Wilds of the fairytale taiga
The 19th century terem in Astashovo looks like a colorful illustration from a book of Russian fairy tales. And it seems even more surreal because from the nearest villages and villages located several tens of kilometers away, a road leads here, along which not every transport will pass in rain or snow. Locals prefer ATVs: you are shaking yourself on bumps, going deep into the forest thicket, and suddenly he is in the clearing. With brand new colored stained-glass windows and windows, restored walls and wood decor, rooms like in a five-star hotel, restaurant-level cuisine and a museum of Russian village antiques. Miracles and nothing more. Moreover, six years ago there was only a ruin in this place, so overgrown that Andrei and Olga, who had come specially to look for the house of a well-to-do peasant Sazonov, did not even notice it right away. But then they could not leave - and did a colossal work, deservedly appreciated by the professionals, who in 2017 presented the tower with the Grand Prix of the ARCHIWOOD Prize. So the meeting with "Drevolution" was a foregone conclusion: objects made of wood, which are born as a result of the festival, started by the architect Nikolai Belousov, regularly become the winners of the only prize in Russia for wooden architecture. In addition, the first "Drevolution" 15 years ago happened nearby, in Galich, where today Belousov's plant for the production of designer wooden log cabins "Project OBLO" is located.
All to the shelter?
Despite the obvious choice of location (and the theme he inspired - "Shelter"), he was bold. Because almost immediately after the threshold of the tower, the original forest thickens around. Almost nothing is left of the villages and villages that used to be here. The main walking route - a loop of preserved paths along which the peasants left to work - turns into a swamp in some places after the downpours.
The boy Sasha came to the festival from St. Petersburg and was forced to interrupt his stay, driven by an unknown allergy. Girl Ira accidentally stepped on a hornet's nest, and she had to check on her own skin the folk method of treatment - smearing with mud. The horseflies were supposed to disappear in the second half of July, but, apparently sensing that there might not be another such chance, they stayed until August, and together with mosquitoes they tried to darken any walk - not to mention those intense hours when you work on a height of ten meters in the pouring rain or carry on your own shoulders 9-meter poles under the scorching sun. The guys were offered to choose places for objects closer and simpler structures - but they refused. “Just like us, they don't look for easy ways,” the owners of the mansion laughed.
And it is because of this that everything seems to have happened.
Swallow butterflies, or Flight towards happiness and freedom
The Grand Prix
"House of Poros" / APIL PILA team: Ksenia Dudina, Nastasya Ivanova, Dmitry Mukhin - St. Petersburg; Yan Posadsky, Voronezh
“This object is about what happened. About what has become. About what remains after us. About the power of time and the power of nature. About abandoned and reopened”. After overcoming 6 kilometers of the near-city "tourist route", a field with wooden wings soared above it opens. On closer inspection, it turns out that the wings "grew" from the remains of wooden log cabins. “Once there was a village. And now there are only two houses left. And these houses have almost disappeared, while others have disappeared altogether. Time hid them. It is very difficult to see them if you do not know about them. And we decided to show them. Reopen,”the Apil Saw team explains their idea in the annotation to the object.
The largest "butterfly" has a wing height of 9 meters, and a trapezoid at the base, the other two have a wing height of 6 meters and a dark triangle at the base. All three are made of 18 x 92 mm board.
The guys met here at the festival. They were looking for the remains of civilization - and accidentally stumbled upon a huge old saw, which became the first trophy and a reason to name the team. The remains of the village were also discovered by accident - at first they were looking in the other direction. But now their mistakes cannot be repeated. “Now everything has turned upside down here. Now there is a forest in the house. And instead of a roof, the sky. She just opened up and gave the forest a way."
Having installed a structure of beams connected at the bottom over each surviving foundation of the house (and the method of fastening in all cases is different, depending on the configuration of the base and the relief), the architects, according to them, release the souls of those who once lived in it, locked in the ruin. … The third pair of "wings" was added on purpose - as a pointer, on the one hand, clearly visible from the road, and on the other, as an element, when looking at the field from the hill, lining up together with the other two into a spectacular composition.
However, the members of the jury saw in these objects the soaring soul of architecture itself: as if having thrown off the hard and heavy chitin of the past, it rushed upward in a light and graceful silhouette. And although the authors claimed that they were inspired by the swallows that made their nests on the balcony of the tower, a new one - "Butterflies" was immediately entrenched behind this work, called "The House of Pigs". The butterflies themselves also fixed themselves on it: they fluttered over the field and sat on wooden beams as on flower petals.
The idea of the flight so captivated "APIL PILO" that the team made another object, for which, together with the previous "House of Poros", received the Grand Prix. "NAD" is located much closer to the tower and offers the most direct road to Happiness - to the top of the spruce, to a small red birdhouse, where it lives according to legend (which they themselves invented). “To get to it, you have to take off. And to take off, you just need to push off the ground and close your eyes. " And although in fact it is impossible to swing a swing on giant slings to such an extent as to be higher than the crowns, but there is a feeling of both flight and aspiration to a ghostly "ideal house", and falling into a completely different space - isn't this architecture? “And they will see the sky. They will become us. They will become birds."
Stunned by the wilderness, driven by debt
Jury Prize
"Stunned" / team RIVER NEVA: Anna Azarova, Nikolay Gagin, Sofya Gorshkova, Olesya Nelaeva - Tyumen; Alexandra Oreshkina, Irina Pavlova - St. Petersburg.
The second object, which immediately became a favorite of the festival jury, was, in a sense, doomed to success, being connected with the history of cultural heritage: the NEVA RIVER team found in the Kostroma wilderness the ruin of not just a village hut, but the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, left over from one of the four monasteries founded at the end of the XIV century by Abraham Chukhlomsky, a rare specimen of southern Gothic for these places. But if it were not for the "Stunned" object, which makes one look away from the dug-out road and turn it to the side, the traveler would have passed by even better than the rest of the preserved bell tower: the forest is so dense here and so it has grown together with him. Nevertheless, it is worth stopping - and you find yourself an involuntary listener to a silent sermon, which seems to be heard from the depths of the ruin. “The problem of the loss of historical and cultural heritage, the disappearance of any reminders of life before us really scares and makes us think. Destroyed churches, extinct villages - all this is the result of human indifference …"
All elements are arranged in a system of visual axes that converge in the center of the cube. He, in turn, is a unique observation point from which the space of the inner courtyard of the church is perceived in full. There are three types of benches in height, but you cannot sit on any of them - just lean slightly.
The wooden cube between the gate and the bell tower, on the surface of which a cross is formed, is the image of a monk hiding in a church. Rows of "benches" against which you can only lean slightly (many members of the jury considered them an echo of a church analogion) - these are the students following the teacher. Moreover, the rows of benches are arranged so that the courtyard and the inner space of the church appear from different angles - or even hide behind the backs of other "sitting people". “When choosing a place, a person answers the question 'am I ready to see this?' Those who have made up their minds move on, and plunging into the atmosphere of a destroyed church, ask the following question: "Am I ready to accept this?" In response to it, in the eyes of the children there was a clear "not ready".
Miracle of forest creation
"Forests in the woods" / team FORESTOVAL: Yulia Vereshchagina, Voronezh; Daria Kristal, Moscow; Lev Naftulin, St. Petersburg; Arina Perevedentseva, Moscow; Leila Udimamedova, St. Petersburg.
This time the jury decided not to award any more places and prizes (what to hide - more than once there was a proposal to give the victory to all participants), however, the incredible romanticism of the hexagonal “rotunda” at the base, erected away from the main path around the dead tree, was unanimously recognized. As if this structure, at different levels of which, by the way, you can comfortably move, sit and lie, accumulates healing energy in its center, thanks to which a sick pine tree will revive.
From the "forests" that surrounded the tree, two paths were trodden into the forest. The poems, printed and hung on the "scaffolding" on the final day of "Drevolution", Daria Krystal wrote during the festival, inspired by the local nature.
In reality, the plans of the authors are even more global: in an environment so nutritious for legends and legends, they built something like a “cradle of the forest”: “This is the workshop of a faceless master - the spirit of the forest that lives in itself and everywhere around us, taking care of its forest descendants. In our workshop, we wanted to reflect as clearly as possible the process of creating a piece of forest as a process of another world not inhabited by people; as a separate part of the universe."
Poetic flair surrounded the rotunda in the most literal sense: one of the architects wrote a whole poem for the opening of the object - a response to the fairy power of the forest.
“Once there was a forest, And he was in himself, And the spirits of the forest were his children.
And people entered
And the temple was erected with the village, And the gifts were given, and those gifts received.
Wanting to save the children
Silence and scream
The forest was put into the rustle of foliage - no one heard them …"
By the way, it was after the discussion of the jury of "Forests in the forest" that the idea was expressed that the best objects of this "Drevolution" would look worthy in the exposition
chapels on the island of San Giorgio Margiore, initiated by the Vatican during the Architecture Biennale in Venice - together with works by Norman Foster, Eduardo de Souto de Moura, Smiljan Radic and others.
Path to childhood
"Forest" / team "SAZONYCH": Evgeny Karmanov, Anton Purenkov, Anton Nikolaenkov, Yaroslav Razumovsky
The team, whose members "sang" at the last "Drevolution" and this year came together (they sang almost all the time - especially fervently, returning from the work site at the end of the day), presented if not the most poetic, then the most romantic project. Most of the architects used their stay at the festival to learn new skills (carpentry at high altitudes, the use of climbing equipment for climbing trunks, etc.) and to fulfill their childhood dream - to build a cozy tree house. Not even like that: to break away from reality and hide at an unattainable height. It all began prosaically: “They expect something fabulous from this forest, but they encounter dirt and an aggressive environment. We decided to improve it a little and offer an alternative path among the trees."
By the way, not a single forest tree was damaged during the construction of the "path" of several sections-transitions: instead of nails and screws, only crimp ties were used for fastening. And although the whole structure seriously fluctuates in the wind, according to estimates, it should withstand a weight of up to 500 kilograms (the Sazonychs, who named themselves after the peasant Sazonov, who built the tower, arranged a serious disco along with choral performances on the “path” for testing).
The height of the terrace from the houses above ground level is 12 meters. So that in the caisson built into the floor of the house, you can easily make a fire, it is insulated and filled with sand.
The cube house of four frames, trimmed with black-painted board, is a reward for those who have reached the end of the trail and now have the opportunity to rest. “A studio of six squares at your service,” say the architects: the house with a terrace is designed for seating for four people. From the side of the "main facade" a breathtaking view of the stream, bridge, spruce forest and sunsets opens up - and he forced to lay the "path" along this group of trees. And when it gets dark, a real live fire can be made on the terrace.
Eyes to the sky
"Ways" / KORA team: Anna Bormatova, Moscow; Christina Kazarnovskaya, St. Petersburg; Victor Markin, Voronezh; Alexander Sushchin, Voronezh; Alexey Ushakov, Voronezh; Maria Yakovleva, Voronezh.
Right next to the alternative "celestial" path is an art object, philosophically called "Ways". This is a spatial sculpture, assembled from a slab and edged board, not only of different sizes and heights (the authors spent a day in the woodworking industry to select each element by the piece), but also with a different surface: on the one hand - an even cut, on the other - "Normal" bark. So when you walk past the "Ways" from the side of the tower, the composition of light wood makes you slow down and, following the pyramidal, upward contours, raise your eyes to the sky. On the way back, on the contrary, the sculpture “disguised” by the bark dissolves into the surrounding forest, and you can see it only if you follow a parallel path.
Reaches 3 meters at the top, at the bottom the height of the object does not exceed 25 cm. The total length of the structure is 7 m, the minimum width is 1 m, and the maximum is 3 m.
The materials used are slab and unedged board, which are generally considered "waste". The parts are connected with nails and self-tapping screws.
“Once upon a time this forest became a shelter for the ancient peoples of the Merya. We tried to maintain a connection with history and express the way of the Meryans with our object. The structure becomes part of the forest and at the same time stands out in the existing environment. This is how we show that the Meryans were part of this forest, created their own culture and way of life, but over time they seemed to dissolve in it."
Gateway to Astashovo
Obverse / Reverse / AMO team: Irina Istomina, St. Petersburg; Anna Novikova, Moscow; Maria Khoreva, Moscow.
This object is the closest to the tower and the only one contextually associated with it. Moreover, the connection between the two worlds - the wild forest and the landscaped territory of the tower - is built so subtly that individual members of the jury insisted on the establishment of a special prize. Simultaneous duality and unity is reflected in the name of the project: obverse - front side of the medal, reverse - back.
Stable and solid - and at the same time, openwork and visually lightweight construction can be considered as a bridge, and as a gate, and as an entrance arch, and as an observation tower. Moreover, from a height of 4 meters, a new vantage point really opens up on the tower and the clearing around it. “It seems that in this place the thicket seems to open its doors, inviting everyone to visit the immense forest and get acquainted with its bizarre wild world, to feel all its versatility. At the same time, "Obverse / Reverse" serves as a kind of spacer that helps the wood pulp no longer close the rows and remain open for guests. The structure can also be perceived as a brace that tightens the boundaries of the forest, making the path sacred, and human intervention in nature to a minimum."
The forest-to-forest bridge design is stable and comfortable for humans. Glued laminated timber and boards of various sections served as building materials for the object. The total height of the structure above the ground is 5.3 m, the height of the flooring is 4.37 m, the width of the supporting structure is 6 m, and due to the cantilever protrusions of the decorative part, the object reaches a width of 8.85 m.
The color scheme of the object deserved special praise - especially in light of the fact that the festival participants had paint in yellow, red, blue, green and white colors. Nevertheless, the AMO team managed to get from them the shade of tree trunks covered with dense foliage - the main load-bearing parts were painted in it. Thus, the supports became invisible, and from a distance they became completely invisible. The wood and the structure merged into one. The light triangles supporting the railings are a bright accent and a tribute to the tower: their design is based on the pattern of the platbands.
The bridge-arch also responds to the theme of the Shelter festival: being at the top, you find yourself still not in the forest thicket, but already far from civilization. No longer on clay soil washed out by rain, but not yet in the sky. As conceived by the authors (by the way, it was they who, through the fault of allergies, lost the only male fighter in the team), the bridge is the very personal hideout from where you look at the rest of the world as detached and objective as ever.
You see what a fabulously important thing Nikolai Belousov is doing. How, in just two weeks, these boys and girls, like the ruins they found and despite the attacks of diseases, insects and rains, themselves sprouted in the local forest - so much so that they walk barefoot, and butterflies and swallows sit on their shoulders. How in two weeks the process of creation from a barely flashed thought to a complex constructive object made them older and more experienced. How communication with like-minded people breathed new faith into the profession. How life side by side in extreme conditions made one family. How existence on the border between natural and man-made allowed them to finally feel the limits of their capabilities and get away from themselves. Take cover to unfold. How the riddles and tales of the ancient forest made one write heartfelt poems, and the other burst into tears at the memory of the abandoned homeland, where villages and houses are being destroyed in the same way right now. As a thorough reflection of some of them, 29 young people, in this tiny place on the scale of the planet, about the lost values, if it did not restore the global deficit of feelings of guilt and responsibility, then it seriously shook the balance.
And those guests of the mansion - and there are quite a few of them here - who will go out on the footpath after the festival and meet the objects of the "Drevolyutsiya" simply cannot pass by.
And they will see the sky. They will become them. They will become birds.
