The site intended for the construction of a new residential area is located thirty kilometers southeast of Yekaterinburg, between a forest and the first golf course in the region. Its total area is eleven hectares and, adjoining directly to the field, it frames one of the playing zones from the west and north, in terms of acquiring the shape of a smooth arc.
“A very picturesque field, a“screen”of forests and mountains in the background left us in no doubt that the landscape plays a primary role here, - says Vladimir Bindeman. “In addition, we really wanted to use the famous local stone in the project and somehow reflect the unique local tradition of cutting roads and housing in the rock, so the image of the future district was formed almost instantly. The houses located here were supposed to become an organic part of the relief, the most natural element that binds together the field, forest and mountains. At first, the authors were determined to express this metaphor as accurately as possible and offered the customer terraced houses with green roofs, pulling the latter to the very ground: they got buildings-hills that were visually really perceived as a transition from flat terrain to mountainous ones. However, the very first calculations showed that the implementation of such a project would cost the customer too much. Therefore, as a result, the theme of nature is present in the project an order of magnitude more conditionally - in the form of numerous terraces edged with green copper and thoughtful facing of facades. However, first things first.
The site is conditionally divided into three zones, or, taking into account its configuration, rather “belts”: the entrance group and infrastructure are farthest from the golf course, housing and pedestrian yards are located in the center, and a landscape and recreational zone borders the field. This decision is more than logical: on the one hand, the architects wanted to isolate the housing itself from cars and just outsiders, on the other hand, they could not build it directly along the edge of the course: golf is not the safest game for casual pedestrians, therefore, a certain "exclusion zone" necessary. Interpreting the latter as a complex promenade, the authors tried to reveal as much as possible on it (and, of course, on the field) residential buildings.
In total, the complex includes seven residential buildings, five of which are multi-section houses, arranged in brackets, "open" in the direction of the field. However, the central section is open: two long terrace wings are launched almost parallel to each other, and one corner wing is slightly smaller than the others - the differences dictated by the features of the site and its boomerang-like outline make it possible to give individuality to each of the sections and their courtyard spaces.
Each house is raised on a stylobate with a green roof, and the courtyards have received a rather active relief - in fact, this is a whole system of green terraces and paths, completely isolated from cars. “We placed parking lots in the stylobate, which, on the one hand, made it possible to make the courtyards completely pedestrianized, and, on the other, to avoid the problem of deep penetration into the rocky rock,” explains Vladimir Bindeman. "Green wedges" are also drawn between the houses: thanks to them, residents will receive additional walking routes, and the development will not look like a "solid bastion" separating the golf course and the forest. However, the architects gave certain features of natural elements to each of the buildings.
All sectional buildings - variable number of storeys, from two to six floors, descend towards the golf course with wide "steps". Lined with natural stone and the copper panels already mentioned, they look like fractures of exposed rock. Only a third of the terraces are conceived as inhabited - it is supposed to be sheathed with wood, and the rest will be decorated with dumping. In the decoration of facades "Architecturium" also proposes to use natural stone of local production, serpentine and sandstone. However, on the courtyard and rear facades, panoramic glazing predominates; glass verticals of staircase spaces and halls also visually "split" the volumes, making the courtyards more permeable and light.
In the triangular segments formed by the wings of the three central houses, the architects placed two elliptical eight-story towers. Against the background of the complex geometry of the remaining volumes, they look very unexpected: the authors of the project explain such a choice of form by the desire to provide optimal insolation and give all apartments the best view. Meanwhile, the oval houses not only offer future residents an interesting alternative in terms of apartments, but also serve as a kind of landmarks for the quarter center, somewhat softening and thus modernizing its "mountain" appearance. However, in them you can see something miraculous - especially in profile, due to the increase in the area from the lower floor to the upper and the abundant glazing of the rounded "nose", they resemble giant blocks of ice - who knows, maybe they survived among the mountains and forests from the time of the ice age, and now they are successfully adapting for housing.
As Vladimir Bindeman admits, this area was conceived as a kind of resort. And since the role of the sea is played here by a golf course, surrounded by a rather harsh nature, then he received the appropriate appearance. Solid and in some ways even brutal houses, courtyards similar to mossy hills and a developed underground part protected from the weather (all public infrastructure is located there) create ideal conditions for a comfortable life in the Urals.
