Vsevolod Medvedev, Oleg Medinsky, Mikhail Kanunnikov and Zurab Basaria are answering Archi.ru's questions.
Archi.ru:
“The Fourth Dimension Bureau is headed by four people at once. When and under what circumstances did your collaboration start?
Vsevolod Medvedev:
- We all studied at the Moscow Architectural Institute on the same course and in the same group with Vladlen Krasilnikov and Dmitry Solopov. All together we did our thesis - a city of the future with a complex master plan, for which everyone worked out his own part. And after graduating from the institute, in 1997, Solopov invited the four of us to work in his workshop at Mosproekt-2. We worked there for about five years and during this time we managed to take part in the most interesting projects of the workshop - including developing the interiors of the stylobate part of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It was an invaluable practical experience with a real large construction site and architectural supervision, despite the fact that our architectural preferences did not overlap very much with the canonical images of the temple. We also had very creative, conceptual tasks - for example, a competition for a project to transform Borovitskaya Square, a concept for the development of Poklonnaya Gora, serious urban planning work for Korovy Val and so on.
Oleg Medinsky:
- We became very close friends while studying at the Moscow Architectural Institute. We had a very friendly group, we still maintain relations with almost all of our classmates. This was largely due to our teachers, who focused on teamwork, taught us to listen to the opinion of another person. Maybe this is why we have been working together for so long, avoiding any conflicts within the workshop. As the saying goes: one head is good, but four is even better.
Tell us about your first joint projects?
V. M.:
- We started small: advertising, decoration of exhibitions, small architectural forms. As for serious projects, they appeared only after graduation. While still working at Mosproekt-2, we began to closely cooperate with the Arkron company, which had several large projects in Khanty-Mansiysk. The specialists of this company were engaged in detailed design, while we were responsible for the entire creative part. Together with them, we designed and built a large theater complex "Ugra-Classic", which remains one of the largest cultural centers of Khanty-Mansiysk today. And directly opposite the theater, according to our project, a cinema building was built: a very accurate implementation of the idea turned out. There was also a project for the Ice Palace in Khanty-Mansiysk and major urban planning concepts. In a word, from the very beginning we were engaged in exclusively large city objects, and there was practically no time left for private orders.
Zurab Basaria:
- Not every architect has managed to build a theater in all his practice. This was the first independently realized project for us. Of course, from an architectural point of view, the object turned out to be ambiguous: it had many "parents". Initially, we received a finished composition, which we could no longer change, certain finishing materials were imposed on us, and, in addition, we were removed from the development of interiors, because of which they were completely "torn away" from the external appearance. Nevertheless, this project is very dear to us. We did it in our free time from the main work, but this did not prevent him from immediately getting into SNIPs, and a little later - getting the Golden Diploma of the Zodchestvo festival.
When did you get the idea to create your own architectural bureau?
Mikhail Kanunnikov:
- Already in Mosproekt we have learned and even got used to solving the most difficult problems. On such important projects as, for example, the development of Sakharov Avenue, we trained to think big. The first independent work did not frighten us with the complexity of the tasks set there. Then the thought arose that we already had enough experience and knowledge to open our own architectural bureau.
What does the name of the Bureau "Fourth Dimension" mean?
V. M.:
- We thought for a long time about how to name the bureau, tried to add the first letters of our names - as is usually customary, but nothing came of it. Consciously, we immediately abandoned the foreign sound and the spelling of the name of the bureau. I wanted to come up with something ambiguous. As a result, we got a rather poetic and, perhaps, overly romantic name, which, however, carries a lot of meanings - from the concept of time to a new dimension, which is created by four people, four architects. In addition, the fourth dimension is the mental space in which thoughts are born and live.
Tell us about the first steps of your bureau
V. M.:
- After the grandiose projects that we worked on in Mosproekt-2, in our independent practice we had to go down to earth, because our first order was a private country house, which pulled a whole series of similar projects. The order came from a very wealthy man who asked us to design a huge house in the Frank Lloyd Wright style with an area of more than 2 thousand square meters. on the site in Barvikha. It was the first and rather difficult experience of working with a private customer, which, nevertheless, allowed us to implement our architectural project without distortion.
M. K.:
- It turned out to be more difficult to work with a private order. When a project is developed for a city or state, the architect, as a rule, has very little direct contact with the client. A private customer is in constant contact with the architect, at any, even the most inappropriate stage of the work, he can ask to make changes to the project. When working with a private client, an architect must be simultaneously a manager, a builder, a psychologist, a doctor, an economist, and a technologist.
In total, we have been working on this object for about five years. At the same time, similar orders began to appear, and all the houses were located in the neighborhood, and while building one house, one could observe the already erected buildings from its window - the whole small world created by your hands, the world thought out to the smallest detail.
At the moment when you started to cooperate, did you already have any common architectural predilections?
O. M.:
- Despite the fact that we have been working together for so many years, each of us has his own taste and vision of architecture. Whatever work we do, we always have some kind of internal competition, when each of us offers his own version of solving a particular problem. Having developed several alternative versions, we either choose the best one ourselves, or give the right to choose to the customer.
Z. B.:
- There is an opinion that there can be only one correct decision. We do not fully agree with this opinion. The practice of the latest Moscow competitions shows that the level of the finalists' works is equally high, and it is very difficult to choose the only correct option among them. More often than not, the victory is awarded to one of the finalists for very subjective reasons. It is the same with us: we offer the customer several different, but equally high-quality projects, any of which can be implemented. It is important that the option that won as a result, no matter to whom of the four of us it belongs, immediately becomes common, all together we carefully study it, discuss and criticize it without any professional jealousy.
V. M.:
- We all predicted a quick quarrel and the collapse of the company due to the fact that it has four leaders at once, endowed with the same powers. But the secret of our success is a respectful attitude to the activities of colleagues, the ability to conduct a dialogue with each other and not be offended by honest criticism, even if it is harsh.
And, nevertheless, tell us about your individual preferences. What architecture is close to you?
V. M.:
- I like modern architecture - Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Asymptote, UN studio …
M. K.:
- And for me in architecture, as in music, the quality of performance is important, not style and belonging to a particular era.
V. M.:
- I can't agree with that. It cannot be that the same person sincerely likes both Zaha Hadid and Robert Stern. Jazz is not close to me, no matter how high quality it sounds. In the same way, I do not perceive postmodernism, even a very professional one.
O. M.:
- And minimalist architecture is not close to me. I would compare minimalism to dancing with hands tied behind the back. Probably, such a dance would be interesting for masters who have already seen everything and can do everything, but why limit themselves so much from the very beginning? Architecture must be witty. Architecture is a language, a collection of elements. The experience of Bjarke Ingels is indicative here. When he talks about how he creates architecture, one gets the impression that everyone can do it. But this is a misconception, because behind this set of elements and architectural tools lies the personality and tremendous talent of the architect. Architecture is an image, architecture without an image is ugly.
Z. B.:
- Modern architecture brings me into a state of inner trepidation, this is what I really love. There are few things left in the world that can be so sincerely rejoiced at at the age of 45. When I see old Italy or Vienna, I can't help but admit how amazing the architecture is. However, it is different, I understand and feel this architecture, but I can’t design such a thing and I don’t want to. Modern architecture is really close to me, I want to be involved in it. And it's not just about form and materials. The face of today's architecture is a reflection of the new century, new human needs, new technologies. For example, today the social factor has become very important, when the architect in his projects must first of all take into account the interests of the townspeople. This was practically not the case in Soviet architecture.
What principles and criteria do you follow when creating an architectural project?
V. M.:
- Each task is unique and requires a unique solution. We don't have the same scenarios. Usefulness, strength, beauty are the ideal criteria for real architecture, but there are very few objects in the world where all this is combined. Today, unfortunately, most architects reject the concept of "beauty", believing that everyone has their own. I strongly disagree with this, there are friends for both taste and color. So, there is hardly a person who, going out to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, will say that he is ugly. Having created his masterpiece, the painting "Black Square", Malevich generated a dangerous effect of not quite correct perception of art: far from everything that is as simple as possible is art. For me personally, the visual effect is important, so I first come up with the form and already subordinate the function to it. The function can always be subordinated to the image and emotions, but not vice versa.
M. K.:
- I agree that the key word here is emotion. In addition to the violent wow effect, it can be the emotion of joy, peace, immersion in the environment - it all depends on the tasks set.
Z. B.:
- Mechanical design is unacceptable for me. Architecture should give rise to feelings, make an impression. Such concepts as ensemble, silhouette, points of perception have not lost their significance for me either. But first of all, the sequence of solving problems is important: none of the design stages should be missed. A beautiful external form with monstrous content cannot be created.
M. K.:
- It's great when, after the first impression, a person has a pleasant aftertaste, which gives meaning and logic that fill the volume from the inside. I recently saw an opera house in Belgrade. The building is a modern glass box with an interestingly decorated entrance. But, coming closer, I realized that an old building was preserved inside it, on which there were even posters of the early XX century. This solution gives an amazing layering and interweaving of eras: you enter a modern building, and you see an old facade built into new interiors. This project amazed me in a good way, because for me architecture should not only be spectacular, it should have a thought. Rationalism and beauty should not be opposed, but must interact.
What projects from your practice would you single out as the most illustrative?
V. M.:
- It is clear that all objects are dear to us in their own way. But there are those in which a lot of effort, energy, creative thoughts have been invested. For example, in 2005 we designed a large and very complex, truly multifunctional complex, including two office buildings, a parking lot, restaurants, a hotel, a sports center with swimming pools and even a shooting gallery. We were practically given carte blanche in creating the most complex structure. We made several versions, and the client liked the project with multi-layered geometry and sharp lines.
Z. B.:
- It is difficult to single out something specific here, since we do not have and did not have a single pass-through project. Each time we start working with a new idea, with a new fuse and creative enthusiasm. The design process itself is important to us, maybe that's why we have so many "initiative" projects carried out on a voluntary basis. Apart from suggestions for salvation
The Shukhov Tower and the reconstruction of Turgenevskaya Square, which we have already talked about on Archi.ru, we developed a project for the preservation and restoration of the Rodina cinema in Orel, which was supposed to be demolished and a shopping center built in its place. We decided to save Rodina and offered to turn it into a festival-type cinema. It was decided to hide the shopping complex in a "green hill" scattered along the entire square.
M. K.:
- Another important project for us is the urban development concept of the old town of Vidnoye. This part of the city was built after the war according to a single general plan. But now it is gradually surrounded by multi-storey residential buildings, many old buildings have already been destroyed or are under threat of demolition. The project to save the city was initiated by one of its influential residents. At his request, we conducted research, prepared a number of proposals, then collected in a book. This work gave rise to the consideration of this issue at the city level, and a competition was announced by the mayor of the city, which was won by our bureau. The city's development strategy has already been adopted, and it is hoped that this project will become a pilot for many old towns near Moscow, which are under threat of losing their historical appearance.
O. M.:
- Together with the Union of Artists, we participate in the "City Vernissage" program. Its idea is to create cultural centers in the outskirts of Moscow in the form of small exhibition pavilions and "media towers", which instead of advertising would broadcast interactive art exhibitions and reproductions of works of art.
M. K.:
- Recently, a project was implemented where I managed to bring to life the long-standing idea of a residential building, consisting of several volumes, united by terraces. Each volume is a separate function. The house is designed with large spaces. The cladding used sandstone, wood, glass and natural stone. We made this project from start to finish, even the furniture in it is original.
V. M.:
- One of the most important projects for us is the theater in Khanty-Mansiysk, although it is not indicative. I must say that we had another chance to build a theater. We took part in a closed competition for a theater project in Surgut and won it. It was a really indicative project for us with complex structures of a hanging small hall, which only Nodar Kancheli undertook to calculate. It's a shame that having won the competition, we were unable to implement the project without agreeing on the price with the customer. We were ready to work almost free of charge for the very opportunity to build such a building, but it turned out that the investor's money was not enough for us even to pay for the work of contractors and subcontractors. As a result, the theater in Surgut was never built according to ours or any other project.
Today, architects receive the right to design most of the iconic objects in Moscow through competitions. Do you plan to participate in them?
V. M.:
- Of course, and we are already actively participating in competitions. Recently, for the Ecobereg competition, we proposed a renovation concept for the Taras Shevchenko embankment. The idea was generated by Zurab Basaria. He came up with a complex three-level structure with upper and lower embankments and a separate descent to the water. The jury, consisting of the top officials of the unions of architects from different countries, highly appreciated this idea, and, quite unexpectedly for us, it won first place.
Another interesting experience was the project of reconstruction of the unfinished Yekaterinburg TV tower. We proposed to dematerialize it, making it completely mirrored. Above, as if hanging in the air, the volume of the city museum with an observation deck would freeze. Unfortunately, no winner was determined in this competition, and the idea of reconstruction of the tower remained only an idea. As for our plans, we are certainly interested in all city initiatives. Now we are participating in a competition for a project for the reconstruction of the Prostor confectionery and bakery plant in Cheryomushki. Here we are especially interested in industrial specifics, since we teach at the Department of Industrial in Moscow Architectural Institute and even want to involve our students in the design.
Share your plans for the future: in what direction will the bureau develop in the future?
V. M.:
- One of the interesting tasks is to unite the efforts of artists and architects in specific works. We find it important and necessary to bring back this lost interaction between the creative professions. Moreover, both at the level of professionals of the creative unions of Moscow, and at the level of students of the Moscow Architectural Institute and Stroganovka. Teaching is a significant part of our life, which does not allow us to relax, but forces us to be in constant professional search and keep abreast of the most advanced trends.
We are ready to build the most modern and innovative facilities - we have experience, ideas, and a desire to work. For many years we have largely remained hostages of the financial side of the business, customer requirements, etc. Today we are taking a tougher stance, designing only what is truly close to us.
