Museum complex of the Moscow Kremlin on Red Square
The project of the museum and exhibition complex was presented to the council by one of its authors, the head of the Project Meganom workshop, Yuri Grigoryan. He said that the concept of the new museum was created in collaboration with the Nowadays bureau, based on the proposals of Mosproekt-2, which developed its previous version, according to which the underground part with car parking has already been implemented.
The new museum, which will house the exposition of the Moscow Kremlin, is planned to be built on Red Square, on the site of four demolished buildings of shopping malls. The modern volume will be located exactly along the contour of the lost buildings. Thus, the memory of the place is saved. In addition to the new volume, historical buildings located along the perimeter of the site, built in 1893 by the architect R. M. Klein. Today they are recognized as an architectural monument. On the one hand, the long historical facade goes directly to Red Square, on the other three it forms a continuous front of Ilyinka, Varvarka and Khrustalny Lane streets. The new four-storey volume turns out to be inside a closed courtyard: it is separated from the former trading rows by a rather narrow passage.
Yuri Grigoryan explained that this project was considered by the authors primarily as an interior project. After all, given the location of the future museum, it should practically not be visible from the outside. In this case, the facades of the innermost building are presented in the form of a large lattice of windows. Maximum glazing provides a view from the inside to the outside and vice versa. On the first floor, in glass showcases and niches of the facades, the museum management plans to place exhibition exhibits.
Another interesting feature of the new building is the overhead light. Partially exploited roofing changes from flat with large skylights to pitched. Restoration workshops are conveniently located under the light perforated vault and 16-meter spans. And the vault itself will become, according to Grigoryan, a metaphor for the chamber of commerce.
The new building is connected with the historical building through underground passages and overhead glass galleries, which make it possible to create a single exposition floor. The main difference from the previous Mosproekt concept is the arrangement of the central entrance from the side of Red Square through the arch, from where visitors can go directly to the first floor of the museum. This decision should make the museum space more accessible and visited. Previously, it was proposed to enter from the side of GUM, which was not very convenient.
In addition to an extensive public program, the first floor contains a large two-story hall with a sculptural spiral staircase leading to the second level, where the main hall of the permanent exhibition is located. The concept of the exposition is still under development. Its author was the architect Michele de Lucchi. According to Yuri Grigoryan, the new museum, combining the areas of historical buildings and a modern building, will become one of the largest museums in the world. Its total area will be more than 17 thousand square meters.
The council members liked the presented project. Sergei Tchoban actively supported the work, noting many witty finds: the depth of the facades of a modern building, due to which the street visually expands; the prospects of creating a "double" facade "- in the form of a lattice in the front and an arcade in the back; the idea of arranging a temporary exhibition along the promenade, which makes the street space a continuation of the museum space and is filled with new meaning.
Evgeny Ass and Sergei Kuznetsov, on the contrary, had questions about the status of the inner street. Looped and endless, it seemed to them too lifeless and monotonous. Alexander Kudryavtsev proposed to revive the courtyard facades. He recalled that the demolished buildings had very active facades. However, since the buildings belonged to the Ministry of Defense for a long time, the amazing interior space of the courtyard was hidden from the eyes of the townspeople. Today it is possible to return the promenade to the feeling of the interior of the city with courdoners and recreation areas. Yuri Grigoryan explained that in order to revitalize the street, a facade with niches was invented, in which museum exhibits will be exhibited in the open air. As a result, the street will also become a kind of exhibition gallery. Along the outer contour, a children's center, cafes, restaurants and shops will appear on the first floors of the historic building. The latter are supposed to be made through passages to provide free access to the courtyard. Grigoryan expressed the hope that the interior space will be as open to the city as possible: in addition to the central entrance, there will be several additional through passages, allowing you to get inside from different sides.
This decision was supported by Vladimir Plotkin. In his opinion, Red Square is an extremely crowded place, already overly saturated with activities. Therefore, there is no need to arrange shops and cafes in the inner courtyard of the museum. The quiet and peaceful space created is valuable for its privacy, Plotkin is sure.
Rustam Rakhmatullin, a representative of the Arkhnadzor movement, who was present at the meeting, noting that he welcomes the creation of the museum function, reminded the audience that the entire building spot is located in the protected zone of the cultural heritage site. In this regard, new construction on the site is possible only in the regeneration mode. This involves recreating the lost buildings. For the construction of a single volume, a change in the status of the project will be required.
Yuri Grigoryan explained that four detached buildings with finely chopped internal layout, if recreated, would be completely unsuitable for museum use. That is why the designers opted for one convenient and large volume. “Formally, it was possible to recreate the demolished buildings,” said Grigoryan. - But, as it seems to us, formalism is inappropriate here. We are not engaged in imitation. Convenient museum space turned out to be a priority for us”.
Those present agreed with the architect's arguments, and the project was unanimously supported.
Multifunctional residential complex on Kutuzovsky prospect
The project of the new residential complex was developed by the Japanese bureau Kengo Kuma & Associates. Kengo Kuma personally came to Moscow to present his concept to the Architectural Council. He said that his main goal was to connect the city and nature, to create a connection between Kutuzovsky Prospekt, the surrounding buildings and the Moscow River.
A large and extended area currently occupies the territory of the instrument-making plant named after V. I. V. A. Kazakov. The site is limited by the streets of 1812 and Kulneva, as well as by Kutuzovskiy proezd. On the one hand, it has access to the river embankment, on the opposite side, it adjoins Kutuzovsky Prospekt. Not far from the site of the proposed construction is the Moscow City complex, a little further - Poklonnaya Gora. These initial data served as the starting point for the creation of a project with a diverse functional program: in addition to housing, this is a school, a kindergarten, office space, shops and exhibition galleries.
“We tried to combine the verticals of the City and the horizontals of the development of Kutuzovsky Prospekt,” said Kengo Kuma. “The result is an organic chain of buildings - a transitional link from the mid-rise avenue to the high-rise Moscow City.” The complex is formed by rectangular towers of different heights, but the same floor area (18x12 m). They are docked with each other in three with a noticeable displacement. There is one elevator node for three interconnected towers. Thus, the tower groups are a self-contained module. The rotation of the towers ensures proper insolation of the apartments. Any urban planning model can be formed from the modules.
In this case, the architects proposed to arrange the towers along a smooth path, looped around the courtyard. The courtyard, stretching from the avenue towards the river, has been turned into a park space. It is pierced by a through boulevard leading to the embankment: art galleries, recreation areas, sports and playgrounds are organized along it. Another small park space reserved for residents is hidden underground next to the parking lot.
The building facades are proposed to be clad with panels of anodized aluminum, with solid metal surfaces alternating with glass strips. Both glass and aluminum are able to reflect light, give rise to an interesting play of shadows and, depending on the weather and time of day, change the appearance of buildings. Moreover, such materials obscure the true scale of the buildings.
Taking into account the size of the complex, construction is proposed to be divided into several stages, moving from the avenue to the river.
After a detailed presentation, the members of the council could not believe for a long time that the construction of such a large-scale and unusual complex is possible on the territory of Moscow. First of all, they turned to the representatives of the investor, who confirmed their intention and ability to implement the project as presented. Only after that did the members of the council begin to seriously discuss what they saw. Yuri Grigoryan supported and welcomed the project of the master - Kengo Kuma. According to Grigoryan, the time has come for the implementation of such projects in Moscow. He liked the avant-garde concept of mixing private and public spaces. The courtyard-park invented by the designers, he said, could become a new and unique public place. The only thing that caused concern was the customer's ability and desire to implement the project without changes, without turning the courtyard into another enclave and preserving an excellent architectural idea.
Evgeny Ass considered what was happening as a "situation of challenge and choice." “The urban planning of buildings with familiar and familiar elements in this project is being replaced by a superstructure,” commented Ass. - This is a different scale that can be scary. But the project was executed with such skill that it reduces the degree of fears and makes possible the emergence of a new urban planning quality."
In general, the project was met with approval. Vladimir Plotkin, supporting the concept, drew attention to the fact that the authors will have to somehow resolve the issues of insolation: now they have not been resolved. Yuri Grigoryan drew attention to layouts where the bedrooms look too narrow. Alexander Kudryavtsev thought about the silhouette of the complex. And Sergei Kuznetsov doubted the advisability of all buildings of the same color. In the climatic conditions of Moscow, where there are very few sunny days, most of the year the towers will be simply gray, Kuznetsov suggested. However, Kengo Kuma assured that such materials have already been tested in his workshop and really give the maximum amount of light and a feeling of lightness. As for other remarks, the modular structure makes it easy to eliminate all the shortcomings. As a result, it was decided to approve the project.
