Video recording of the discussion (held at Arch Moscow):
Briefly about the main thing from the organizers:
The discussion was opened by Sergei Tchoban, head of the SPEECH architectural studio and the Berlin bureau TchobanVossArchitekten, presenting his report on the topic “Comfortable urban environment”, noting that architecture is a conservative and slowly developing area. It cannot change as quickly as technology, for example, gadgets. And for a comfortable life of a person, architecture is needed based on four basic principles: 1 - streets that are commensurate with a person and the building front, 2 - comfortable spaces for pedestrians, 3 - contrasting impressions of architecture, 4 - respect for the past. Choban confirmed these theses on the example of the practice of his own office in Berlin. The capital of Germany is currently the leader in terms of tourist growth, ahead of Paris and Rome. In his opinion, this trend is being formed thanks to the city authorities, which, at the legislative level, decided to preserve low-rise buildings and historical appearance in the city, which form a comfortable urban environment for a person. Despite a certain monotony, this environment is as organic as possible for a modern person, although it may seem a little boring, as the speaker commented. Sergei Tchoban also noted that in recent years, urban planning policy in Moscow has acquired similar landmarks, where the city is becoming a place for residents and pedestrians.
The topic of Next Architecture was continued by Nikita Tokarev, director of the Moscow architecture school MARCH, focusing his presentation on the main goal of the modern architectural school, which trains the generation of Next architects. This goal is to educate sensitive, thinking and responsible architects who focus their work not so much on knowledge of modern design technologies as on the development of emotional intelligence. The architect of the future, according to the director of the MARCH school, is a person who is sensitive to the needs of society and all interested parties at the mental and emotional level, who is able to make the most correct architectural decision on an intuitive level, among the many options generated by the "machine". Nikita Tokarev summed up his speech with the thesis that values do not change, instruments change.
The idea of Nikita Tokarev's speech was continued by the head of the UNKproject bureau, Yuliy Borisov, who agreed that emotions are an object of research for the architect of the future. In his presentation, the architect displayed a retrospective of the development of means of transport, communications, art and architecture, formulating the idea that over the past century the vector of movement has significantly shifted from decorativeness to an essence filled with a polysyllabic complex of various functions. According to Yuliy Borisov, the architecture of the future is the architecture of meanings, algorithms and content. Moreover, due to the rapid development of technologies in the next 10-15 years, objects that now have a specific functional purpose will lose their relevance, and the architect should be the first to think about the environmental friendliness of these projects. Environmental friendliness in terms of the universality of the target functions of the object. So that the building constructed now does not turn into construction waste in 50 years, the architect must predict and put into its potential functionality the ability to adapt to the functions that are more relevant for that fragment of time, thereby extending the life cycle of the object.
GucluTolan - Vice President of the Corporate Business Department of CreditEuropeBank, in his speech told how much the approach of investors in the matter of investing in architectural projects has changed. If earlier the main criterion was the assessment of the profitability of the project, now the role of architectural solutions comes to the fore. The external appearance of the building, the complexity and completeness of exterior and interior solutions, a landscaped and comfortable territory, the presence of social functions of the object and everything that is important for each consumer are arguments for making a positive decision in the issue of long-term investment in the project.
The discussion ended with a speech by the guest of honor - the Ambassador of Turkey to Russia - Huseyn Dirioz. Mr. Ambassador expressed his admiration for the cultural and historical heritage of Moscow, including in the architectural aspect. Moscow, which has preserved many old buildings with unique facades, stands out among the largest capitals in the world, according to Hussein Dirioz. The trend of creating a pedestrianized city in recent years has created even greater comfort for residents and visitors alike. Mr. Ambassador emphasized that the architectural heritage is a reflection of the cultural depth, which is truly rich in Moscow and Russia.
The organizer and moderator of the discussion - Gyokan Avcioglu - at the end of the event said about the important role of such meetings with colleagues at the international level, in order to discuss topics that are relevant for architects. It is especially valuable that in recent years Moscow has acquired the status of an architectural center capable of uniting world-class architects to search for common approaches in the field of architecture and urban planning solutions of the future.
