The next visiting session of the Architectural Council was held on February 19 in the Red Hall of the Moscow Architectural Institute, where not only the council members and invited journalists gathered, but also many university students, which created a particularly lively atmosphere. The meeting was not quite ordinary not only because of the change of the "platform": the issues on the agenda were also unusual. Actually, there was no consideration of projects this time. The first question was devoted to summing up the results of the Council's activities in its new composition over the past year. In the second part, the winners of the recently established Architectural Council Prize were awarded. She was recognized for the authors of the best projects of kindergartens, schools and clinics implemented in the capital in 2013–2014. and at different times considered in the ICA. The customers of these projects were also awarded. As Sergey Kuznetsov explained, “the decision to encourage such objects that demonstrate high-quality architecture and occupy a worthy place in the city should popularize the ideas laid down in the large-scale Moscow program for the construction of new social infrastructure facilities, and this means tight deadlines for implementation, and regulated construction costs, and well thought-out functionality and a cheerful look of the buildings”.
Summing up the results of the council's activities, Kuznetsov began with positive statistics. Thus, the number of meetings over the past year was five times higher than the same figures for 2011–2012. Along with this, the volume of projects considered by the council has also increased. Also, the volume of issued AGR certificates has significantly increased recently. But the most serious achievements are visible in the field of competitions. If earlier they were practically not held, then over the past year more than 20 competitions have taken place. This is a separate program of the committee, which will be continued in the coming year.
Sergei Kuznetsov noted the importance of supporting the state and personally the mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, which allows achieving tangible results: "Thanks to the initiative of the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Construction, Resolution No. 284-PP of 2013-30-04" On the optimization of the procedure for approving architectural and urban planning solutions for capital construction projects in the city of Moscow "was adopted … As a result, the meeting of professionals got the opportunity to influence the architectural and urban development of the city and be responsible for its formation."
The next point of Kuznetsov's report was the presentation of the most significant and interesting objects considered by the council. Among them, he especially noted the multifunctional complex on Leninsky Prospekt, developed by the ADM workshop, Sergey Skuratov's residential complex on Paveletskaya embankment, the MFC with a rhythmic gymnastics center created by the Ostozhenka bureau, the Chinese business center Park Huamin by Vladimir Plotkin, and others.
As for the competitive practice, here Kuznetsov noted that it is far from always possible to organize a competition. There are still many more objects designed out of competition. But a number of the most important projects still managed to be carried out through fair competition, attracting a wide range of both domestic and foreign specialists. This successful practice, as experience has shown, is planned to be developed further. Thus, Sergei Kuznetsov announced the intention of the federal authorities to hold a competition for the project of a new Parliamentary Center in Nizhni Mnevniki. Moskomarkhitektura will not act as the direct organizer of this competition, however, it plans to provide all possible assistance in its conduct. Competitions for new stations of the Moscow metro "Solntsevo" and "Novoperedelkino" were also a big event. The very first metro stations were built based on the results of tenders, but then this practice was forgotten for a long time, and only in 2014 it was possible to resume it, which brought expectedly good results.
Much work has been done towards the modernization of the DSK. Several meetings of the architectural council were devoted to this issue, during which it was possible to develop new criteria for industrial construction that meet the needs of modern man. On their basis, specific projects were developed, and the first stage has already been launched into production today. On the positive side, the factories have attracted the best Russian and Western architects to develop new standard housing projects. According to Sergei Kuznetsov, this is one of the most important ICA programs, the significance of which today cannot even be truly appreciated.
In our country, it has traditionally developed so that most of the social infrastructure, as well as housing, are implemented within the framework of industrial construction. As a rule, these are typical, completely faceless buildings that spoil the appearance of the city. It is very important that such objects have their own face and address binding. That is why in recent years, architects have been actively involved in the development of social order objects, adjusting projects in accordance with their function and location. As a result, in Kurkino, for example, a kindergarten with dark facades and brightly drawn window openings of all colors of the rainbow appeared. The best completed works in this series were awarded the Arch Council prize.
Among other things, the committee under the leadership of Sergei Kuznetsov launched an extensive publishing activity. As part of this work, books have been translated and published in Russian such as Alan Jacobs' Great Streets - A Unique Guide to Creating Thoughtful and Attractive Public Spaces, City for Pedestrians by Jeff Speck, Moscow: Towards a Better City for People "The famous Danish architect and urbanist Jan Geil," The language of templates. Cities. Building. Construction "- a book by Christopher Alexander, which Kuznetsov called" one of the most fundamental works in the field of analysis of the comfort of the living environment "and others.
In conclusion of his report, Sergey Kuznetsov spoke about the exhibition program in which the ICA is taking part. Firstly, these are international exhibitions and festivals, among which it is worth mentioning separately the Venice Biennale, where the Russian pavilion presented an exposition entitled “Among Architecture”. The center of this exhibition was the Zaryadye Park project. Secondly, one of the largest events in the field of urban planning was the Moscow Urban Forum, which attracted serious specialists from all over the world - architects, urban planners, officials, economists - everyone who, in one way or another, deals with the problems of the city. Separately, Kuznetsov noted the exhibition "The Forge of Great Architecture", which was opened in MUAR: this is not just a story about the competitions of the 1920s – 1950s, it is a story about Moscow and its development during this period of time. As an announcement, Kuznetsov spoke about the Open City exhibition, which is planned to be held in one of the pavilions of VDNKh.
Below we present the projects of the winners of the Arch Council award, which should become annual:
Children's educational center on Marshal Tukhachevsky street
Designer: KROST concern. Customer: LLC "Horoshevskaya school"
Children's educational institution in Maly Poluyaroslavsky lane
Designer: "Asadov's Architectural Bureau", authors - AA Asadov, AA Geraskina Customer: IE Strelchenko E. A
Children's educational institution on Nizhegorodskaya street
Designer: PPF "Project-Realization", author - OI Bumagina Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
Preschool educational institution on Perovskaya street
Designer: OJSC "Mosproekt", workshop No. 11, authors - BS Mesburg, PP Provotorov, NL Dobrovolskaya, ED Elpatova, KD Kurakin. Customer: JSC "GK PIK"
Preschool educational institution on Polyarnaya Street
Designer: JSC "MNIITEP", authors - Shapkin E. Yu., Boyko V. V., Artyushenko A. V. Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
Children's educational institution, Voskresenskoye settlement, Yazovo village
Designer: PPF "Project-Realization", author - Bumagina OI, Zhelnakova LV, Tagirova AT, Safonova VA, Zelinskaya EP, Eroshenkova Ya. G. Customer CJSC "Yazovskaya Sloboda Invest"
School on Bolshaya Naberezhnaya street
Designer: JSC "Terra Auri", authors - Shitov Yu. Yu., Temnikov DG, Shtykov A. Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
Secondary school on Basovskaya street
Designer: "Terra Auri", authors - Yu. Yu. Shitov, VA Solonkin, T. Yu. Lapina, EE Sergienko. Customer CJSC "Terra Auri"
School on Bolotnikovskaya Street
Designer: JSC "Terra Auri", authors - Carpenter M. P., Saburov V. A., Vinogradova N. A., Murzina I. A., Gerasimova E. Yu. Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
School in Kurkino, microdistrict 2V
Designer: PPF "Project-Realization", authors - OI Bumagina, LV Zhelnakova, AT Tagirova, VA Safonova, KV Kupriyanova, EP Zelinskaya. Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
Individual school on Perovskaya street
Designer: OJSC "Mosproekt", workshop No. 11, authors - MS Mesburg, NL Dobrovolskaya, DA Machuchin, AV Bayushev, NN Konovalova, VE Trifonov. Customer: JSC "GK PIK"
School in Zelenograd on Radio Street
Designer ZELGRAD-AM LLC, authors - ML Azhigali, EK Azhigali Customer: JSC "ZINVEST"
School on Sinyavskaya street
Designer: JSC "Terra Auri", authors - Shitov Yu. Yu., Solonkin V. A., Vorobiev S. V. Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
Children's educational institution on Svobody Street
Designer: PPF "Project-Realization", author - OI Bumagina Customer: "Civil Engineering Department"
At the end of the award ceremony, the present members of the architectural council, as well as the rector of the Moscow Architectural Institute, Dmitry Shvidkovsky, expressed their ideas and proposals. He expressed the hope that the Moscow Architectural Institute will continue to remain a platform for such ceremonies and other events of the Architectural Council as a symbolic place for the architects involved in these events: after all, many of them left the walls of this university. Andrei Gnezdilov remembered how he defended his thesis project on the stage of the Red Hall of the Institute and compared the Arch Council with the same defense of the diploma - “good projects pass, those who fail are eliminated”. Although Vladimir Plotkin did not graduate from Moscow Architectural Institute, he admitted that for the last quarter of a century his life is very closely connected with this institute, where he visits more often than many of its graduates. Plotkin warned the students present in the hall that presenting their own project at the Arch Council is not as scary as evaluating it as a member of the council - it is a very big responsibility. "Study, get diplomas, create projects and come to our arch council!" - Vladimir Plotkin wished the students. Alexei Vorontsov recalled that, in addition to being a student at the Moscow Architectural Institute, he also taught at the Moscow Architectural Institute for a very long time. The base that he received in his institute years, according to Vorontsov, has been helping him all his life. Yuri Grigoryan said that this is a special arch council for him, a meeting with dear colleagues and friends. He also noted that the kindergartens that could be designed by the students of the Moscow Architectural Institute would be no worse than those that have received the Arch Council awards today. The involvement of students in real practice and their automatic receipt of a design license could be, according to Grigoryan, the next serious step after the final implementation of the competitive practice. Sergey Kuznetsov promised to think over this proposal. It was also liked by the students, who, after the end of the council, wandered for a long time in the foyer of the institute between the tablets of the exhibition presenting the achievements of the arch council.
