A complex multitasking project is still at the stage of approval. Despite the fact that in terms of the scale of ABD architects the work is unusually chamber, the proposed solutions can quite seriously change the way of urban life in this part of Vladivostok. The rectangular plot in the very center of the city has such a complex relief that it was not at all easy to find a good location for the new building. It was also difficult to fit it into the context of the urban fabric.
Initially, several tasks were formulated, the first of which was to return the abandoned building of the former refrigerator to the city. Exactly 100 years ago, it was built by the Union enterprise to store frozen meat imported from Australia. Presumably, the landmark for Vladivostok architect and engineer Vladimir Planson took part in the work on the project. So the monument is really important for the city. It was difficult to cope with the specific features of a building completely unsuitable for modern needs, which was also rebuilt several times.
The rectangular volume, with the administrative part in the end, which is well readable on the plan, and a later "protruding" transformer substation (total area of about 2700 sq.m), is planned to be simply plastered and painted in the historical white color. The refrigerator itself has completely blank walls: there were only windows in the offices located in the northern part. It is impossible to make new openings in the walls, which are "subject of protection". As a result, in the project, only the wall facing the courtyard, in agreement with the representatives of the protection of monuments, will have windows. As large as possible. True, due to the shallow depth of the building, they are quite capable of providing a sufficient level of natural light. The upper floors of the former warehouse will be occupied by a completely new type of office space for Vladivostok - creative coworking: desks are closer to the windows, meeting rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and other premises that do not require natural light are moved to a blank wall.
In the dark basement floor there are additional exhibition spaces. The original metal structures of the historic building will definitely be preserved. The unreasonably frequent rhythm of the supports, on the one hand, makes the interior space not very comfortable for an ordinary office, but on the other hand, adds to it the spirit of true historical authenticity.
The new building in shape and size (almost the same 2,700 square meters of total area, the same 4 floors, and the same gable roof) is quite close to its historical neighbor. Their relationship is a respectful dialogue, and close joint work, and a kind of dispute, and competition. “We wanted the new building to be as laconic as possible, not to stand out in color: the buildings around are already motley and of different heights. Absolute chaos reigned here, into which it was necessary to introduce some kind of rational grain, says one of the project authors, architect Anton Savelyev.
Two underground levels occupying the space and under the cobbled courtyard is the car park. The ground floor will house a restaurant, small shops and an exhibition gallery of Vladimir Lanin, a famous local photographer of the second half of the 19th century. The upper three floors are entirely dedicated to the office of one company.
The shape of the building was practically dictated by its surroundings - the architects simply "listened" to it attentively. So, in addition to the cold storage, there is a historic water tower next to the site. The task of somehow highlighting this object, taking into account its location and dimensions was not set, but, nevertheless, the architects considered it necessary to pay tribute to it and gradually lowered the height of the roof of the new building in its direction. The result is such an elegant, almost imperceptible, but respectful "curtsey". In the same way, a spectacular cut of the front facade arose: it was simply turned a little towards the tower. But the architects retained a part of the “empty” outer shell of the building. The resulting asymmetric "visor" and a kind of screen-wall additionally accentuate the entrance, protect the courtyard space from wind and precipitation, help to divide and organize pedestrian flows.
But the “screen-visor” is far from the only element of the visual game that the architects have introduced into the neutral and calm appearance of the new building. First, the size of the windows is constantly changing. If on the end facades, as they move up, they expand, turning from narrow, slot-like openings into almost full-fledged panoramic openings, then on the side walls, on the contrary, they gradually narrow, threatening to disappear. The authors of the project say that it turned out, practically, a puzzle. The second technique is a combination of two materials of different textures on the facades. It was originally planned to use a cozy wood on the main façade, which would look like a soft and warm "undercoat", covered on top with the harsh "fur" of natural stone, and every now and then, shining through it. But the decision was considered too bold and settled on a more moderate, but no less contrasting and complex combination of warm-colored metal on the main facade and stone on the rest of the building.
The last and very important part of the work is an attempt to create comfortable urban spaces between the two buildings of the complex. There are practically no such people in Vladivostok today. Every day people go through this section to the central station and back, which is very close, and the architects, first of all, needed to separate the pedestrian flows: for what comfortable spaces can you create in a walk-through courtyard? This was achieved by using the complex relief of the site, supplementing it with a cunning system of stairs and levels. As a result, an almost isolated courtyard appears between the two buildings.
A paved area well protected from the wind, from which a separate entrance to the restaurant is provided, will allow organizing an open veranda in the summer, and will give the office staff an opportunity to go out into the air during a break. And the steep slope planted with grass can be used, for example, for watching movies in the open air, if, of course, the weather permits. From the noise of city life and strong local winds, the courtyard additionally closes the very fragment of the protruding outer shell of the new building, forming a cozy, intimate microcosm.
The rich program in combination with the dense surrounding buildings and difficult terrain made the architects masterfully maneuver between many pitfalls. And it was this maneuvering, oddly enough, that prompted all the brightest decisions. And the seeming illogicality of some of the techniques makes you pay close attention to the building. “The project is not at all simple, as it might seem at first glance. Yes, you can criticize some decisions, for example, the completely not obvious location of the entrances to a new building, but we are sure that all of them are optimal in such cramped conditions. It seems that we managed to create a balanced facility and achieve all our goals,”says Anton Savelyev.
