The concept for the development of the former territory of the Peter the Great Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces was developed by the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Construction at the request of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in connection with the transfer of the entire academy complex to the city. The building next to Zaryadye and the Kremlin was originally built as an Orphanage on the initiative of Ivan Betsky and Catherine II and remained this charitable institution until the revolution. It is no coincidence that the foundation stone of the building took place on April 21, 1764, the Empress's birthday. The construction of the complex was supervised by the architect Karl Blank. According to his project, the complex was to consist of two symmetrical quarters with large courtyards and a central building uniting them. However, one of the quarters was completed only in the 1930s, when the entire ensemble was transferred to the Ministry of Defense. Later, all sorts of layers appeared in the form of utility blocks, extensions and dormitory buildings. In 2013, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation transferred to the city the entire territory of the academy, about 11 hectares and 30 buildings, but so far it has not been operated in any way.
Sergei Kuznetsov, who presented the concept of transforming the Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces, said that this proposal should be viewed as a preliminary one, as an attempt to develop a new approach to the iconic territories of Moscow in order to regulate the site - before it is put up for auction.
Experts in the field of urban planning, heritage protection, transport were involved in the work on the project. They saw the main task of preserving historical buildings and adapting them for modern use. It was decided to demolish the outbuildings in order to free the courtyards and adjacent territories. The concept is based on two main components: multifunctionality and permeability. The anchor function offered by the ICA is a hotel. Hotel rooms and apartments will occupy most of the historic buildings. The right wing will be given over for housing. In the courtyard of the residential area, it is proposed to preserve the existing sports center there. A cultural and educational center, restaurant or food court will appear on the side of Solyanka Street. Along the perimeter of buildings and in courtyards, it is planned to develop those occupied by shops, etc. ground floors and the organization of public spaces.
To make the complex commercially more attractive, the authors of the concept proposed covering the left wing courtyard with a transparent dome, resulting in a large atrium space. Additional square meters can be obtained by using the now abandoned attics and underground space: attics can easily accommodate apartments. The underground part with unique historical vaults, after restoration, can be turned into, for example, a spa area. Thus, without changing the dimensions of existing buildings, it will be possible to significantly increase the usable area. As for the facades, the historical buildings will be restored, the Soviet ones - rebuilt with a possible change in the height of the floors.
Considering the iconic location of the complex, one of the main tasks of the designers was to integrate it into the fabric of the city. The closed mode of operation for many years isolated this territory from the adjacent quarters, cut off from pedestrian and transport routes. The project proposes to create a new pedestrian boulevard that will bypass the complex from Zaryadye Park towards Yauza. Parallel pedestrian traffic can be carried out along the embankment. Courtyards and all adjacent spaces will become public. The main entrance to the territory will be from the side of Solyanka Street.
The meeting, where only a preliminary concept was considered, and the chairman of the board Sergei Kuznetsov acted as a speaker, turned out to be unusual. But from the very beginning everyone liked the idea of “limiting the investor's appetites,” as Yuri Grigoryan put it. According to Sergei Tchoban, this is "the only possible way to regulate the site." Exactly so - generally and clearly, according to him, the territories, which will then be offered to the investor, should be prescribed.
Almost all members of the council expressed a similar opinion. Alexei Vorontsov called this "movement in the right direction." In his opinion, it is good that the work is offered for consideration at the very beginning and is ready to change and improve. For Moscow, a new hotel that actively interacts with the city will become a valuable acquisition, Vorontsov is sure. Vladimir Plotkin and Andrey Bokov supported the idea. Bokov noted that this is “a long-needed step,” and Plotkin expressed the hope that all memorable places of the capital would develop in a similar vein in the future.
Nevertheless, some questions about the project have arisen. Thus, Yuri Grigoryan doubted that the declared functional program would be able to guarantee the openness of the courtyards. Andrei Gnezdilov noticed that the movement from Zaryadye Park to the Yauzsky Gate now looks not very convincing. The most correct way would be to make the courtyards through, forming a chain of public spaces. Sergei Kuznetsov objected to this remark by the fact that the left wing has always been closed. It will not work to make it end-to-end without changing its historical appearance.
Mikhail Posokhin pointed out the lack of communication with the Zaryadye park and the river. Automobile Kitaygorodsky passage cuts off the new hotel complex from the park, and the road along the embankment from the river. This, according to Posokhin, is unacceptable. These sections should be made pedestrian. The principle of openness and permeability is also contradicted by the lack of a well-thought-out transport scheme and the desire to preserve the fence from the side of the embankment. Sergei Kuznetsov explained that this fence is a monument, so it cannot be removed. As for the rest of the barriers, they are all removed. Almost everyone had questions about the transport scheme in such a busy place, as well as about pedestrian routes. The solution, according to most, could be a master plan for the entire block.
Much controversy has arisen over the dome over one of the courtyards. Yuri Grigoryan recalled that there are no examples of successful implementation of such an overlap in Russia. Here it is proposed to cover a courtyard with historically valuable facades. Obviously, it will not be possible to do this without turning the walls apart with giant farms. Posokhin also supported Grigoryan, recalling the not very successful experience of erecting a dome over Gostiny Dvor, in the project of which Posokhin himself was directly involved. Andrei Bokov gave the opposite assessment. In his opinion, the project, on the contrary, looks rather timid. He compared the presented concept with the project of Dominique Perrault, in which he proposed to close all the courtyards of the historical complex at the request of the city. It is impossible, fearing low-quality performance, to abandon bright and modern solutions, - Bokov is sure. This, in his opinion, means to stop in development. Sergey Kuznetsov thanked Bokov for his support and recalled that the solutions proposed for Zaryadye Park initially seemed to many to be impracticable in Russian realities, but today there is already clear evidence of the opposite.
