The architects of Asadov's bureau placed a new parallelepiped into the contour of the 1950s colonnade, placing it with a slight shift towards the Big Sports Arena: a 24-meter canopy with illumination was formed here, under which concerts were planned to be held. “We wanted to contrast the new volume as much as possible with the purity of the classic solution,” say the architects. For its decoration, it was supposed to use fiberglass concrete with a texture resembling a layered rock, as well as live mosses. So over time, the upper "living facade" had to more and more resemble a mossy rocky natural form. " The architects considered different options for cladding the upper part - in addition to glass fiber reinforced concrete with moss, it could be finished with volumetric cassettes made of corten steel or glass profile (then it would be perceived as an icy surface).
The theme of the moss covering the building's facades is picked up inside by the moisture-loving southern vegetation, which is present throughout the aqua park. The main attraction proposed by the architects - a giant "roller coaster" that permeates all levels of the complex from the roof to the lower pool, was intended to help visitors admire the exotic landscapes.
On the exploited roof of the new volume, the authors planned a full-fledged landscape oasis with a treadmill around the perimeter, a cafe, thermal zones and spa islands (in the middle part of which, among the picturesque vegetation, there are baths with springs, thermal waters and a jacuzzi). Having decorated the “oasis” with wild plants and stones, the authors called it “the lost world in the center of Moscow”.
The image of the “lost world” refers to the novel by Conan Doyle (the inhabited roof is a man-made version of a high-mountain plateau), but more to the film of the same name, in which the heroes from the amusement park find themselves in another universe. It is curious that the very process of forming a new volume resembles the creation of a prequel: when “prehistory” appears after a past history and becomes a single whole with it. The image of an organic self-regulating system underlines the latest generation of energy efficient engineering. Taken together, the complex of devices responsible for illumination, humidity and air movement acts as a highly sensitive membrane capable of subtly responding to changes in the external environment and maintaining a comfortable microclimate. Marina Glushatova *** More about the project:
The birth of the concept
In contrast to the issued competition assignment, which assumed the partial demolition of the historical volume, Asadov's bureau proposed the maximum preservation of both the external and internal parts of the building, including the upper part of the stands. Moreover, the architects argue that even with such an uncompromising preservation of the historical part, all the functionality prescribed in the TK would have been implemented.
However, at the second stage of the competition, realizing that it would not be possible to preserve the existing volume, the authors proposed a variant with demolition-reconstruction “… using authentic technologies. [Now] the columns of the outer peripter are made of beautiful semicircular concrete blocks, ideally [in case of restoration] they should have been made of the same materials using the old technology,”Andrey Asadov comments on the project.
Functional zoning
Multifunctionality capable of attracting a maximum of visitors was to become one of the main renovations. The building has six levels, one level of underground parking. There are cafes and restaurants on each floor dedicated to visitors.
The architects proposed a scheme for dividing the flow of visitors, planning for this two lobbies on the ground floor. Through the southern entrance from the Vorobyovy Gory metro station, it is planned to move to the premises of the "historical" part - to the second floor to the double-height water park (from where you can get to the roof), the spa center and to the third floor to the fitness center. The northern entrance from the side of the Grand Arena directs visitors to the new part of the complex. The fourth floor is transitional from the historical part of the building to the new one; it is occupied by technical rooms and administration offices. On the fifth floor, the authors placed sports pools for children and adults and multifunctional gyms; on the sixth floor - a restaurant overlooking the gyms of the fifth floor.
Constructive and engineering solutions
As required, the authors developed detailed descriptions of design and engineering solutions, as well as materials for all major parts of the multifunctional complex. At the project stage, it was planned to clarify only certain points (for example, to determine the number and shape of barrets, as well as the need for a sedimentary expansion joint between the foundations of the blocks and the foundation slab).
The main idea of the engineering concept, developed in cooperation with the specialists of the Engex company, was the creation of the most natural climate in the built environment. All engineering systems are designed to work as a membrane that harmonizes external and internal factors: the authors proposed to return water from the collected condensate to the pools; use the heat generated during air cooling to heat water, as well as the heat of "gray" water; make skylights from ETFE foil with built-in photocells; use humidity and light sensors, "displacement ventilation" and blow warm dry air over the glass of stained-glass windows.
