Press / Contemporary architecture
One of the first articles of the updated "Big City" is devoted to the impact of sanctions and economic problems on the work of Russian architects. Most of them expressed themselves in the following vein: the industry is already in a deep crisis, it couldn't be worse. This is the opinion of Boris Bernasconi (“something is constantly breaking down and freezing in our country”), Mikhail Filippov (“our construction has never been integrated into the world, so no sanctions in our industry are terrible”) and Mikhail Khazanov. Sergei Tchoban believes that the residential real estate market is facing inland, so there will always be enough work for architects and developers. Sergei Skuratov notes that the composition of home buyers, as well as building materials and technologies, may change. Alexander Skokan is more pessimistic ("something bad will be sure"), and according to Alexander Tsimailo, "the construction market is the slowest", so "so far none of our architects have the feeling that everything will collapse tomorrow."
Another material of the magazine is devoted to a lecture by Italian architects Andrea Boschetti and Federico Parolotto, who two years ago launched a large-scale study of the infrastructure of large cities, including Moscow. They note the main problems of the capital: uneven use of urban space, concentration of all life in the center, focal greening and ignorance of the Moskva River as a landscape resource. The problems of St. Petersburg this week are assessed by sociologist Saskia Sassen, with whom The Village correspondent managed to talk.
Sergei Choban in an interview with RBC Real Estate talks about trends in modern world architecture. The main line is “objects are becoming more laconic and pragmatic in their form, while more precise in details and precise in terms of quality of execution”, more attention is paid to the durability of buildings and their energy efficiency. The architect believes that Russia does not need to follow the path of Western Europe, but should focus on the domestic context. In Moscow, first of all, it is necessary to form a strong "conservative" urban environment and only after that "to create bursts of cutting-edge architecture."
"Afisha-gorod" recorded Rem Koolhaas's story about how Russian culture influenced his entire life. Neither more nor less, his passion for the classics of Russian literature and the avant-garde of the 1910-20s led him to Moscow, and then on the path of an architect. Let us remind you that this time Rem Koolhaas came to the capital to present the new Garage building, which he will create from the Soviet restaurant “Vremena Goda” by 2015.
Heritage
UrbanUrban publishes an interview with Salvatore Setis, where the Chair of the Louvre Scientific Council and co-author of the Leaning Tower of Pisa project talks about the practice of preserving architectural heritage in Italy. The professor cites interesting facts: according to the 9th article of the Italian Constitution, "the protection of the historical and artistic landscape and the heritage of the nation" is one of the main foundations of the state; over the past 5-10 years, more than 30,000 security associations have been created in the country. Despite this, the Italian heritage is also at risk as “the market turns out to be the only criterion for values”. In addition, Settis talks about the intricacies of adapting monuments to modern conditions and ways to reduce the tourist load.
Another interesting piece from UrbanUrban describes the phenomenon of moving houses to new locations. It turns out that in Moscow there are a lot of buildings that have managed to travel - the portal has made a large selection with details and photographs.
Kommersant Vlast is launching a series of travel materials about the most interesting Russian estates that can still be seen. The first issue is about the noble nests of the Smolensk region.
The Village has prepared a photo report on the results of the reconstruction of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Drama Theater. Outwardly, he almost did not change, but inside - everything is new. The reconstruction was not without surprise discoveries: a rare fireplace of the late 19th century was discovered, under the layers of linoleum - historical tiles from the 1900s, and the vaulted ceiling of one of the dressing rooms turned out to be made of clay vessels.
The heart of Kaliningrad
The results of the competition for the development of the concept of architectural and urban development of the territories of the historical center of Kaliningrad have been summed up. The winner was a joint project between Studio 44 and the St. Petersburg Territorial Development Bureau. ITAR-TASS informs that the jury liked the concept for its solution of transport problems: car flows are redistributed using main bypasses so as to relieve the central part of the city. Priority is given to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, with great attention paid to the development of the green lane. However, the winner, along with the others, will also undergo a “public examination”: after the demonstration of projects at the exhibition, an Internet voting will take place, after which the final appearance of the “heart of the city” will be formed.
Project Baltia tells about the results of the research conducted by the School of Urban Transformations within the framework of the competition. “Mental maps” of the residents of Kaliningrad were compiled, reflecting their perception of the city. The full text of the study can be found here. All the details of the competition are recorded in a special diary.
Blogs
The user aliksumin, dissatisfied with the terms of the competition for the project of the metro station "Solntsevo", published his version in the blog "Community of Architects". He proposes to focus on natural lighting, plant trees on the platform, build tactile tiles into its covering, warning visually impaired people about the danger; you can also separate the paths from the platform with a protective screen - not just plastic, but a kind of interactive panels. The station lobbies are supposed to be as open as possible, without turnstiles and ticket offices. More realistic projects of the winners of the first stage of the competition and other participants can be viewed at the link.
In the blog "Trowel" there was an article about a structure that is 7,000 years older than Stonehenge. We are talking about the temple complex of culture Gebekli Tepe, which is being excavated in Anatolia by the German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt.
On Maria Elkina's Facebook page, they are discussing a house that is being built in St. Petersburg according to the project of Sergei Oreshkin.
Arkady Gershman shows his own concept for the reconstruction of Boris Galushkin Street in Moscow: a 4-lane tramway road may well turn into a safe and pleasant street in a residential area. The author plans to send the concept to the metropolitan mayor's office. The blogger also talks about the quietly held competition for choosing a tourist brand in St. Petersburg. The logos turned out to be equivalent to the award: according to the terms of the competition, the winner receives 15 thousand rubles.
