The unique geography of the site on which the Radisson Blu Moscow Riverside will be built, obviously, did not leave indifferent any of the participants in the competition for the architectural concept of the hotel complex. But it was in the Arch group project that a whole ideology grew out of it. It grew naturally and organically, literally out of the ground under their feet: Mikhail Krymov and Alexey Goryainov decided from the very beginning that the main thing for them was to use all the advantages of the landscape as much as possible. First of all, of course, there is an incredible view of the panorama of the Stroginskaya floodplain, the likes of which may not be found within Moscow. Therefore, the first task was to find such an architectural and planning solution that would make it possible to open this panorama from the maximum number, and ideally from all living quarters. Consequently, we could not talk about overlapping volumes, or about facing windows; the logical solution was a plan that exactly repeats the bend of the arrow of the Moskva River and Skhodnya. Considering that almost all rooms and apartments (with a few exceptions) the architects propose to orientate to the external facade, such a solution provides hotel guests with visual comfort, at the same time cutting off not very attractive views of the sewage treatment plant located behind the building territory.
How can the volume itself look, so naturally "seated" on a cape between two rivers? “We thought that the most correct way of shaping is if the building seems to grow out of the ground,” says Aleksey Goryainov. "It should be in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape, as if nothing else could be here." Such moves are generally characteristic of the works of Goryainov and Krymov: their projects usually have a clear meaning that logically follows from the context, well readable in the language of visual imagery. In this case, from the side of the water, the building of the hotel complex should seem like a hill that grew in the Stroginskaya floodplain only as a result of some neotectonic processes. This effect is also supported by the natural rise of the relief, which the architects continue with the inclined shape of the building, reinforced with decorative rods at the level of the first floor - they symbolize the connection between the facade and the ground. It is proposed to emphasize the slope to the water also with concentric arcs of green terraces, since it is impossible to arrange even asphalt paths on the territory adjacent to the river - only lawns, paths, marinas for yachts.
The entire façade is occupied by the glazed terraces of the rooms and apartments. The deviation from the vertical gives architects another advantage: the lower the floor, the more spacious the terraces can be made, which means that the view of the water area, limited due to the surrounding trees, will be compensated by additional square meters. And if solar panels are integrated into the sloped glazing, this will significantly increase the energy efficiency of the complex. By the way, according to Alexei Goryainov, the project includes many opportunities in terms of "green construction", from the collection of rain and melt water to full automation and centralized dispatching of all engineering systems - and in line with the nature-oriented ideology of the project, this looks more than logical.
If from the external facade to the image of the "hill" work, among other things, the wooden details of the terraces, then on the opposite side the building is almost completely finished with glass. Since only corridors open into the courtyard starting from the sixth floor, there are no restrictions on the area of glazing of residential premises, which means that it is possible to provide Radisson Blu residents with maximum light coming from the elevators. The sloping shape of the building plays another role here - it partially protects those approaching the entrance from the rain, turning the building into a kind of gigantic visor. And inside the smooth bend of the main volume, the architects propose to place another "hill", this time green (in the literal sense of the word - it is planned to plant its roof with bushes and trees). This is how the project looks like a business center - a multifunctional hall and offices with its own restaurant and parking, - connected to the main building on the underground floor. Its green roof is designed to protect the occupants of hotel rooms 2–5 floors from industrial types: in this sector, the orientation of living quarters only to the outside would be economically ineffective. As for the public areas of the hotel itself - a lobby, a restaurant, a spa center - the first level of the building is completely allocated for them.
The peculiarity of the site in question also lies in the fact that, before gasping with delight at the sight of the open spaces, hotel guests will have to make a short but impressive way from Volokolamskoe highway. The landscaping has not yet arrived and it is not known when it will, so, most likely, even after the completion of construction, the road to Radisson Blu will be framed by concrete fences with barbed wire, the ruins of a gas station and an exhibition and sale of tombstones. The authors of the project considered it necessary to interrupt this impression with the most active perspective of their building: from this vantage point, the eastern wing of the complex soars into the sky like a monument to the Conquerors of Space. In addition to the laws of perspective, an increase in the height of the building in the direction of Volokolamskoe highway also works for this effect: the difference with the opposite end of the arc is three floors, due to which the views of the building from the Moscow River and the Moscow Ring Road acquire additional dynamics, and the stepped terraces on the roof of the complex increase commercial attractiveness upper level apartments. As for the guests arriving at the hotel, at the end of the path they will have a wow effect in the form of an arched doorway two stories high, which opens a view through the building to the river. Decorating with wood in natural shades, a shape reminiscent of geological sections - it seems that the earth itself rose up in this place, obeying some magical "sim-sim, open up", and so it froze, amazed by the beauty of the landscape.
