Archi.ru:
Why did you decide to participate in this competition?
Yuri Vissarionov:
- We are always happy to participate in various competitions and often win prizes. In the competition for the project for the development of the Ilyinskoye-Usovo microdistrict, we were attracted, first of all, by the topic about which we wanted to speak in our own way. The complexity of the task was interesting, and especially the location. Recently, we have been working quite a lot in the Moscow region. This is a "living branch" on which fruits ripen quickly. Today there is much more hope for implementation in the region than in the capital. It was also interesting for us to analyze the type of recreational housing. I have been involved in recreational development almost all my life. I started with this, working at Kurortproekt. Even then, I had the opportunity for experimental design, we developed ecological settlements, worked out the principles of carpet building. In the project of the Ilyinskoye-Usovo microdistrict, an attempt was made to apply different methods of recreational development, highlighting the most comfortable and attractive for the buyer. Man today no longer wants to buy apartments in huge anthill houses, he strives for a more humane scale, for a less aggressive environment. It is not for nothing that many of the built towers are half-empty - they simply cannot be sold.
What were the initial data for the design? What did the customer want? The project was rejected several times by the Public Council before. What was wrong with him?
- The design site is located in the Moscow region between such unique historical and architectural monuments as the Arkhangelskoye and Usovo estates. Here the customer, who bought a large plot of land, decided to build a standard panel microdistrict without regard to the surroundings. And this is not to mention the fact that the site of the proposed construction itself is a landscape monument, a place that has been owned by representatives of the royal family, nobles and princes for centuries. This is a special territory surrounded by monuments and unique natural objects, so it is not surprising that the whole district rebelled against the construction of the microdistrict. The project was considered several times at the Public Council and the Urban Planning Council of the Moscow Region, but did not find approval. Local residents were categorically against any construction. That is why the customer agreed to hold the competition.
But the conditions set for the participants of the competition did not strongly, or rather, did not at all contradict the original project for the development of Ilyinsky-Usov?
- Yes, when we received the tender materials, we were told that the appropriate building height is nine floors. That it supposedly meets the requirements of landscape-visual analysis. According to my own estimates and the estimates of my colleagues, not all points of perception were taken into account in the initial data. The customer's desire to see cheap panel houses has also remained unchanged. It is obvious that such construction in this place is simply unacceptable. It will inevitably destroy the panoramas of the wonderful architectural ensembles located in the neighborhood. In addition, it is worth noting the transport component, which is severely lame. There is no infrastructure on the site, there is no normal entrance. As the main transport, a tram is proposed, following in the direction of pl. Krasnogorskaya. However, I am not sure that a single tram line can solve the transport problem.
How did you deal with this contradiction between the terms of reference of the competition and the actual design conditions?
- We were not too puzzled by the compliance of our draft with the TOR. We felt that the task was, to put it mildly, incorrectly formulated. However, it was important for us to reconcile the customer, the architect and the townspeople, and most importantly - not to damage the environment. Therefore, we have created an alternative option that could suit everyone. The developer cannot be blamed for striving to capitalize the purchased plot. In my opinion, this is not his mistake. This is a system error.
Tell us more about your proposal. How was your project fundamentally different from others?
- We have got an alternative, but honest version. There are practically no nine-storey buildings in the project. Mostly these are medium and low-rise buildings. Nine floors appear in only one direction, thanks to a serious drop in the relief of up to 20 meters. Located in the lowlands, these buildings are completely invisible in the general panorama of the area, merging with the horizon. At the highest elevation of the site, we have designed two- and three-storey houses, which also do not interfere with the perception of manor complexes. This is a carpet type of building, which, in my opinion, now deserves more careful attention to itself. Such houses have a very high density, they can be erected without construction cranes, practically by hand, significantly reducing the cost. Insisting on a high number of storeys, the developer expects to achieve a good indicator of the area. But this is a common misconception, since high-density low-rise carpet buildings are sometimes much more efficient and cheaper. We have reduced the number of storeys while maintaining the required density. This was the main difference between our project and the others, where the usual nine-story buildings were envisaged - but in accordance with the terms of the competition.
What were the fundamental discrepancies between your proposal and the TOR, if the indicators for the density of building and the cost of construction, as you say, turned out to be even more attractive than originally planned?
- The customer was interested not only in compliance with the indicators. He outlined a typical nine-story building for himself and, I think, did not consider any alternative options.
What project ideas do you consider the most important and interesting?
- We worked primarily with the landscape, tried to preserve as much as possible and take into account all its features. The natural landscape in such places does not interfere; on the contrary, it helps to work. As a result, the entire territory was conditionally divided into four parts, including the center, and each one presents a separate archetype of development. The center is solved in the form of a circle, but it could be anything. The center is the easiest to design, the most difficult is the development. On one plan, we reflect almost the entire history of urban planning - from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Yesterday is Corbusian development, a linear city with five to six storey buildings reinterpreted in a new way.
We even tried to look into the future by proposing a development option, which, it seems to me, will soon be very relevant: a modern version of a garden city, a new morphotype developed by us. There are sports facilities and accommodation for athletes. Thus, the project presents all the epochs of urban planning - yesterday, today, tomorrow.
But the most interesting type is the dense carpet building on the upper part of the slope. This is a kind of return to the medieval harmonious function. Medieval buildings are, of course, even more interesting and complex. And here we got a more streamlined layout. The buildings are arranged in such a way that they form a quarter in a quarter with access to recreation, green semi-open and closed courtyards and a chain of public spaces flowing into each other. But, in my opinion, it is becoming the most relevant just today. Buildings up to three or four floors give a very high density. It is interesting that in each part of the district, regardless of the type of development, the same density is set. Probably, the jury of the competition did not even notice this.
A tram runs through the entire microdistrict, connecting all its parts. In addition to the main tram line extending outside the district, we proposed to create an internal light high-speed tram.
What typologies of housing are presented in the project?
- With the help of standard sections, we have created atypical solutions. Two thirds of the territory is allocated for low-rise buildings. This is tomorrow's type of development with comfortable apartments for large families. Provides meridional buildings, rental houses and hotels, corridor-type housing for young people and student dormitories. Thus, the project implements the principle of coexistence of various typologies. Different generations can live in one area of the city with their own views on life and they will be comfortable. Moreover, an environment has been created that you will never want to leave. While a person is young, he will be able to afford smaller and cheaper housing in a hostel or studio apartment. After starting a family and having children in the same area, he will find himself a different, more suitable home. And in old age he will move closer to nature - say, to a garden city. In addition, the construction of medical, educational and administrative centers, children's educational institutions, and a school for future development are envisaged. In fact, this is a project of an ideal city that cannot be built, but everyone strives for it. The only thing that is not foreseen in the city is places of employment. But nearby, in the Zakharkovskaya floodplain, on the territory of Moscow, the International Financial Center will be located, where all residents of this area will be able to work.
In the conditions of the competition, were there any places for employment in this area?
- Not. And this is another big drawback.
How do you generally assess the situation around the Ilyinskoye-Usovo microdistrict?
- I think this is a dead-end situation. The standard approach is inappropriate here, this is a barbaric, destructive attitude towards the environment. If they built like this all over the world, then there would be no architecture, no historical environment. Therefore, we deliberately took the risk of stepping back from the task from the very beginning.
What would you do with this territory without being bound by the competitive TK?
- If you build, then observing the architectural and urban planning norms and rules. Hiding tall houses, leaving only small ones at the top, would be a very correct decision. Moreover, it would by no means infringe on the interests of the investor. On the contrary, having implemented the project, he would only have won. Interesting cluster buildings, houses opening out to specific points of view - this is a very attractive environment for a modern buyer. Basin, ecological, cluster and very neat building principles could be appropriate here. The cluster grows out of the environment and it should not contradict it, otherwise it will destroy everything around it, like a cancer cell. The construction, conceived by the investor, is precisely cancer cells. But this is not a momentary question of making money or erecting a monument to an architect's ambitions. This is the formation of the environment in which people will live for many years. There are different design approaches. There is a scientific, artistic and commercial component. An architect should be able to combine all ideas, but put the interests of people at the forefront. For us, it was initially not so much a competitive project as an attempt to create a methodology.
In your opinion, the project that won this competition cannot be implemented in this place?
- Undesirable! Of course, I don't want to talk badly about my colleagues' work. But in this situation, the architect should not be led by the developer. Among the main advantages of the winner of the competition, it was noted that the development was proposed according to the principle of an atrium, but high buildings built according to this principle are, in my opinion, a very strange and controversial decision. In general, today the ease of attitude to the profession is extraordinary. This is a blatantly wrong attitude. And this situation needs to be urgently corrected. Only professionals should remain in the profession. If the contests did not correct the situation, then you need to look for other means. Several years ago they tried to create a chamber of architects, and nothing came of it. And all this will lead to the fact that there will simply be no thinking architects, there will be only performers working for developers.
Do you know the fate of this project? Does the customer intend to involve you in the further development of the project as finalists of the competition?
- The further fate of the project is unknown to me. We asked this question during the discussion with the jury and the developer of the results of the competition, but did not receive a clear answer. Of course, I would like to hope that we will be included in the list of authors. It would be fair to divide the microdistrict between the three workshops that won prizes. We would gladly take over the carpet area. In my opinion, the planning project should be given to the institute of the general plan of the Moscow region.
