The results of the closed international competition were summed up in the central office of Sberbank immediately after the jury meeting. The best of the five presented concepts, on the creation of which the leading architectural firms of the world have been working over the past three months: from the UK, Russia, the USA and Italy, experts have chosen for a long time, almost throughout the day. As a result, the project by Zaha Hadid Architects, the last project Zaha worked on, took first place in the rating by a slight margin.
According to the president and chairman of the board of Sberbank, German Gref, who personally announced the winner, the jury had to choose between "great architects and large projects." In addition to standard evaluation criteria, such as technical indicators, feasibility, future maintenance of the building, the opinion of the future employees of the new Technopark was also taken into account: there are more than ten thousand of them and they all evaluated the proposed projects and voted within a few weeks. Gref himself admitted that he was "mentally" inclined towards the project of Norman Foster, an architect with whom Sberbank's management had already worked on the building of a five-star hotel in Yalta. But in the end, most of the future employees leaned in favor of Zaha Hadid's concept, which to a large extent determined the result of the competition. Prospective users liked the large, open and light spaces, which are convenient for hosting coworking spaces and large events.
“For us, this is not just a building,” explained German Gref, “this is the place where the future of the largest Russian and international bank will be created. With this building, we wanted to emphasize the need for continuous improvement. The new Technopark must create an environment that is constantly pushing forward, setting the bar so high that it cannot be lowered."
Chairman of the jury Sergei Kuznetsov, in turn, stressed that the competition for the Technopark project turned out to be "the most noticeable and important event of this year, as a result of which Moscow will receive a truly luxurious object." Kuznetsov also recalled that the bank's management announced its intention to hold a competition back in 2014, after which the customer, together with the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Construction, selected five of its participants. “We have invited real masters, who obviously have different views on modern architecture, so that they could cover all possible options in search of the right solution,” added Kuznetsov. - And the goal was achieved. The jury was completely impressed by the presented works. This is a holiday, a name day of the heart, a high-class and extremely professional work of all participants."
We present the projects of the winner and participants of the competition:
Zaha Hadid Architects / Winner
The Technopark building is located along the southern border of the site and follows its smooth contours. The large glass volume is cut through by the tunnel of a wide atrium boulevard, which makes it look like an airport terminal. The two-part "central hub" acts as a connecting module, serving as a communication, exhibition, and representative unit at the same time.
The architecture is glassy and fluid, but laconic. At the same time, it is focused on the most advanced technologies, including heat and energy saving ones. Inside there is a fantastic interior with giant columns that look like tendons or trees. The horizontal and vertical permeability and the connection between all functional areas have been thought out. Particular attention is paid to transformability and mobility. Along with the open plan of the main work areas, there are a number of cozy private spaces: recreation areas, meeting rooms and telephone rooms.
Foster + Partners
The Technopark in the Norman Foster bureau project is divided into three functional blocks: SberTech, Sberbank and Central Hub. They are united by a courtyard and covered with a dome made of a monolithic translucent shell, similar to glass bubbles stretched along the flexible outline of the plan. The dome is permeated with light wells that provide natural light and, thanks to innovative engineering systems, maintain and regulate the microclimate inside the Technopark.
The office part of the Technopark provides for flexible reconfiguration of office spaces and the use of modular elements. Densely populated workspaces rhythmically alternate with relaxation and social areas, forming a kind of chain that encircles the building around the perimeter and offers views of the boulevard and green courtyards from the inside.
Massimiliano Fuksas architetto
The building supports the main planning axis of the boulevard, integrating into the structure of the existing Skolkovo master plan and occupying a dominant position in it. The concept is based on a simple superposition of elements, similar to rings or donuts, on top of each other with expressive and sometimes extreme displacement and intersection. The use of interactive LED facades enriches the concept of the project.
The heart of the new Technopark in the Fuksas project is the “Central Hub”, which concentrates representative, research and educational functions. The hub occupies the entire first floor of the building, serving as an intersection zone, a venue for conferences and exhibitions. Each of Sberbank's subdivisions occupies several volume-rings, uniting from one to three floors. In offices, workspaces and infrastructure alternate with meeting and socializing spaces, as well as conservatories illuminated by skylights.
SPEECH
In the SPEECH project, the complex consists of three buildings connected by covered walkways. The two side cases have the shape of trapezoidal brackets in the plan, the middle one resembles a zigzag. The central core of the building houses a multifunctional communication hub that connects the individual office buildings. The interior space is enriched with a variety of recreation and communication areas and open, multi-colored public spaces. On the exploited roof, the authors placed sports and recreational areas.
Opportunities for flexible reconfiguration of office spaces and modularity of elements make them as comfortable as possible. Office layouts combine several functional modules and can be transformed in accordance with the needs of current projects.
Eric Owen Moss Architects
The volume is distributed over the territory in the form of a giant half-ring, from which interconnected blocks of tilted and deformed rounded stone towers grow. Multi-layer structural glazing of freestanding media towers is designed to demonstrate the latest developments of the Technopark. Panoramic glazing along the perimeter provides natural illumination of workplaces. The "Central Hub" is located in the semi-ring. Along it, as along the boardwalk, all office modules are organized and distributed. Workspaces alternate with conference rooms, group meeting rooms and keynote presentations and seating areas. The upper floors are reserved for meeting rooms and recreation.
