Andrey Asadov, head of the architectural bureau Asadova
Architectural dynasty is a dangerous thing, it is too difficult to avoid comparison with the founders. But not in the case of the Assadovs. The sons of Alexander Asadov, one of the best Russian architects, Andrey and Nikita, do not vegetate in the shadow of his glory. Each of them found their own path and their own theme in the profession. Andrei, who joined the work of the workshop while still a student at Moscow Architectural Institute, was able to bring new ideas to projects and take over the management of the company - inventing and organizing, in parallel with active architectural practice, dozens of different events, transforming family creativity and incendiary into ideas and projects that are interesting for dozens and hundreds of young architects from all over the country. It is not surprising that Andrey was invited to join the presidium of the Union of Architects of Russia, and then become, together with Nikita, the curator of the main show of Russian architects - the Zodchestvo festival. For four years in a row, they have come up with new ways of presenting topics that are relevant to the professional community, striving to build an information bridge across the chasm between architects and society. Choosing the topic "Quality" for the festival "Architecture 2017", Andrey accurately identified the most painful point of professional discourse. The responsibility of an architect - to achieve quality - is not always feasible in modern Russian conditions, but striving for it and fighting for it is not only possible, but also necessary. Andrey Asadov speaks in more detail about his understanding of quality and the criteria defining it, as well as about the methods of creating objects and environments that meet these criteria, in an interview for the "Standard of Quality" project.
Video filming and editing: Sergey Kuzmin.
Andrey Asadov
head of the Asadov architectural bureau:
“The main quality criterion for me is the meaning, the benefit that the building, the complex, some new urban planning solution bring to the city. The sum of useful criteria that a building brings, in terms of functions, in terms of aesthetics, in terms of new public spaces. The contribution that, as a product of his activity, the architect brings to the surrounding space, the meaning with which the architect enriches the place and environment. This is for me the main criterion of quality and the sum of all characteristics: function, appearance, creation of new spaces, accessibility, openness, permeability. The sum is like the points in the struggle for quality. The more points, the better the object is. It is such a complex enrichment of the existing place and environment.
The aesthetic edge of quality is absolutely the same measurable criterion as functionality, convenience, and affordability. This is a psychological factor that improves the energy of the surrounding space. When interacting with a person, raising his vitality, giving him a certain level of aesthetic pleasure, even if it happens completely unconsciously and subconsciously, it still conveys some kind of positive attitude, a harmonious component. The mood, the correct harmonious energy, transmitted, emitted by the building, is a form for the life of people, for the existence of a city. And the way these frames are created allows them to transmit a certain level of energy, harmony or quality throughout their functioning.
I believe this is an absolutely universal formula. Moreover, it is equally successfully applicable in any stylistic direction in which the architect works. In any style, in any direction, you can make a high-quality - harmonious - project or low-quality - disharmonious. And even in such, at first glance, disharmonious directions: constructivism and sharp modernism or bionics - they also have their own internal laws of harmony that determine what emphasis is made, how a person and all space is tuned in to the final result of perception. Even bright, eye-catching accents in the urban environment, if they are set accurately, appropriately, like a highlight in a culinary dish, they fulfill their role and work for the overall quality of the space.
In my opinion, there are at least three conditions under which a certain level of quality can already be guaranteed. The presence of a quality project, especially in the Russian realities. That is, the first rule is to initially choose and lay the so-called indestructible solutions, simple but effective and convincing. Firstly, they are much more difficult to spoil, and secondly, by their very appearance they already look complete and understandable for all participants in the process: developers, investors, builders, city authorities. The next task of the architect, as a conductor or director of the entire process, is to explain that these solutions are most consistent with the task, and that all participants in the process will get the maximum positive effect from them, get their own benefit, their own satisfaction: financial, moral, administrative. That is, to lay down clear, simple and convincing solutions, to convince all participants in the process that, having implemented these decisions, they will achieve the result as efficiently as possible, each in his own field. And the third is to make sure at all stages of the project that these solutions are implemented with a minimum loss of the quality of the original concept.
And real strong architecture is a living, evolving architecture that can be subjected to further development, transformation, which carries a strong initial embryo, capable of enriching, changing, branching out. But at the same time, a strong rational and convincing beginning - it remains, and it already provides such an ontological justification for all further steps, all further decisions.
This is a creative constructive process - further growth, evolution, development of the project. As an embryo, it is also a person, but it must develop further. All design stages are a normal, full-fledged process of project development: from inception to implementation. Another thing is that it is much more difficult to convince less creative team members for constant evolutionary changes. Constructors, subcontractors - they like to have everything ready. But the thought of an architect always, at least for me, works in an evolutionary way. Therefore, on the one hand, at the initial stage it is very important to provide for a strong, clear grain, the so-called over-idea of the project, and then, if there is a clear over-idea, it is like the soul of a building, of any project. If there is a soul, there is an image, around it it is already possible to gradually wind up meanings in layers. He immediately gives an explanation of all the solutions, from urban planning to the details of the facade, landscaping … Having created a super-idea, you can calm down in something, relax and already logically from this idea how to extract new and new layers of enrichment of the project from the ball, that is, all of it stages: functional solutions, decoration, improvement - everything works for the idea. From this point of view, I like the approach of Herzog and de Meuron - they make a project at one reception, one idea, they have it especially expressed. And having the key to the project - like the design code of the project - it then appears in all its elements.
In my opinion, from our recent projects, the multifunctional complex "Oceania" has managed to be sustained quite intact. There the structure of the facade - there is a general image, either the texture of a tree, or waves, it goes over to the walls, to the paving, there is some kind of solid clear core of the building.
Or the airport in Perm, which is now being completed. There is a super-idea of the project, in some ways its soul is the so-called angel's wing. On the main facade there is either a giant canopy, or really two real wings, echoing the famous Permian wooden sculptures, but at the same time made using modern technologies, faced with golden metal, which imperceptibly echoes the wood. And this huge angel wing became the key to the project, in the same way.
At all times, in any era, in any city, there was a principle of such a high-quality space, rich in impressions: visual, emotional, spatial. The more opportunities a building offers for the use of an object, the better is the product of the activity of this or that architect. If a project invites to make contact, to enjoy visually, to explore this space, then it enriches the city. And already the idea, the presence of the soul, it is readable or absolutely intuitive, the object attracts, the object is interesting, you want to look at it, you want to understand how it is done. Moreover, this is in absolutely any stylistic direction, including the neoclassical movement in Russian architecture. There, too, one can see a living stream, a living principle. That is, the classics are only a language, an instrument, which also creates a very rich number of spatial experiences. And I must sincerely admit, being a staunch adherent of modern architecture, that in terms of the number of spatial impressions such modern living classics can outperform many modern ones. She has a much richer expressive language that has developed over millennia. True mine in and the idea of quality architecture, quality for me is equal - alive.
And the main thing for us was the living image of the space, the desire to interact with the house and the surrounding space: those criteria that allow the viewer to be included in interaction with architecture. I believe that in any style, in any direction and scale, if there is the ability of architecture to include residents, a person there, to tune it into interaction, to stimulate research, in other words, to attract attention and involve it in the spatial process, then architecture is alive This means that it, by default, enriches the environment with the quality of spatial experiences."
