Golitsinskie ponds, Small and Bolshoi, - the main water area of Gorky Park - are located in its "backyards", in the opposite part from the main entrance. The Bolshoy Pond was landscaped by the Wowhaus bureau back in 2011, when a wooden embankment, a pier, a cafe and the Olive Beach not far from the Moskva River embankment appeared here.
The Small Pond has remained unattended until now: the bank was not fortified, the rough shed for birds was dilapidated, the embankments were not decorated in any way, and therefore it was difficult to approach the water. Although there is life nearby: a couple of cafes overlooking the water, a rose garden, swans, the place did not match the "fashion" of the rest of the already landscaped areas of the park and was generally not used too much.
The People's Architect team tried to unleash the potential of this corner: to emphasize the beauty of water and trees, to arrange comfortable approaches and paths, to focus on the swan house, which could become a point of attraction in this part of the park. At the same time, the architects wanted to avoid heavy structures. Experience in working with
improvement of the Izmailovsky Park, which, however, did not reach implementation. In the Izmailovo project, the architects also focused on the search for the "genius of the place" and the undisclosed sides of the landscape. They also designed a menagerie for poultry and animals.
The architects “surround” the Small Golitsyn Pond with a footpath, separating it from the trees. Three wooden deck-terraces appear by the water, where you can relax and admire the landscape. At first, they were conceived as consoles protruding above the water, but the technical limitations associated with working in the park area did not allow this idea to be realized.
As a result, one embankment stretches almost along the entire free side of the pond opposite the restaurant and the swan house. The other two, smaller ones, are located on the toes at the transition to the Big Pond and resemble leaves of a tree in shape. Almost everywhere there are descents-steps - you can sit on them with your legs dangling to the very water. Some of the embankments are closed by weightless fences made of double-layer impact-resistant glass. A similar combination - wooden flooring and transparent fences - was used on the floating bridge in Zaryadye. The terraces have already been equipped with benches and lighting, flower beds will appear in the near future.
The dominant feature of the pond is the swan house. It replaced the rough pile barn of the 1960s, which was located in approximately the same place - in the corner on the side of Titovsky Proezd. The architects decided that the house will perfectly cope with the role of an art object: it is clearly visible from all sides, but at the same time it is impossible to interact with it, since only the staff has access.
The house is built on a floating base, without foundations and piles, it can be moved. He received a functionally justified and at the same time unusual silhouette. The high part is intended for people caring for birds, and hay is stored here in the mezzanine. Only swans are in charge in the squat zone. The house stands on a wooden platform, which forms a terrace with ladders along the entire perimeter, so that the birds can freely descend into the water and return. It is connected to the shore by a small bridge.
They planned to make the window sliding, but the maintenance service said that this entrance would not be used, since swans live in houses only in winter, and spend the summer outside. In warm weather, the swans are released through the main entrance. Inside the house there are small water enclosures so that you can swim in winter, special ladders lead there.
The architects managed to come up with a space that is both comfortable for birds and people. Swans have an open-air cage with water and the so-called "quiet corners", formed by a blank wall and roof, where they feel safe. It is convenient for the staff to enter and clean the enclosure, and for visitors to the park - to watch the birds even when they are in the house: thanks to the illumination, the silhouettes of the swans are visible outside the window like in a shadow theater.
The main feature of the house is its “plumage” made of larch shingle, made by hand. Planks of different sizes create an unusual variegated and textured surface - it turned out, indeed, an art object with many associations: with a plowshare of Russian antiquity, a stove from "Geese-Swans", fallen leaves, a hut in the forest.
As a result of the improvement, the pond received a frame, which gives an excuse to extend the walk to the far corner of the park and stay there. The concept is quite in the style of the current Europeanized Gorky Park, but also with new touches, from somewhere in Nikola-Lenivets.
New objects for Gorky Park have added to the most extensive section of the portfolio of "People's Architect" - with improvement projects: from navigation and small courtyards to integrated solutions for parks and urban areas. In this particular case, we see a change in the vector in our architecture in general. If earlier young workshops began mainly with the design of private cottages, now they are more willing to take on parks and public spaces. What can not but rejoice: it is good when the path to success begins with taking care of many citizens at once.
