The reconstruction project was presented to the council members by one of its authors, Nikolai Lyashenko. He said that at present, on the site between Bolshaya Polyanka and Staromonetny lane, there is a complex of historical buildings, which are proposed to be converted into residential buildings, changing the internal structure, but retaining the existing walls. As the representatives of the Department of Cultural Heritage present at the meeting explained, the construction time of the two buildings located on the site dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The building of the former printing house, facing Bolshaya Polyanka, was erected as a production building, while its architecture gravitates towards Moscow Art Nouveau. It is adjoined by two more blocks of a later time. Together with the production building, they form a closed courtyard. The four-storey building overlooking Staromonetny Lane stands somewhat apart: it is a former tenement house of the early 20th century. In addition to historical buildings, there are two annexes on the territory, they are planned to be demolished.
Thus, the project considers the reconstruction of four buildings, united around two courtyards, connected by a through arch. The authors of the project propose to build the former apartment building up to six floors, aligning it along the front of the street. The existing facade is planned to be restored with all decorative elements, while the superstructure is conceived to be more restrained. The courtyard facade is solved with a similar laconism and emphasized modernity. White stucco has been retained as the decoration of the entire building.
The building of the former printing house will remain five-storey, its street facade, according to the project, will retain the arrangement of windows and two gables, but instead of plaster, a cladding with gray bricks with a glossy surface will appear. The appearance of the three-storey block building will also be restored according to the historical prototype, while it will become one floor higher, and its facades facing different courtyards will differ in color. The building that encloses the block, while retaining the historical details, will receive a new finish in dark bricks.
Residential apartments are designed in all four buildings: there are fifty in all. Parking is arranged on two underground floors, the first floors will be occupied by shops and cafes, for which large glass showcases are provided. The architects proposed to decorate the courtyards with the help of bright paving, and each courtyard has its own palette: in one - shades of red, in the other - gold. The shortage of courtyard spaces is compensated by open terraces on the partially exploited roofs of buildings.
The presented project was accepted by the members of the council very complacently. All noted the high professionalism of the authors and the delicacy in relation to the historical buildings. Even representatives of the heritage department appreciated the desire of the architects and the client to preserve the proportions of buildings, their facades, and the arrangement of windows as much as possible, despite the fact that they do not have a conservation status.
The high quality of the project raised questions from the audience about the expediency of submitting it for consideration. Sergey Kuznetsov explained that it is thanks to the Architectural Council that such positive examples of working with the historical environment resonate. In addition, the council forms an opinion about the quality of the project both within the professional community and in society as a whole. And this is also one of the tasks of the Arch Council, the chief architect is sure.
The nature of the new urban space, more like a fragment of a European city, was noted by Evgeniy Ass. According to him, the project turned out to be indicative and exemplary. “I would like to highlight the architecture of our predecessors,” commented Ass.“In the treatment of Nikolai Lyashenko and Alexander Tsimailo, buildings built more than a century ago have received a completely new and very modern sound.” Some doubts in Ass was caused by the end of the building facing Bolshaya Polyanka: it should obviously be designed as a firewall wall, but instead there are numerous window openings on it. Nikolai Lyashenko explained that the project retained all existing windows, including windows at the end.
Alexander Kudryavtsev voiced concerns about well yards, where echo and noise can occur. He advised the authors to think about this problem, and also asked them to provide passages through the courtyards.
Sergei Choban drew attention to the technical, "material" side of the project. So, he recommended that the superstructure over a four-story building be made not of concrete, but of brick, in order to avoid the effect of "cardboard partitions". According to Choban, it would not hurt to think about finishing the street facade of the building of the former printing house. At the same time, being well acquainted with both the architects and their client, Tchoban expressed confidence that the project would be implemented at the highest level. Yuri Grigoryan agreed with his colleague and noted the importance of high-quality implementation of the project. He gave the authors only one piece of advice: to preserve the facade of the former printing house, without covering it with a new cladding, to update it in the restoration mode. Grigoryan explained his opinion by the fact that fewer and fewer old buildings remain in Moscow: “The historical fabric of Moscow is already too thinned, therefore it is important to preserve the historical appearance of the building. In this situation, the reworking of the facade looks like a death mask,”noted Grigoryan. - If the authors nevertheless decide to redesign the building, then it makes no sense to preserve the pediments and other details of the old building. It's more honest to solve it in your own way. " Yuri Grigoryan asked to consider his comment as advice, insisting that the final decision is still at the discretion of the authors.
Summing up the discussion, Sergei Kuznetsov drew attention to the terraces on the roof. In his opinion, this is the only weak element in the project. Practice shows that, most likely, such terraces will be unauthorizedly built up by residents, and this will ruin the appearance of the complex as a whole. The decision to arrange the terraces along the street façade facing Staromonetny Lane looks especially dangerous. In general, the submitted draft did not cause serious comments from anyone, so it was decided to approve it.
