skyscrapers, has become more modest: the alluvium will be built up with low-rise housing, which will increase the population there by a third. The authorities are ready to agree on the project, despite the possible resulting transport and environmental collapse. The author of the concept, head of the Soyuz 55 bureau, Alexander Viktorov, believes that there will be no problems with transport: two interchanges of the western high-speed diameter should help, in addition, the North Bridge is being designed, which will allow access to the Petrogradskaya side and the city center.
Due to the lack of a solution to transport issues, the Millhouse company also had to redesign the concept of reconstruction of New Holland Island. The improved version will be presented by KGIOP at the end of May 2014, Interfax reports.
Governor Georgy Poltavchenko promised that the Kamennoostrovsky Palace will be occupied by an art school after restoration, Kommersant writes. Previously, the authorities planned to mark here the residence of the Government of St. Petersburg. The complex of buildings is being reconstructed by the Intarsia company, the work is planned to be completed at the end of 2015. The same publication reports that the KGIOP recognized the foundations of the Lithuanian castle found during excavations at 102 Moika Embankment as an identified object of cultural heritage. Representatives of Okhta Group, which plans to build an elite residential building with 24 apartments, assure that the project will be implemented in full compliance with the law, that is, most likely, the ruins of the castle will be built into a new building.
Finally, the building of the Stock Exchange will be officially transferred to the Hermitage, writes Kommersant. The building will be a gift from the city for the 250th anniversary of the great museum. As previously reported, the Museum of the Russian Guard and Heraldry will be located here.
