Archi.ru:
Let's start with the history of the site - the Badayevsky plant was intended for redevelopment back in the 2000s, investment contracts were changed, tenders were held. What is the special complexity of this territory?
Dmitry Glushchenko, Chief Project Engineer:
- The complexity is represented by a large number of encumbrances, first of all - the identified objects of cultural heritage. The territory of the site is built up quite densely. And the main challenge that the investor has faced all these years is to find a concept that will match both the place and the target financial model. The current owner - Capital Group - in 2016 began a full analysis of the site. There was a competition, as a result of which they settled on the proposal of the Herzog & de Meuron bureau.
We entered the project at the beginning of 2017, when the participation of Herzog & de Meuron was approved, and Capital Group was looking for a Russian general designer who would have an effective experience of working closely with foreign architects and would make their concept viable.
What was presented at the end of March at the presentation is the result of our joint work with HdM and CG throughout 2017. We were present at the process of shaping new buildings on the site, we saw the entire "chronology of thought" of Swiss architects. There were more than forty options under consideration, if I'm not mistaken. All of them were eventually swept aside, because they did not fulfill the most important task - to preserve the perception of the plant from the embankment of the Moskva River.
“However, the new development will also be very noticeable
D. G.: Yes, it is noticeable, but how else? Spot integration of the development does not work, because it destroys the whole perception of the complex with the embankment. I understand why the public reacts so sharply to the project. Because nobody did that in Moscow. We have only two examples of houses on legs: on Begovaya and on Prospekt Mira. There are no such supports anywhere.
And it is necessary to somehow respond to criticism about the "viability" of these supports …
Maxim Bobrovnichy, Head of Building Structures Department:
- Everyone says that the columns are incredibly thin, but in reality they are not. Initially, we and our colleagues from Switzerland, the designers of Schnetzer Puskas, considered columns with a smaller diameter - 400–600 mm. The fact is that for Europeans this has already become a standard solution, when an additional steel core is immersed in a steel pipe protected by concrete. In fact, this column is almost completely steel. Yes, it looks thin, flexible, but its conditional flexibility does not violate SNiPs, the amount of steel in it is much greater than just in a steel pipe filled with concrete. Accordingly, the stress in the column material is negligible. There is no threat of buckling from design loads. It is not so difficult to count this column, the strength of materials has existed for centuries, and Leonard Euler has already for several hundred years invented the theory of stability of thin compressed rods, flexible rods. The stress in the column, roughly speaking, is 19 MPa, and the steel can withstand up to three hundred.
A more difficult question is how to make these columns economical, because such cores are not produced in Russia. In addition, up to 15 meters can be transported along the streets of Moscow, and our columns have a length of 35 meters, that is, they must also be made composite, and joining these cores along the length is a separate difficulty. This is more of a technological issue than a technical one. Therefore, the main problem for us and Schnetzer Puskas was how to make columns in Moscow from the materials at our disposal and make them, as a result, affordable, and not carry these cores halfway across the world. And we solved this issue by proposing to replace the cores with high-strength steel reinforcement. The Swiss and we have confirmed by mutual settlements that this option is quite suitable.
Another important issue is to ensure the horizontal stability of the structure in order to avoid any fluctuations. Herzog & de Meuron believe that the pillars of their residential complex are forest, thicket, but the sloping columns that look randomly scattered over the plan are not only an architectural element, but also a constructive one. HdM was able to play with this in their concept, and we and Schnetzer Puskas happily used this for additional horizontal stiffness, so the vibrations of the building from the wind are much less acceptable.
Skeptics should understand that we have laid a large margin of safety, and that it was possible to make the supports even thinner and "scarier". The chosen, more reliable solution has a minimal impact on the cost. The only thing, the architects asked that the cross-section of the supports should not increase much: they want the wow effect to remain. It would be possible to make cheaper columns - more concrete, less steel, make them 1200 mm instead of 800 mm, but the effect would be lost. In addition, some of the columns are hollow, engineering networks pass through them, they are suspended from the frame. Behind every great architectural concept there are absolutely everyday problems.
D. G.: I would like to clarify that the structure of work on this project is such that there is an independent structural consultant engaged by Herzog & de Meuron - the Basel design bureau Schnetzer Puskas, which together with Herzog & de Meuron successfully implements projects around the world - for example, the Elbe Philharmonic in Hamburg, as well as the stadium in Bordeaux, where similar columns are used that are planned for Badayevsky. The work on the project is carried out in such a way that they and we make calculations independently of each other, that is, two teams of designers work in parallel, according to different standards, they are according to Eurocodes, we are according to Russian standards. Once every three weeks, the teams check with each other, synchronize their results and agree on decisions. Therefore, the decisions taken now have been double-checked by two independent teams of experts in the field of design solutions.
How did this cooperation scheme come about?
M. B.: Herzog & de Meuron was not sure that they would find enough knowledgeable and experienced designers and engineers in Moscow, so they insured themselves at the initial stage. At first, designers and architects in Basel exchanged information faster, but we received it with a time lag, as a result, at the initial stage, we followed slightly different paths. Then they began to communicate directly with Schnetzer Puskas, very professional and "open" designers, and things went well.
I know that you work not only with Herzog & de Meuron, but also with many other foreign partners. Is this work pattern typical only for this project?
D. G.: Usually we carry out all sections ourselves, cooperating only with foreign architects, but, in addition to HdM, there is another exception to this rule - this is our project with Renzo Piano, HPP-2. There, exactly the same at the initial stage, at the time of development of the concept and project documentation, from the side of the maestro, his long-time partners - structural consultants - Milan Ingegneria were invited.
And at what stage is the work on Badaevsky now?
D. G.: Now the development of project documentation and restoration project is underway. Do not forget that there are two cultural heritage sites on the site, which are undergoing a full-scale restoration and a very careful adaptation.
If you look at the engravings from a century ago, the factory was an ensemble of three buildings. In Soviet times, the central building was partially destroyed and a seven-story office building was built in its place, and now the two outer buildings are orphaned next to it and are lost against its background. This is the central building, it will be completely demolished, and in its place, according to data from the Moscow city archive, the building that stood there a hundred years ago will be recreated. And so the ensemble of the plant is restored to its historical unity.
What will the reconstructed building and the preserved historical buildings be occupied with?
D. G.: This is mainly a public function because the area is not abundant in infrastructure. This particular quarter now has three restaurants, a gymnasium, and that's it. Subsequently, a food market will be opened in the historical buildings. Beer production will be recreated in the building where the malt house was. The original spirit of the plant is returning.
Will there be a public space in the complex from the side of the embankment?
D. G.: Yes, on the side of the Taras Shevchenko embankment there is a strong relief, and a front will be created there, which will allow this embankment to be brought into life, to connect with other parts of the Moskva River embankment, because now it is a dead end and there is no traffic of cars or pedestrians. A zone of restaurants and retail will be formed there, in addition, a number of entrances for residents will be located directly from the embankment into the projected residential part - "tape". The entrances will be arranged in the recesses between the retail blocks, so as not to fence off the territory where only “friends” can be admitted. Residents will enter from the embankment, while the space from the side of the plant will remain public.
Since housing is located at the top, it turns out that there is no separation of private and public at the ground level, since these zones are divided vertically
D. G.: Yes, absolutely right, and this division allows two parts of the complex - the plant buildings and the "tape" - to exist as autonomously as possible. It is also worth mentioning engineering, since many are afraid that the facades will freeze, icicles will fall on their heads, and so on.
The calculation of thermal conductivity was carried out by specialists of our company in two ways according to two standards - in accordance with domestic requirements for energy efficiency, and on the basis of the energy model of the building, with the analysis of several types of facade glazing, by analogy with the calculations required for LEED or BREEAM certification.
Are you planning to get a certificate?
D. G.: Only one cultural heritage site, one of the historical buildings, will be certified. It is important to note that this will be the first precedent in the CIS when an object of cultural heritage (BREEAM Refurbishment) will be certified under the BREEAM system. The investor decided not to certify the residential "tape", it was an exercise with a practical purpose. Its energy model was created, and, depending on the types of facades, it was analyzed how much energy will be spent on average per year for heating, cooling, completely for all engineering. Based on this calculation, an optimal balance was achieved between the cost of facades and the cost of engineering. Based on the calculation results, specific facade solutions were selected.
How is the parking conceived?
M. B.: The parking is extremely difficult, as the geological structure is specific. In addition, it was necessary to take into account traffic flows, provide logistics for loading and unloading the retail area, garbage disposal, and provide a sufficient number of parking spaces for residents, guests of the complex and service services.
There are a lot of constructive difficulties. The columns supporting the residential "tape" must be lowered through the parking lot to the foundation and combined with additional rigidity at the underground levels. For the period of construction of the main pit, we shield the foundations of the security objects, we enclose them with a wall in the ground, but a special difficulty lies in the fact that for future logistics, for traffic flows, it is necessary not only to enclose the foundations with a wall in the ground, but also to ensure the connection of the new parking lot at subsequent stages with objects of OKN. This will be even more difficult in a number of places than columns. In fact, these moments are hidden, few people know about them, and there are a lot of difficulties: not to destroy the OKN, to link them with transport, to connect them with emergency exits. This is a very non-trivial task.
In addition, it is rare when reinforced concrete spans of 14 meters are used in the parking lot, but here it is, therefore, there will be rather large zones with steel-reinforced concrete floors.
If we also talk about the features of the project, then it is worth mentioning that, for example, the interfloor dwelling ceilings are coffered. Thus, we reduce the weight of the slabs by about 30%, and, accordingly, the columns have less load.
Spans of 10 meters for housing are also non-standard, it turns out that there will be no vertical structures for 100 square meters. If the columns stood more often, it would be a palisade, which would worsen the possibilities of future layouts. A lot of composites, rigid reinforcement, I-beams, channels were used to tighten the floor slabs, because there are consoles of 4-6 meters. The building has many unique features, small, invisible to the eye, in addition to well-visible columns. Our project is being actively discussed, but no one says that the staircase and elevators are enclosed in glass, and as such there is no reinforced concrete shaft.
But everyone is very confused by fire safety. Everyone is afraid of how people will evacuate. There are no stairs, no elevators. How do you respond to such skeptics?
D. G.: If we consider the scheme of evacuation from this building, it is exactly the same as in a building without "legs". There are staircase and elevator nodes, there are staircases of the H2 type, and there are elevators for fire brigades. All this functions in accordance with the norms. There are fire safety zones on every floor, in every hall, that is, as far as fire safety is concerned, all decisions are absolutely within the framework of the norms.
From the bottom, air ducts and fire safety systems do not extend to the roof of a residential building, unlike ordinary houses. A separate smoke exhaust from the "tape" was designed, and a separate smoke exhaust with air outlets and air intakes - at the bottom, which allows to reduce the area of the staircase and elevator nodes and leave the building "airy".
This also significantly increases reliability, because there is actually a separate engineering center for each zone: one for housing, a second for the underground part, and a third for monuments. In addition to optimizing space, we achieve even greater autonomy of systems from each other. It cannot be that in the event of an accident, conventionally, in an underground parking lot, the engineering support of the "tape" will fail, or vice versa. And a big plus is that they practically did not rush us.
Let's touch on the chronology of the project. Won the Herzog & de Meuron competition in 2016. You joined at the beginning of 2017. When is the construction planned to start?
D. G.: Naturally, we would like to start sooner, but everyone understands that the level of responsibility that lies with all project participants, including the customer, is very high. This is a rare case when the customer realizes that if you take on such a project, you need to build as it is "drawn". And it is precisely this fact that does not now allow us to say with an accuracy of the day when the construction will begin and end. Everyone wants to make a quality product, it has to be both an architectural and an engineering statement. A new milestone, a new level of Moscow development.
A year was spent on a very detailed concept - architectural, technological, fire-fighting, engineering, constructive. We are currently working on project documentation. We must not forget that the project of the adaptation is subject to mandatory approval by the Department of Cultural Heritage.
Who is involved in the restoration?
D. G.: The restorers are our great friends. Apex has a license from the Ministry of Culture, we have our own specialists, but on this site we have subcontracted the restoration workshop Faros by Boris Savin. He is deeply immersed in the material. Moscow City Heritage helps with archival materials, with the definition of the range of acceptable solutions. I think the whole of 2018 will be spent on design, documentation approval, and next year we will start developing working documentation. No earlier than when half of the working documentation has been completed, construction will begin. Because here is not the kind of platform on which you can build from the sheet or in parallel. The quality requirements are very high.
