Three years ago, the UNK Project became one of the ten winners of the open competition for housing in the D2 Technopark district in the Skolkovo innovation city. The buildings are now almost complete. The terms of reference received by the architects contained two seemingly mutually exclusive installations: on the one hand, it was necessary to use the allocated area as efficiently as possible and provide for a fairly high building density, on the other, to use large glazing areas and generally achieve maximum openness of the interior space. An unexpected approach to the organization of space helped to ensure a sufficient level of privacy and at the same time preserve the integrity of the residential area. Conditionally it can be called the "Tetris principle". The computer game that appeared in the mid-eighties then gained immense fame and became a kind of symbol of scientific and technological progress in the country. It is curious that today it, albeit very conditionally, helps to create an environment for the emergence of new ideas and developments. It is even more curious that the colleagues of the UNK project, working on the neighboring 9 and 11 sites, BRT RUS bureau and Agence d`Architecture A. Bechu in their projects also remembered this almost forgotten game. All three quarters are individual, but conceptually and ideologically close.
In the 10th microdistrict, the construction of townhouses for a total of 204 people is envisaged. The entire infrastructure is located in the center of a round-shaped site, divided by a street into two unequal parts: a shop, a security point, a bus stop and a community center with a playground. As the chief architect and founder of the UNK project Yuliy Borisov aptly put it, they "managed to use the land twice." The artificially created difference in relief made it possible to clearly distinguish between public and private functions. On the lower tier, there are internal passages, on the second, green terraces closed from prying eyes. Such an organization of the entire microdistrict is the safest and at the same time allows a high level of interaction within small groups of neighboring ten houses. “Typically, townhouse residents only know their neighbors to the right and left. Living in such a neighborhood is surprisingly boring. There is no need to talk about a stimulating environment and free exchange of ideas. It was very important for us to create some kind of real community of creative, thinking people,”says Yuliy Borisov.
Simple and understandable cubic volumes of buildings really resemble neatly laid Tetris blocks of different shapes. As part of the general layout of houses, four types of layouts have been developed: for married couples, parents with one or two children, and for cohabitation with elderly parents. The total area of each such residential cell is from 190 to 218 m2… All of them have a garage and an office on the ground floor, and the main living quarters on the overhanging second and third floors. At the same time, two less dense types of planning received a double-height central space. Finally, each house has its own 35-39 m2 outdoor terrace2… It was this planning system that made it possible to make panoramic glazing up to 6 m in length, without fear of the unpleasant window-to-window effect. And yet, in some places, glass surfaces are protected by metal gratings disguised as wood. They do not interfere with the view from the inside of the living area, but additionally hide what is happening inside from prying eyes. In addition, the grilles help regulate the penetration of sunlight and protect the premises from overheating, as well as, according to the architects, create additional psychological comfort.
The architects chose materials that are simple, reliable, environmentally friendly and mostly recyclable: concrete, plaster, glass, metal, stone, eco-friendly laminated plastic panels that imitate the texture of wood. The architects abandoned natural wood, relying on durability, simplicity and economy. At the same time, a unified logic for the use of materials has been developed: the lower parts are lined with either slate (living quarters) or granite gabions (supporting structures) - heavy materials that emphasize the proximity to the ground. The next level can be conditionally called "man-made", it is designated by wood-like panels and plastered surfaces of concrete walls. And the upper "heavenly" tier symbolizes panoramic glazing reflecting clouds. But the ratio of colors and textures on the facades is constantly changing, ensuring, on the one hand, the stylistic unity of the entire village, and on the other, introducing the necessary variety into the project. “We've got a rather expressive and emotional architecture that looks expensive. At the same time, we use standard construction technologies and work with simple and understandable cubic shapes. Due to this, the cost of construction is very low, and the terms are short,”emphasizes Yuliy Borisov.
The definition of "typical", oddly enough, is quite appropriate for many decisions of the Skolkovo innovation city in general, and the tenth microdistrict in particular. The architects needed to unify the environment they created, and at all levels: from urban planning solutions to the interiors of individual townhouses. It is the absence of unique, individual solutions, together with the use of BIM design technology (this is a pilot project for the UNK project created using this technology) that helped to meet a rather modest budget and significantly reduce construction time without compromising quality. But “unified” does not mean “faceless” and “averaged” at all.
Such an environment would not be able to become truly "their own" for non-standard-minded people. Actually, the non-triviality of the task consisted in the successful search for the line between "typological" and "individual". Indeed, all micro-districts under construction have their own recognizable architectural style, but they are quite close ideologically. Further, already inside the microdistrict, townhouses, different in their volumetric solutions and decoration of facades, appear, forming a single creative atmosphere. The layout of the cottages is also typological on the one hand, and on the other, it meets the individual needs of the residents.
As for the interior decoration, the UNK project architects even developed a special brand book for the entire Skolkovo innovation city, within which they gave future residents the right to easily customize the interior for themselves, for example, by changing the decorative coating on the walls. “It is somewhat reminiscent of setting up the interface of a personal computer: there is a single operating system, but you can choose a picture on the desktop, install a screensaver or adjust color settings,” explains Yuliy Borisov.
It is obvious that the principles of sustainable, “green” construction should become fundamental for all components of a large-scale innovation city project. It is possible that for the first time in Russian practice, they are used so fully and diversely. Upon completion, the neighborhood will qualify for the prestigious LEED environmental certification. Firstly, all the land from under the foundations and communications was reused to create artificial relief. Secondly, the buildings themselves are as energy efficient as possible: heat losses are minimized, in particular, the glass has a special protective coating, LEDs, motion sensors and light control systems are actively used, and water-saving plumbing is installed. Collection, purification and reuse of rainwater and so-called "gray" water has been organized; large areas of greenery are envisaged, in particular, drained green parking lots. And finally, in every house, the possibility of installing solar panels is provided in advance.
So far, the architects have found this technology not very effective in Russian conditions, but they hope that in the next five years the situation will change and then it will be enough to simply mount the panels and connect them to the already laid system.
The construction of three blocks at once (9, 10, 11) is being carried out by RD Construction as a general contractor. Skolkovo sets the fashion for green building in Russia. And for our company, which specializes in complex high-tech construction, this is a landmark and, of course, the main project at the moment, - says Oleg Zhukov, General Director of RD Construction. - I want to emphasize that the LEED standard imposes special requirements not only on materials, but also on the quality of work and the qualifications of employees. Skolkovo now employs 60 of our highly qualified engineers, and the total number of RD Construction employees involved in the project is over 1,000."
Construction on the tenth section is scheduled for completion in the last quarter of 2015. In the meantime, RD Construction in just 21 days was built and fully finished a demonstration townhouse, which was attended by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev.
“Working on this project, we got a completely unique opportunity with the help of architectural tools to look several decades ahead and comprehend the very concept of“architecture of the future”,” says Yuliy Borisov. “I am sure that the notorious innovation is provided not by supermodern technologies, although how could it be without them, and not pretentious futuristic forms, but a rejection of the prevailing design stereotypes. The way of life of a person is changing and it is necessary to find a suitable environment for him, to express these changes in spatial and plastic solutions. It was very interesting to try to create a city for much more progressive people than ourselves. I really want to believe that we can do it."
