The architectural and design division of the company was opened not so long ago - in 2013. Tell us how you structured your work in a highly competitive market, what was your strategy?
The strategy is built on the quality, speed and professionalism of decisions made at all levels: from ideas at the concept level to implementation. Regardless of where the object is located, whether it is small or large, I regard it as the most interesting and important. I am always looking for non-standard architectural, urban planning and planning solutions. And, of course, an important factor in the formation of the company as an "architect" is a special relationship with developers and marketers when creating objects. From the very beginning, we delve into the essence of their goals and objectives, find out for whom they are building, discuss the budget. A correct dialogue, where the client and the architect hear each other, is the key to success. It is important to solve the problem that the developer sets for you and to do it with a unique architectural solution. An interesting complex can be created with simple solutions, and uniqueness can lie not only in the high cost of facade materials or interior decoration, uniqueness is the organization of space, both at the level of the master plan and at the level of each apartment.
But the main step towards success, I think, was our team. I try to instill in each specialist a special attention to detail and quality. My favorite phrase when discussing any issue with colleagues was: “Treat the object as your future home. Imagine that you live in this complex, walk around its territory, live in this apartment, park, you are surrounded by these facades … Do you want to live here? And if “no”, then we will look for a solution until the answer is “yes”.
There are indeed a lot of architectural bureaus and general designers on the market - the competition is certainly high. But I don’t spend energy on these thoughts, I don’t even have time for them. Therefore, I never considered anyone to be my competitor. I just start working and immerse myself in the project, treat it like my child, who needs to be raised and put into it all the best that I can give.
What experiments are developers willing to undertake in terms of unusual architectural solutions?
You know, the further you go, the more interesting it is to work on residential real estate. Due to the high competition among developers, architects have the opportunity to use tools that were not available before - high-quality finishing materials, atypical planning solutions, interesting landscaping. And if a developer is a competent marketer, then he understands the importance and value of these tools and is ready to experiment, for example, with landscaping, because he knows: it is necessary not only to sell an apartment, it is necessary to create an environment, an important element of which is the courtyard area. And now there is a request for their design as local public spaces with the possibility of using a variety of landscaping, small architectural forms of individual production, modern European equipment for sports and playgrounds.
And it is important to note that developers are eager to experiment with finishing materials for facades and landscaping. They began to focus on environmental friendliness: wood on flooring, clinker bricks and natural stone instead of fiber cement and porcelain stoneware.
What trends in architecture can you point out in terms of promoting residential properties?
Now developers, designers and architects pay more attention to pedestrian accessibility and permeability of the environment, facade solutions, plastics, materials, trying to approach each object individually. There is nothing new in this, but the very attitude to the details of the master plan and space-planning decisions has become more serious. The winners are projects where the interests of people are at the head. It is important to be able to convey to developers and marketers what will be comfortable and appropriate for future tenants.
Now the company's portfolio consists mainly of high-rise residential complexes. How do they solve the problems associated with the typology of "mass housing"?
Public housing is most often associated with typical planning solutions, high building density, lack or lack of parking spaces.
We use a variety of planning solutions for apartments. People have the opportunity to choose the most comfortable housing specifically for themselves: someone loves more chamber spaces, and someone open spaces - we all have different preferences. And the problem with parking lots, including guest parking spaces, has long been solved by underground levels. This allows you to create clean and comfortable courtyard spaces without car access. With such decisions, each resident of the complex and his family feel comfortable. After all, everyone remembers well the sidewalks and rest areas clogged with cars, when the feeling that you live in a parking lot haunts - there is nowhere to walk, play with your child, or just go out into the fresh air and read.
And the higher the density on the site, the more difficult and interesting the task is for the architect! Methods for solving this issue are different: visual facilitation of building due to different number of storeys, gaps, different stylistic facade solutions and their colors.
What do you mean by “comfortable environment”?
This is a certain atmosphere that an architect creates for a person: from his path to the house and ending with an apartment. A feeling of complete harmony, when nothing interferes and does not cause discomfort, when you feel satisfaction that you are in this space. The object must be comfortable for life and at the same time harmonious in relation to the environment. And a harmonious environment is not only a choice of facades and layouts, it is a kind of set of solutions. For example, the territory should be competently functionally structured: the entrance area to the residential complex and the yard space should be separated from the public area. The pedestrian level should be saturated with public functions and there should be a developed social infrastructure.
Does the company plan to go beyond "specialization" in multifunctional residential complexes, and if so, in which direction would you be interested in working?
The company does not have a clear specialization in residential complexes, it is rather related to trends in the real estate market. Housing is something that is now being built on a large scale and has a market demand greater than offices and shopping centers. We also have public buildings in the works, I hope there will be more such facilities, including sports facilities. It is more interesting for an architect to experiment with curvilinear volumes, large spans, which are difficult to apply in housing. But a professional in his field is inspired by any direction.
Are you using BIM technology?
Now BIM modeling is developing in all companies. It is needed by both designers and developers. With us, BIM makes it easier to work with related specialists and departments. When there is a single model, all decisions can be worked out quickly and without errors. At a certain stage, the model is transferred to the customer, and later on it helps to operate the building.
We use BIM on all projects, but not 100% everywhere. Development of engineering networks and structural elements, the most complex parts, for example, the underground part, always goes to Revit. We are doing something in AutoCad, but there is a common task to completely switch to Revit within a year.
How would you define your writing style?
The author's style is an ephemeral concept for me, it is not for me to determine its presence or absence. Starting to work on a new project, I try to forget what I saw earlier and give a solution that I have not yet given. This is the creative process and the search. I believe that each object should be individual, and my goal is not to develop a recognizable handwriting. It's like a jigsaw puzzle that you collect from the constraints and tasks that the city, the customer and society set for you. The difference is that when you put together a puzzle, you see the final picture in front of you, while our result is visible only at the stage of completion of the building.
And for myself, every time I set myself the task of making the urban environment more comfortable and interesting, and the quality of life of the townspeople - higher. Improving yourself, what surrounds you, what you can influence - this is the main goal of a person's life. I set myself this very task, because the architect directly affects the arrangement and quality of life of people.
