As we have already reported, on December 17, a visiting session of the Architectural Council took place at the Museum of Moscow, which attracted a lot of attention from the professional community. Within the framework of the meeting, five project proposals for new series of panel residential buildings were presented, prepared by large Moscow developers, taking into account the construction quality criteria previously proposed by the Moskomarkhitektura.
Opening the council, the chief architect of Moscow, Sergei Kuznetsov, noted that the results achieved to date inspire great optimism. Work on the renovation of panel construction has been going on for about two years, and the implementation of the program will be launched in 2016: from that moment on, all mass development will meet the new criteria without fail. But so far there is a difficult process of modernization of production and access to construction sites ahead.
Prefabricated panel-frame series of residential buildings RBTA
Customer: ZAO "Patriot - Engineering" (GC "Inteko")
Design organization: BRT RUS LLC
A series of economy-class houses is based on four basic principles: variability of apartment design, a variety of facade solutions, wide urban planning opportunities and modern construction technologies that allow to implement almost any architectural project.
A matrix of various apartments with a wide floor pitch from 6 to 8 meters allows you to change the apartment layout every year in accordance with the needs of the population, creating the most demanded housing. Latitudinal sections include all possible variety of planning solutions, meridional ones are slightly less flexible, but they also provide options such as, for example, studio apartments. Also, a swivel and universal corner section has been created, which can be used both in the usual and in the "mirror" version.
Three types of quarters were taken as the basis for urban planning - the tower type, the Barcelona quarter with a cut-off corner, which allows the formation of an internal area, and an open-ended quarter with mid-rise open buildings and an internal courtyard space. The courtyard is designed in one level, without additional ramps and stairs, which greatly facilitates the movement of people with limited mobility. All ground floors, varying in height from 4 to 5.5 meters, are occupied by public functions.
We should also mention a constructive solution that allows you to achieve special stability of the building and the ability to build up to 24 floors. For construction, a hollow floor slab with a thickness of 20 cm is used; completely monolithic units make it possible to refuse from welding.
As for the facades, as the speaker said, the plant is already performing any kind of cladding, reliefs, gratings and drawings. For the finishing of the presented series, it is proposed to use arch concrete and tiles. Variety and plastics are also added to the buildings by attached fully glazed balconies, multi-colored porches that facilitate orientation within the block, and French windows. The ultimate goal of the proposed solutions, according to the authors, should be humane ordinary buildings, devoid of sharp accents.
Evgenia Murinets, head of the Archcouncil department, noted that the submitted project meets all the criteria. The only thing that, in her opinion, would be worth paying attention to is the insufficient plasticity of the facades. Perhaps the authors should have foreseen the offset of the balconies and loggias relative to each other. Hans Stimmann praised the project, but noted that little attention was paid to the issue of energy efficiency in buildings, which is a top priority in Germany. In general, it was noted that the houses of the series under consideration were designed in accordance with modern standards and are a good example of new panel construction.
Prefabricated panel-frame series of residential buildings TA-714-001
Customer: company "Glavmosstroy"
Design organization: GC "TERRA AURI"
The quarter consists of latitudinal and meridional sections offset from each other with a height of 6 to 17 floors. Offset and height difference form a dynamic image, and, in addition, make it possible to create comfortable layouts with a large number of well-lit corner apartments. The ledges of the facade, therefore, are responsible not only for the plastic, but also for the appearance of individual planning solutions. In addition, the panel-frame series assumes a complete absence of load-bearing structures inside the apartment.
The first floors are given over to accommodate public functions. One of the important points in the project was the functional zoning and delimitation of traffic and pedestrian flows. Thus, the courtyard is completely free of cars: all transport communications run along the outer border of the quarter. At the same time, you can easily get from the street into the courtyard using the provided through passages.
For finishing it is proposed to use architectural concrete of different colors and different types of tiles. All this, together with the beat-down rhythm of the windows, the changing pattern of the walls and specially provided vertical niches under the decorative grill, where the air conditioners will be hidden, creates an attractive housing, not much like a panel one.
Alexander Kudryavtsev, having looked at the work, asked in what time frame such a project could be implemented and how serious the modernization of production would be. Sergey Kuznetsov replied that the project was completed as part of the program for creating new series of houses, therefore, the transformation of production is in the future. Hans Stimmann was interested in loggias and balconies: in Moscow, they are usually glazed differently for each tenant. The authors explained that the project initially provided for the glazing of all loggias and balconies in order to avoid such arbitrariness. The absence of a technical floor alarmed Andrei Gnezdilov. Summing up the discussion, Sergei Kuznetsov recommended the designers to think about the variability of the sections to create more diverse urban planning "plots".
Panel-frame series of residential buildings "RIK" and "NAD"
Customer: JSC DSK No. 1
Design organization: Ricardo Bofill taller de arqutectura
Designed with the assistance of Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, this series includes standard sections with variable number of storeys, as well as pivoting sections to create unique developments. Quarters can be lined up with offset and various section interlocking options, forming small courtyards, courtyards and open public spaces. A variety of facade solutions is achieved by using different types of tiles in numerous shades, from which all kinds of wall patterns are formed; the color of the window openings also changes.
Taking into account the comments made by the members of the council during the previous review, the designers tried to give the facades more plastic, providing for protruding balconies and loggias. Much attention was paid to the first floors, which are made in two versions - panel and monolithic. The first option with internal load-bearing ceilings is designed to accommodate municipal and utility services, the second - more spacious with high ceilings - will be able to accommodate shops, cafes and other infrastructure.
Evgenia Murinets, after the authors' report, noticed that the project lacks flexibility in working with facades. Sergei Kuznetsov has a question about the design solution of the upper part of the houses of the "NAD" series, which is left white everywhere. Also, the chief architect asked the authors to clarify and show the council members the entire palette of possible shades for finishing the facades. Hans Stimmann admitted that he was deeply sympathetic to this project, but with the obvious variable number of storeys, it seems irrational for the architect not to use roofs for arranging terraces. Vladimir Plotkin was upset that wall panels with the same type of window were used, which limits the architectural possibilities. Alexander Kudryavtsev called this project the most ascetic among all the presented ones. And Andrei Bokov noted that "the Spanish experience in our country certainly seems interesting, but the level of artistry and performance is clearly lower than that of the works presented above." Sergei Kuznetsov retorted that, “firstly, the colleagues took into account the wishes of the council and made the plastic of the facades more diverse, and secondly, the rigidity and a certain lapidarity of the decisions was the author's move and the choice of Ricardo Bofill,” with whom Kuznetsov personally discussed this issue.
Prefabricated panel-frame series of residential buildings DSK "Grad"
Customer: "DSK Grad"
Design organization: GC "Morton"
Residential buildings of this series are built up of sections of different heights. The concrete painted in different tones and multi-colored boxes for air conditioning units add brightness to it, and expressiveness is given by the decision to arrange large windows in a checkerboard pattern. In such simple ways, the authors achieve the required variety of facades to create a comfortable, humane and, as one of the speakers put it, "informative" environment.
Particular attention in the project is paid to the first non-residential floors, which are intended for public use and vary in height. Their entrance groups are oriented both towards the street and into the courtyard. Car parks are organized along the main buildings and in the gaps between block blocks. The movement of cars in the yard is prohibited.
Having its own production, the company decided to focus on the European way of development of panel construction, completely abandoning the concept of "series" and moving on to recurring projects. The production technology created to date makes it possible to realize practically any architectural ideas, and the plant sees its main task as the production of individual products. In addition to the project under consideration, five project proposals are already being developed, representing different versions of the new residential building, each of which differs in a facade solution made using painted concrete, tiles, glass and other materials. Various building structures are also possible - reinforced concrete, frame, transom system, etc.
The presented work seemed to Andrey Gnezdilov to be a completely finished, ready-made project, in which it would be difficult to change something. At the same time, certain planning decisions raise questions and clearly need to be improved. The authors explained that in any case, changes to the project will still be made, and all comments will be taken into account. Andrey Bokov, on the contrary, highlighted the presented work: "This is the only team that clearly set the planning task and coped with it." Hans Stimmann did not like the air conditioning solution, which he says resembles a "skin disease". But this is an individual aesthetic perception, but as for specific shortcomings, here it is worth paying attention to the fact that the planning solution does not allow a person to get straight from his car into the entrance. This, Stimmann is sure, is strategically wrong and is only suitable for a small village development, but not for the capital. There were also comments from the audience on this issue - the project was praised, noting that this is the only proposal where the use of the corner section is very clearly shown, there is competent insolation and compliance with the standards.
Prefabricated panel-frame series of residential buildings "DOMOS"
Customer: GC "Morton"
Design organization: HC "GVSU-Center"
For the last two years, the company has been modernizing its own production, today the factories are fully robotized and open up great construction opportunities. On this basis, a series of "Domos" was created, consisting of 6-9-storey buildings, which take into account modern design criteria. Within the framework of the project, seven block-sections have been developed - three ordinary and four corner ones. A variety of planning solutions is achieved due to the increased pitch of the load-bearing wall panels: it reaches 6.6 meters. The fully glazed public first floors have isolated entrances from the street, while the entrances of the residential sections face the courtyard with the ability to exit to the street. The inner territory of the quarter is free of cars: an underground parking is provided for them.
Such sections are already being implemented by the company today, which made it possible to clearly work out the constructive scheme. However, the designers had to think about the solution of the visual image precisely in the process of developing the project presented at the Arch Council. The invented facade resembles a Lego constructor: textured concrete is used for decoration in combination with clinker tiles of various colors. Balconies and loggias, which can be placed in any part of the house, create various divisions vertically and horizontally. In addition to the loggias, each apartment has a French balcony. It can be used either for its intended purpose or for placing an air conditioner.
Andrei Gnezdilov, discussing the project, noticed that the roof fencing in the form of wall panels looks like a temporary, intermediate proposal, understandable only at the construction stage, but not in the finished house. Gnezdilov also saw flaws in the layouts of the apartments - for example, a bathroom located at the entrance to the apartment, and not next to the bedroom, which does not meet modern standards. It was also noted that snow and water will accumulate on numerous protruding elements of the facade in winter. The authors replied that the presented solution is not final and will still be refined.
At the end of the Archcouncil, the participants expressed their opinion on the presented works. Sergei Kuznetsov emphasized that the presented projects should not be perceived as concrete proposals: it is important that today we have managed to develop a certain toolkit that suits everyone and can help create a comfortable living environment in the future. Alexander Kudryavtsev, recalling that this year's meeting will be the last meeting devoted to panel housing, was upset that the developers did not manage to get away from the usual "panels": it is problematic that initially all proposals are based on the existing production, and it was not possible to refuse multi-storey buildings, which contradicts the very concept of a city block. Kudryavtsev is sure that the future lies not with mass standard buildings, but with small series and author's architecture. Andrey Bokov suggested addressing such topics as rental and social housing, which are no less and, perhaps, more relevant than panel construction. To this remark, Sergei Kuznetsov replied that one should not try to solve all the problems within the framework of one program. Also, answering Alexander Kudryavtsev, he stressed that no one is trying to achieve the ideal today, and the presented projects should be compared not with the ideal, but with examples of panel construction of the past - it is obvious that great results have been achieved.
Summing up the discussion, Sergei Kuznetsov admitted that he rarely has such a positive impression from the Archcouncil as he did this time. The projects, in his opinion, turned out to be worthy and corresponding to the developed criteria. Of course, there are some shortcomings, but they are in the nature of technical edits. Most of the proposals are an example of high-quality architecture, comparable to residential buildings in European countries, Kuznetsov is sure.
