- Sergei, how do you decide to become an architect?
- As for me personally, the most important thing was that the period of choosing a profession and further formation in it fell on a transitional period in the country: I studied at the institute in the early 90s, the start of my career fell in their middle, when everything was changing very rapidly. I must say that, entering the Moscow Architectural Institute, I did not plan to become an architect. I went there simply because the Moscow Architectural Institute was considered a good university for general art and general humanitarian training and was quoted higher than the Polygraphic Institute. I was going to become a graphic designer. An example for me was Mikhail Anikst, who was and remains the best graphic designer in Russia and one of the best in the world. He graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute, and then studied books all his life. In my admission to the Moscow Architectural Institute there was also a career target, because Anikst preferred to hire workers with an architectural education.
Nevertheless, having entered the Moscow Architectural Institute, by about the third year I realized that I wanted to study architecture. In the 5th year I already started working - I entered the TPO "Reserve" as an architect. While working there, he graduated from the institute and then worked in the "Reserve" all the time of further studies in graduate school.
What made you choose architecture after all?
- This happened thanks to good teachers: Oleg Diomidovich Breslavtsev, with whom I studied directly, Ilya Georgievich Lezhava, with whom I also spent quite a lot of time, Igor Andreevich Bondarenko, thanks to whom I became seriously interested in the history of architecture. I decided to stay in architecture when the institute's program turned out to be more related to the profession. Still, the first years of study are such a propaedeutic course that provides general knowledge and skills. And then the professional "movement" began: participation in competitions, international contacts. It got really interesting. And I was also lucky to get into good hands at the very beginning of my professional career: for the first 5 years I worked for Vladimir Plotkin, and then he directly led the team in which I worked. It was a wonderful school outside the walls of the institute.
The first implemented projects, in which I took part, finally convinced me of the correct choice of profession. Among them, for example, there were residential buildings on Malaya Filevskaya street (developer - Tesco company), a residential building on Zagorskiy proezd, 11 - one of the best works in which I took part. Architectural design is almost always a collective creation, and it is important to mention here that Plotkin always gave the youngest team members a say, along with more experienced colleagues. There was no such thing that novice architects were only draftsmen, our ideas were seriously considered and often accepted. There were also many interesting projects that turned out to be made "on the table": a complex of buildings of the Central Bank on the territory of the Khrunichev plant, public centers on the street. Grishina and st. Kulneva and others. This always happens, not only at the beginning of the journey. According to my feelings, no more than 5% of everything designed by the architect comes to implementation.
Do you have any favorite unrealized projects?
- Probably, these are those that are "completely mine", therefore, most likely those that I did for various competitions or small projects of residential buildings. During my life, I have designed several concept villas, both for ideas competitions and for real customers. Some were built, some remained on paper. Or, for example, a house for myself, which I have not yet built either - it was designed a long time ago, and it can also be classified as a favorite unrealized one.
What do you like most in your profession, and what, perhaps, infuriates?
- I like the ability to control the processes. And the more of this opportunity, the more you like it, and the less of it, the more it enrages. The move to real estate development companies as an in-house architectural consultant was precisely aimed at getting one step closer to the birth of the assignment. Because it is normal for commercial design, and we don't have much else now - an architect works on the basis of certain preset parameters. It is not he who decides what to design, at best he decides how. Working in a developer's structure allows you to form an idea from scratch.
What is the current reputation of an architect in the business environment?
- We are not doing very well with the reputation of an architect. An architect is perceived by too many as a service personnel, a technical consultant for visualizing the client's plan, it is not customary to listen to his opinion. Architects do not have the resources and mechanisms to resist the customer's decisions. I think that this is completely wrong, because it leads to the emergence of development and urban planning solutions that are implemented without taking into account many factors, including social ones. I am also far from the opposite extreme: I do not believe that an architect is free to create as God wants, neglecting the opinion of the client. It is important to find a balance between customer focus and personal professional attitude. Ideally, you need to be able to convince the customer that you are right without prejudice to his business interests.
I believe that the architect should have internal professional criteria and constraints that will not allow him to participate in what he expertly disagrees with and that, in his opinion, may harm the urban environment. For example, as an architect, I would not participate in the so-called renovation program announced in Moscow. I believe that the level of preparation of the initial data for the implementation of this program does not correspond to the scale of the task at all. Our knowledge of our own city is so scarce that it is simply irresponsible to undertake such programs until thorough sociological, technical, marketing and other research has been carried out.
What should an architect do in a situation when the task assigned to him conflicts with internal constraints? Leave?
- I had such an experience. When we at ABD Architects bureau participated in the competition for the reconstruction of the Dynamo stadium and the development of the adjacent territory, we proposed a concept in which the historical perimeter of the stadium stands was fully preserved. The competition was won by Erik van Egeraat, whose concept involved the demolition of most of the stands. This concept, albeit with significant alterations, and already without Eric's participation, is being implemented now. When Eric left the project and the customer started looking for a replacement, they came to us. We did not want to participate in the demolition of a part of the building, which we consider an integral part of a valuable whole, and most importantly, we know exactly how to fulfill the customer's program without this demolition. We offered to change the project in accordance with our concept, but the customer insisted on the development of Eric's concept, which was approved by him, and we refused.
How can you influence the desire of the developer to squeeze the maximum benefit from the project?
- There is no need to resist the aspirations of the developer. Because he fulfills his task, including the financial one. In this situation, the architect's job is to fulfill the developer's task in such a way that he will receive a profit and the city will not suffer, but, on the contrary, will win.
Have you ever come across a situation when already during the implementation of the project your opinion was neglected? How did you react to this?
- I felt regret, of course. Alas, the architect is not protected by law from such situations.
How to act in this case?
- Only charisma, authority and the name of the architect work here. When a customer hires, say, Yuri Grigoryan or Sergei Skuratov, he intends not only to build a beautiful building, but also to get the opportunity to communicate with a professional, listen to his opinion, learn from him, and not neglect him.
That is, it is necessary to become an architecture guru in order to control the process?
- In general, yes. Architects, who are treated as gurus by customers, have significantly more opportunities to create something beautiful and socially significant. Just don't get me wrong: I am not an adherent of the paradigm of "star architects" who are hired for the sake of a brand to increase the capitalization of a project at the expense of their name. It is enough to be professional, sociable and persuasive. Practice shows that common sense wins more often than we think.
What illusions and myths exist today about the profession of an architect?
- The most stupid question that I am constantly asked about my profession is: "How important is architecture for a building?" It is assumed, perhaps, that the architecture can somehow be dispensed with. The absurdity of the question lies in the fact that architecture is an immanent feature of any building, any building is automatically an architectural object. The question is not in the availability of architecture, but in its quality. Good - will lead to the success of the project, bad - to failure.
The second common misconception is that many believe that an architect is the kind of person who paints beautiful facades. In fact, an architect works in a complex way with the space on which something will be built later, programs scenarios for its use, and all processes live inside it.
Tell us about your experience of working with students as a teacher. Why did you need it?
- I started teaching at Moscow Architectural Institute, studying there in graduate school. He taught from 2000 to 2004, that is, he led one group of students from the 3rd year to graduation. Initially, I went to pedagogy at the invitation of my teacher. However, even then I realized that as a growing architect, I would soon have to think about my own team. Therefore, I began to look at the students as my future colleagues and employees, and this plan was perfectly implemented. Subsequently, two of my best graduates worked with me continuously for over five years, and two or three of my former students came for shorter periods.
So you solved the personnel problem?
- In fact, yes. In addition, teaching for me has become, to some extent, a continuation of my own education in a number of tasks and disciplines. It turned out to be very useful - to look at the subject from the other side of the educational process.
When you subsequently hired young specialists to your teams, did you see the difference between them and you at their age?
- Of course. During the time when I myself was a novice specialist, and until the moment when I became responsible for personnel recruiting, the profession of an architect has changed a lot technologically. At one time, we worked much more with our hands, computer literacy, skills in specialized programs were significantly less developed. By now, the profession is completely computerized, and right now we are witnessing a new round of technical development: the massive spread of BIM technologies and robotization of construction processes. It is possible that soon the development of the project and the management of the construction site will merge into a continuous process controlled from a single file.
If we talk about the general training of young architects, then there is no single regularity within which one can judge the difference between generations. It seems to me that this profession has generally avoided those failures that are clearly noticeable, for example, in the engineering environment, where qualifications have noticeably decreased and only in recent years has begun to improve. The architecture industry also had a similar problem, but to a lesser extent.
Who are you hiring now: a specialist with experience or a novice architect, who is easier to "sharpen" for yourself?
- Architectural design is a team work. A good team needs people of different levels and for different tasks. I think that we definitely need a couple of excellent students - people who will not let you down, who may not generate bright ideas, but are not mistaken in the little things. I also believe that one really crazy person can be useful on a good team. Of course, a variety of skilled technicians are also important.
How can a novice architect build his career?
- First, you need to find a good teacher or teachers and aim to go to study with them. In any specialized university, the teaching staff is not homogeneous, so a young person today needs to be proactive and strive to learn from the best. Secondly, when learning from the best, you need to listen carefully, because I know from my own experience that many important things are simply overlooked. Thirdly, you need to read a lot and be interested in new knowledge outside your future profession, you need to be a comprehensively and widely educated person.
How to start working and making money?
- Everything is very individual. For example, if a person feels an entrepreneurial streak, then they can go into private practice almost immediately. Let it be small projects at first, some summer cottages, apartment renovation - there is nothing shameful in this. By gaining experience on such projects, you can gradually develop. The example of several now very successful architects who have chosen this path suggests that in 7-8 years it is possible to rise to a very serious level. It is very important to be active here, and in addition to the routine tasks necessary to earn money, always take projects at a higher level into work. First of all, we are talking about participation in competitions. Even if you have no chance of winning, it will be a great training in skills and connections.
Do your children understand what an architect dad does?
- Yes. They are interested in it, we discuss a lot with them. I tell them about the profession, take them to objects. When they play with cubes or make crafts from cardboard, they very often operate in professional terms, for example, they do not forget that the house has not only walls and a roof, but also engineering networks.
Will they follow in your footsteps?
- I'm not sure, but I have no prejudices on this topic, I just don't see that any of them want to become an architect. The closest story so far is my two eldest daughters, who are already studying at universities and, in general, plan to study art. But not architecture …
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The Open City conference will take place in Moscow on September 28-29. Her program includes: workshops from leading architectural firms, sessions on topical issues of Russian architectural education, presentation of the study "Professional Development in Russia and Abroad: Traditional Models and Alternative Practices", a fair of additional educational programs, Portfolio Review - presentation of student portfolios to leading architects and developers of Moscow and much more.
