The Milan architectural bureau Vittorio Grassi Architetto & Partners has won the second competition in Russia over the past 12 months. In December 2013, the Italians became the best in the competition for the project for the development of the territory of the Plant named after I. Maslennikov in Samara, and in November 2014 they won the Olonkho Land competition, which we talked about earlier. This project was carried out by the Grassi bureau as part of a consortium with YakutAgroPromProekt, and by the decision of the jury, these teams will continue to work together with the Arup consortium. We decided to find out what the secret of success is, and talked with Vittorio about his project for Yakutsk (see video presentation. here), architectural competitions in Russia and Europe and a combination of ambition and practicality in design.
Archi.ru:
How did you find out about the competition "Land of Olonkho", and what was it like for you to design in Yakutia, so distant and different from Italy?
Vittorio Grassi:
- The idea to work in Yakutia, in such an unusual place for us with a completely different climate and culture, made a great impression on me. We applied for participation - but without much expectation. However, when we were selected by portfolio to participate in the second round, we already approached the project with all seriousness. I certainly wanted to visit Yakutia, and our partners invited us to the Ysyakh holiday (New Year's Day in Yakutia, a summer holiday in honor of deities and the rebirth of nature - I. K.'s note). I have never seen anything like this before: people there are amazingly open, they are so close to nature, to space, to the universe. They really respect their land, and I also wanted to be imbued with this feeling. We talked with people, tasted horse meat and horse milk, and visited the Lena Pillars. Finding a local partner was really a great success for us. The head of YakutAgroPromProekt Fyodor Ilyich Shishigin is an amazingly talented person, he has a very good sense of architecture. We communicated in the same language - sketches, drawings. It was a wonderful experience.
How exactly did you find partners in Yakutia?
- The organizers of the competition acted very wisely, supplementing the task with a list of local designers willing to cooperate. With "YakutAgroPromProekt" our vision of the project coincided. First of all, they asked us if we want to make the already traditional “futuristic” architecture or if we will work realistically, but at the international level. Of course, I wanted to create an architecture that could become part of the international discourse. The architecture of Yakutsk is very authentic, it is bright and full of symbolism. Both we and YakutAgroPromProekt saw the future complex in an “international style”. I am sure that Yakutsk needs an international symbol. Very few people know Yakutsk outside of Russia, I myself have never heard of it before. And we thought that we would apply the “Bilbao effect” here: a building that people would want to visit so much that they would come to Yakutsk for this. Even if I'm not that ambitious in principle, when you design, you should aim for the stars: an architect should fly high.
The customers asked for a master plan for the park, cultural center and multifunctional area. We immediately decided that we wanted to make the cultural center a key, iconic element of the entire concept, and the park would already complement it. Our idea was a comprehensive program, both internal - in the building of the center, and continuing it with an external - in the park. For the rest of the territory, we have proposed multifunctional buildings: office buildings, university buildings, and entertainment facilities can be accommodated here.
This reflects our approach to planning, which guided us in the Samara project as well. We are trying to promote the idea of concentrating the main functions on one territory. I would like people to feel comfortable living, working and relaxing in this environment. This is especially true for Yakutsk, where it is very cold. I myself would not want to take a car and go somewhere. In this sense, I really like European cities: it is very convenient when trade and offices are located in the first levels of buildings, and housing is located above.
Your project seems to be the most realistic among those who made it to the final. Unlike other participants, you immediately proposed a fairly practical solution. What is your general attitude to the topic of abstract competition concepts?
- Yes, I have already heard a Russian joke: everything that you design on paper will never be built this way. I don’t know, however, if this is true. Our projects are not just an artistic vision: we always try to take into account both the cost of construction and possible technological solutions. We want to create a sustainable environment - from a social, economic, cultural point of view.
Whether it is a building or a master plan, the project is always divided into stages. And our approach is not "either this way, or in any way", but "so, with possible changes, but with a desire to preserve the original idea." We strive to offer flexible solutions so that it is possible to implement the components of the project in a different sequence or even only one queue of all, but so that it is done well. We understand the dependence of implementation on funding. Even if the project is not fully completed, it must still remain coherent and contain the original idea so that it can be easily continued later.
When you enter a competition, you can express yourself without any prejudice. And the idea that you propose in such a situation is the best option from your point of view. Later, when the competition is won, it is necessary to discuss specific issues with the customer, and the solution will only get better from this. Projects should not remain on paper, they should be implemented.
The practice of large international competitions is still quite new for Russia, and it is still difficult to judge the implementation of their results. How are competition projects being implemented in Europe?
- In the field of public projects, everything is very strict here. As soon as you win the competition, you are obliged to build exactly what is drawn on paper, otherwise you will be sued. Therefore, you have to carefully consider and check all the proposed solutions. We won competitions for large, significant projects, for example, in 2011 - a competition for the project of a sports complex in Lamezia Terme, we worked on master plans of cities, so we have quite a lot of experience in implementing our proposals.
I have worked in the UK, they are very practical and I myself love this approach to design. I also always put myself in the client's shoes. If I were a customer, would I accept this project? Is it worth the money? Especially in a crisis, you need to be very resourceful. I have to be realistic in my work. And our projects, it seems to me, is the decision with which the majority of the jury agree: each of them may like a different project, but it is on the basis of our proposal that they can agree among themselves. I don’t mean to say that this is a compromise, but we try to create an understandable aesthetics, while avoiding platitudes, and always strive to follow the assignment.
- You are talking about the "international style", but isn't this a problem for our cities? They become so similar to each other that you don't always know where you are
- Therefore, it is very important to study the place of design. I love to visit new places, and I always go to the place of the next project, get acquainted with the culture, with the people who live there. After a good research, you will never build the same buildings in different areas, and your architecture will reflect everything that you felt there. When I arrived in Yakutsk, I realized how important technology is there. When it is -50 ° in winter, you understand what the solution of the facades should be, that the building should be raised above ground level, and also why the costs are so high: almost everything needs to be brought there. This is very important to consider. I am from the Renzo Piano school, I worked with him for almost ten years. This is not a style, but an approach. The result is always different, but the methodology is the same.
What will be the next stage of your work on the Yakut project?
- We were awarded the victory together with the Arup team. The jury saw the similarity of our master plans and invited us to unite. The customers would like to start implementation as early as possible, and now, as far as I know, they are negotiating funding. In turn, we suggested that the organizers hold a workshop and so work out the concept together.
What is happening with your project for Samara now?
- In Russia, it seems to me, you never know what will happen. And in Moscow, and in Yakutsk, and in Samara, it is very important to be present in person: to discuss solutions with clients and establish trusting relationships. It seems to me that emotionally Russians and Italians are very similar. We try not to lose touch with our customers. Perhaps we will take part in the development of public buildings for the ZIM territory, where our international expertise is important.
How applicable is the Italian experience in designing cities in Russia?
- But the cities in Russia and Italy are completely different. In Italy, you live in a hierarchy of open spaces: there is a large square, there is a small piazza, there is a street for cars, then a smaller one, then a very small one for pedestrians. In Russia, I will cite Moscow as an example, since I still often go there, I am always amazed by avenues with 10 lanes - after all, it is impossible to cross them. Where are the people? Are they all on the subway? One gets the impression that this is a city for cars.
I can't help but ask about architectural education. After all, you teach at several universities. Do you see any problems in this area?
- I can tell you about my teaching experience at an Italian university. I feel a great gap between educational projects and reality. A student graduates from a university not knowing how to build. He may have excellent theoretical background, know history and understand styles, but not understand what a construction site is. However, when the compulsory internship before the diploma was recently introduced, the situation seems to have gotten a little better. In the final year, someone still has to explain to the students how to work.
I am also sorry that we are losing the ability to draw by hand - not because such a drawing is beautiful, but because when you draw a line with a pencil, it costs you some effort, and you think about what you are drawing. Computer copy-paste is much easier. In addition, you may need to express the whole essence of the idea right on the construction site with a simple drawing. It is very cold or hot there, always dusty and there is no computer, no time for complex drawings. A good sketch is worth a lot.
Do you plan to participate in any other Russian projects?
- While there is still a lot of work ahead on two competitive projects - in Yakutsk and Samara, we are also at the stage of implementation of the 5000-seat Sports Palace in Lamezia Terme and are busy designing the military village of Cecchignola in Rome. Now we are not planning to take on new contests, because their choice must also be approached responsibly. We decide to participate if we are very interested in the location of the object and the topic, or when we are interested in a client, for example, if he is very reliable and open to cooperation.
And in Russia we also work in a different format. We recently became partners of the Apartment project, which specializes in the implementation of ready-made comfort-class interiors (turnkey housing), and our Milan studio develops such interiors. We currently have no other projects in Russia, but we are open to suggestions.
