The territory of the former plant for the production of antibiotics is located on Nagatinskaya Street, a seven-minute walk from the metro and 350 meters in a straight line from the Moskva River embankment. On the contrary, across the river - ZIL. The territory is profitable, now it is actively developing, but so far the former plant, or rather the State Scientific Center for Antibiotics (SSCA), is surrounded on two sides by industrial zones: to the west of it, from the metro side, there is the Ferrein pharmaceutical plant, to the east - a garment factory.
The main buildings of the center were built in 1953, at the same time spruce trees were planted. For a long time, the production of antibiotics was the largest in the country; in the 1990s, when the buildings passed into the hands of private owners, it was closed; now part of the buildings are rented out, the other part has fallen into decay and is empty. Nevertheless, the central building and two outbuildings, between which a spruce square is laid out, have been preserved well. The symmetrical composition with the courtyard facing Nagatinskaya Street is still easy to read.
The idea to transform the old plant into a modern office and shopping center came from the owners of the site in connection with the activity in the neighboring territories. The main impetus was given by ZIL and the program for the development of the coastal areas of the Moscow River. New streets should appear along the northwestern and northeastern boundaries of the area under consideration, which will immediately make the territory of the former SSCA open and permeable. Residential quarters are being planned on the site of the neighboring Ferrein. The role of the public center of this still non-existent residential environment is entrusted to the Yolki-Park multifunctional complex - this is the working name proposed by the designers of the future complex.
One of the authors of the concept is the architect and teacher Oskar Mamleev. His proposal became an alternative to the previous project, which involved the demolition of all buildings and the felling of trees. Mamleev managed to convince investors of the need to preserve not only the spruce trees of natural and historical value, but also the central building with outbuildings - although they do not have a conservation status, they play an important urban planning role in the ensemble of Nagatinskaya Street. Oscar Mamleev proposed to locate new commercial areas in the depth of the site behind the central building, preserving the existing average building height. The idea inspired the customer, and the Fourth Dimension architectural bureau was invited for further design.
The project is divided into three important components: restoration, reconstruction and new construction, - says one of the directors of the bureau, Vsevolod Medvedev. The designers approached the central administrative building with particular care. Despite the lack of abundant decor, it can be attributed to the legacy of Stalinist architecture: a balanced composition, proportions of windows, impressive interiors with a double-height vestibule, columns with capitals and a wide grand staircase convince that the building must be preserved as a monument to the urban environment of the 1950s - emphasizes the architect. In this case, there is no question of scientific restoration, but the restoration of the facades and the repair of the interior with adaptation for new use are envisaged.
The four-storey buildings flanking the courtyard, according to Vsevolod Medvedev, were preserved much worse than the central one, and therefore required more intervention. It was decided to place a small hotel in one of them, and offices in the other. As a result of reconstruction, both buildings will be one floor higher. The brickwork of the facades will be preserved. Its architects propose to paint it in dark gray, wearing a "shirt" of textile composite industrial fabric over it. In the evenings, the translucent shell will be softly illuminated from the inside, accentuating the open galleries along the perimeter of the buildings.
The territory of the front yard with the spruce trees growing there is proposed to be turned into an urban public space. Instead of a high fence along Nagatinskaya Street, small transparent pavilions with shops, cafes, recreation areas and open terraces will appear. Anyone can get to the landscaped square from here. This decision was especially important, given the large flow of pedestrians towards the metro.
In the depths of the site, behind the main building, on the site of the factory buildings designated for demolition, new construction is planned. The building, rectangular in plan, is designed in the form of a wide mono-volume, tightly adjacent to the restored central building. “We deliberately decided the modern part so laconically,” explains Vsevolod Medvedev. - In our project, we tried to highlight the dignity of the historic building. The new building, not exceeding seven floors, was to become just a background for him. Therefore, we took the simplest rectangular shape, cut it up and down with atriums and moved it apart like a puzzle."
It turned out to be four compact autonomous blocks connected at the level of the first four floors. One of the atriums cuts the volume longitudinally, filling the interior with natural light and accentuating the main entrance to the new building from the western façade. The central atrium crosses the volume from north to south, supporting the direction of movement from the park and the historic building to the new office center. The authors of the project provided the connection between the old and new volumes with the help of a ramp bridge. It originates in the park, cuts into the historic building at the second floor level, goes through it, penetrates into the atrium of the new building, opening onto the river and ZIL, and allows you to leave the complex through the northern entrance.
As Vsevolod Medvedev notes, the bridge not only unites the complex, it also supports an important urban planning axis. “The bridge, which appeared due to the difference in relief and the need to connect the historical and the new parts, as well as to make the complex permeable, repeats the direction of the axis leading to one of the boulevards of the ZIL territory and its main high-rise dominant - the tower of Khani Rashid,” says Medvedev. "From the atrium of the new building, the entire panorama of the development on the opposite bank of the river will be clearly visible."
In an effort to focus all attention on the historical part, the architects also proposed a high-quality but discreet solution for the facades of the new building. Structural glazing is used for cladding. The western and northern facades, facing the river and the projected streets, are a little more expressive thanks to curved glass that creates soft reflections. Along the entire perimeter, the facades are lined with vertical grooves - "flutes", due to which reflections, refracting and distorting, are very mobile, changing the image of the building depending on the weather and lighting.
It is obvious that the main advantage of Yolki Park, in addition to its delicate attitude to the history of the place, is its openness. All buildings are easy to walk through or bypass around the perimeter under the canopy of street galleries. The first, completely transparent storefront floors were given to the townspeople for the placement of shops, cafes, a fitness center and a swimming pool. The entire territory of the complex is free of cars. The underground parking, which can accommodate both employees and guests of the complex, is supposed to be arranged under a new building, without affecting the territory of the park and existing buildings. A bonus for future office employees - green terraces and patios on the exploited roof of the new building on the fourth and sixth floors.
Yolki Park is an ideal answer to the question: what kind of contextual architecture can be if the immediate environment is not yet known, not even designed: it is neutral to the point of mimicry, it glares - does not reflect, but dissolves in itself an unresolved environment. If it is good, then it will not interfere, and if it is bad, then it is not worth reflecting … Reacts to uncertainty with uncertainty. But in relation to everything that is known and valuable, it is firm: it preserves everything that is possible, both buildings and trees; fixes the lines of sight facing famous panoramas, works on coherence and permeability as opposed to the closedness of the industrial past. The project is aimed at the future, moreover, it seems to be already going there, combining the known and the uncertain.
