A huge residential area is being built at the very beginning of Ryazansky Prospekt on the territory of the Karacharovsky Mechanical Plant. Several industrial buildings of the seventies were not subject to restoration and were dismantled. In their place, high-rise residential buildings are being erected according to the project of the studio TALLER DE ARQUITECTURA. In the concept of building a residential area developed by Ricardo Bofill, there is little that reminds of the industrial past of the site, except that the decoration of the facades and the drawing of window openings are very conditional. The main goal of the architects and devoleper, PSN Group, is the creation of a calm, human-centered environment with a large number of green areas.
But the sales office of the future residential complex temporarily occupies part of one of the former workshops. In due time, this building, facing directly to Ryazansky Avenue, will be dismantled, but for now it is actively used. The architects of the UNK project bureau, who were engaged in the reconstruction of the building and developed interior solutions, found themselves in a rather difficult situation: the tough and fashionable loft style typical for such projects did not at all correspond to the ideology of the residential complex and, accordingly, the sales office, but also completely "hide" the industrial the past of the building, with all its undoubted merits, was strange to say the least. “From a functional and technical point of view, the project was understandable and not difficult, but it was not so easy to create a conceptual basis for it. Ricardo Bofill was to some extent easier than us, - says the managing partner of UNK project Nikolay Milovidov, - he could afford not to look at the style of the demolished buildings, but we turned out to be dependent on too binding features of the building, we could either try to play on contrasts, or try to conduct a dialogue. " As a result, a kind of compromise solution emerged, reflecting both important aspirations.
Actually, the office occupies two sections of the former workshop, only 1,150 m2… Two tall rooms of regular rectangular shape are separated by a wall with characteristic stained-glass windows. This wall defined the functional division of the office. The first part includes an entrance group, a reception, a meeting room, a cafe for visitors, a children's area and, of course, an exhibition layout of the complex. In the far, second part, there are actually sales managers 'workplaces, meeting rooms, a bank branch, managers' offices and a separate closed volume, where several layouts of apartments in a residential quarter under construction are presented in full size.
Despite the conceptual contradictions, the first steps of the architects were aimed at preserving all the striking features of the building. Due to the depressing state of the brickwork, it was necessary to practically create a new facade. But the entire constructive basis was preserved, including even a fragment of a crane-beam, which unequivocally declares the original purpose of the premises. The texture of the brick walls was also restored using several shades of clinker tiles.
Then, in each of the two parts of the office, neutral white plasterboard volumes were erected on a metal frame, quite simple in geometry, but allowing to make a mezzanine level (again, almost mandatory for loft spaces) and make the most of the height of the premises. A café for visitors was placed on the roof of a small cubic volume in the entrance area, and a more complex and massive second volume just organizes the work areas. At the same time, it is installed so as not to block the access of sunlight through a large, but only opening. To do this, all the closed zones were moved inward, and the meeting rooms and passageways nearest to the opening were made transparent.
The blued steel reception desk and metal staircases actively support the loft theme. As well as large-format curlite slabs on the floor, the texture of which resembles a concrete self-leveling floor. But then the architects themselves break the scheme they have built: real living trees suddenly break through the concrete, the plants almost literally "sprout" and through the tables for negotiations, the lamps get cozy fabric lampshades, bookcases and colored upholstered furniture appear completely "home" by their own decision., natural wood is very actively used in decoration.
As a result, taking everything that is possible from the existing building, preserving high and light spaces, spectacular metal structures and warm texture of brick walls, the architects completely changed the mood of the interior, leaving room for the future, letting in a modern, green, calm and comfortable city - that very the environment that they are striving to create in the new residential area. “In a small, temporary showroom, we tried to reveal the whole essence of the future object,” says Yuliy Borisov, managing partner and chief architect of the UNK project bureau. “The production area is becoming valuable again, it returns to the city and its residents. And this is the most important thing."
