Timur Bashkaev, head of ABTB
What is now happening in the practice of Timur Bashkaev's bureau resembles a cardinal qualitative leap - its history seems to develop according to the laws of physics, where the accumulation and concentration of energy leads to an explosion. After 20 years of designing residential and public buildings, as well as specializing in transport facilities, the epic of designing and building the MCC, in 2016 Timur Bashkaev won the competition for the interiors of three key Zaryadye facilities at once and reached the final of the renovation competition. Which cannot but rejoice, since the bureau has an individual style on the verge of deconstructivism, hi-tech and bionics. Timur Bashkaev tells more about his vision of quality in architecture and the ways to achieve it in an interview for our project "Standard of Quality".
Video filming and editing: Sergey Kuzmin.
Timur Bashkaev
head of ABTB:
“The question of what a high-quality architecture is is a huge and multidimensional one. All aspects are important, interesting and ultimately affect perception. With regard to me … the first thing I do is cut off the useful, the social, the necessary. This, of course, is important, but does not determine the quality for me. Reliable, stable compartment too. Then I will drop what concerns the construction and the quality of incarnation. This is also very important, but we know a lot of examples when architecture makes a strong impression even in low-quality execution - constructivism and so on. I will also discard this. And in the middle will remain what I consider to be an internal quality, by which I evaluate both my decisions and those of others - this is the quality of the form. What we perceive is form, the relationship of form in space are sensible things. They are largely related by proportion. To some extent. But there is an even deeper, "inner" feeling. The further you work, the more this feeling sharpens and trains. And when you see the real form - correctly proportioned, correctly set, a coincidence of vibrations occurs - it immediately touches. Surely everyone has a different way, for sure everyone has their own feeling. But if I took quality in architecture, high-quality architecture, then the fundamental principle is a correctly proportioned, made form, correctly standing in space.
“Beautiful” is not very applicable, “sculptural” is also not very applicable. The form, in my opinion, can become better than these parameters. Something inherent in matter is such a metaphysical concept and theme. While the shape can be beautiful in the end, it can also be sculptural. Or it may not be, but at the same time make an impression, and you understand that this is real architecture.
Form is the basis of many concepts and meanings. And the ratio of form and meaning, form and content - these are gigantic depths. The human eye is best trained to perceive form. This is the fundamental principle of perception, deep, prototypical, necessary, something that immediately affects many parts of the brain. The more ancient a skill and skill, the more deeply it goes into the brain and is associated with it. And form is one of these concepts and the fundamental principle of the brain.
Form is a relay between some spheres, people, ordinary society. We must sometimes come up with such forms that will be comprehensible and perceived by our consumer, this society for which we work. Unfortunately, we cannot do as artists - they say, in 300 years we will be appreciated. Our things, ideas, our projects should delight and delight people of our generation, our lives.
The conformity of the form to the task that is posed is a whole small miracle. You do some restrictions for a specific place, a specific area. And the final form is influenced by everything that is here: the territory, and insolation, and restrictions, and people, and the customer's task, and taste. And this is the miracle: this form integrates everything in a mysterious way, it contains everything and translates it outside. Every time I design, I am surprised, delighted, bewitched by the fact that the form can be a universal integrator of everything, including philosophy, meanings, and so on.
Today, the evolution of the development of forms is evident. With the development of technology, working with shaping has become freer and more interesting. But I cannot say that this was not the case before. Form has always been important in architecture. There were stages when decor was more important, but still there are a huge number of monuments that work precisely as a form, a first form, a protoform. Where details end and form begins - shaky gradation. In a certain hierarchy and columns for me in many ways - form. And detailing is form processing. Form is everything that is subject to the evolution of development. Man is so constructed that novelty is one of the most important criteria for both creativity and development. Therefore, the forms develop and become more complex and more varied according to the law of the creative in man.
Classic examples: Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry were completely unclaimed until the age of 40–45. They worked in their own style, but society did not accept them, they were not a reflection of the ideals of larger trends. They were strong artists, pioneers. As soon as the society matured and coincided, they became in demand, these objects began to appear. And, of course, the point is not in creative individuals, but in the development of society. It chooses those artists who were the first to find, feel, and portray it perfectly - then society makes them its spokesmen.
Why is Zaha Hadid making the best orders and not someone else? Because for some part of society - maybe more advanced - it has become the embodiment of novelty, ideals, energetic, dynamic. Coincided and became in demand. I believe that society in many ways makes an order for the display of its ideals.
Each time we show our project to the customer, presenting it, we explain why it is good, why we think it is right. We explain our quality criteria, justify it. And yes, this must be done.
If we do work for someone, we show, of course, it will be of high quality. If you do not think that it is of high quality, then do not show it, but do it until it becomes of high quality. And it is important to explain why you consider it to be of high quality, what is it about it, why you think it is worthy to be done."
