Looking back over the past 2018, we collected the opinions of architects by asking the following questions:
- Your resume for the past year, whether it was good or not very good, cheerful or rather sad, productive or not.
- What would you call the trends of the year - where is it going?
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What events would you mark as important, including interesting buildings:
- In the world
- In Russia
- In your workshop
- Find of the Year / Disappointment of the Year
- Build of the Year / Project of the Year here and there.
The answers, as expected, turned out to be different: short and detailed, point by point and no. Note that there are not many results that are completely sad, but we cannot expect completely positive results either. We earned several mentions: the victory of Studio 44 at the WAF, the completed building of the Zaryadye concert hall, Tyufeleva Roshcha, the reboot of the Project Russia magazine, the NER exhibition, the World Cup, the Swiss pavilion at the Biennale. Of the projects, the most notable were, not without reason, houses on legs from Herzog & de Meuron at the Badayevsky plant and residential complexes from MVRDV on the Garden Ring, and sometimes with completely opposite assessments. Much has been said about landscaping, but less than one might expect. The order of comments is completely arbitrary, the most interesting can be both at the beginning, in the middle, and at the very end. ***
Vladimir Plotkin, TPO "Reserve"
This year we completed the building of the Concert Hall in Zaryadye Park, for us it was a landmark project and very hard work.
From what was built in the world - maybe I don't follow well, many nice houses have appeared, but I don't remember anything bright and breakthrough. I was very interested in Asif Khan's speech at the Cultural Forum - some things really mesmerized, for example, his super-black pavilion for the Winter Olympics in South Korea, which absorbs 99% of the light; before, I somehow did not pay attention to his work. Maybe his proposed synthesis of super technologies and architecture will give an impetus for the development of something incredible, something that has not happened over the past hundred years.
Perhaps the “Tyufeleva Roscha” became a disappointment: I drove there out of curiosity, I did not like the rusty metal pergola at all, it was ugly drawn, incomprehensible and of poor quality. Although there was no prejudice, on the contrary, I went to see - everyone is praising. Maybe everything will be overgrown with trees, it will get better - now they are small and there is no park as such.
On the contrary, I liked the new entrance to Gorky Park, made by Wowhaus - it was professionally and elegantly drawn. Their embankment in Tula also seemed to me a good implementation. Speaking of parks, not so long ago I accidentally discovered a small Delegatsky park for myself: normal urban design, good visual communications, big trees. Probably, in such cases, not always a very bright gesture is needed.
From the tendencies of Moscow construction in recent years, I see more and more reproduction and, as a result, profanity of the techniques that we, in particular, were fond of some time ago. Either colorful accents, or ornamental patterns - being not very skillfully made, and applied on giant complexes with obvious simplification, they become intrusive and annoying, especially when you think that at some point you yourself had a hand in the spread of this or that "fashion ". It happens that a customer comes, enriched with the advice of "advanced" marketers, with a request: do it like this, and shows something from our old projects … Inertia in many things is what is not fun: both on the facades and in layouts. In cheap residential buildings, layouts are boring, in expensive ones it is even more boring - there is absolutely no room for experiments. And it is completely unclear how to change this predictability. ***
Nikita Yavein, Studio 44
1. Summary of the year
This year posed many challenges and questions for Studio 44, but did not give answers and did not resolve any difficulties - left it as a legacy in 2019.
2. Trends
I would say that architecture now has to be done in a tougher and more uncompromising situation. The times of softness, relaxation are in the past. But every cloud has a silver lining - on the other hand, the rules of the game have appeared, the “game without rules” zone has been significantly reduced. And still it can not but rejoice that the professional reputation of the architect is again becoming the main guarantor of a high-quality result. It plays into the hands of our company.
3. Events. 3.1. In the world
Perhaps the strongest impression of the past year -
Museum of African Contemporary Art in Cape Town. In the tubular structure of the former elevator, Thomas Heatherwick carved out large fragments to create a complex system of 80 galleries. The result is an amazingly powerful and expressive architecture. I agree with the author, who calls it an “arched cathedral”.
3.2. In Russia
I am very glad that Totan Kuzembaev has become the "architect of the year" - it is high time to award him this title! I will definitely come to Arch-Moscow to watch his personal exhibition.
I would also like to note the confident professional evolution of the Khvoya architectural bureau. Many have already noticed them from conceptual works, and now buildings appear one after another -
House by the sea, House for two artists, wooden office in Olgino. The guys have developed their own recognizable handwriting, they subtly feel the texture of the tree. I am pleased to observe their development, because many members of the bureau are pupils of Studio 44.
3.3. In a workshop
The construction of the Boris Eifman Children's Ballet Theater has been completed. This project was not easy for us. It was not possible to keep the exterior of the building within the framework of our plan. But the interior turned out to be very interesting, the spectator complex is one of the best among those built according to our projects and, what is especially valuable, we managed to get to the details in the interior.
4. Disappointment of the year
The loss of the Church of the Assumption in Kondopoga is a terrible event, an irreparable loss. And at the same time, disappointment is in the way things stand with the protection of monuments. The Church of the Assumption was taken under the protection of the state by the efforts of Igor Grabar in 1918 and exactly one hundred years later burned down overnight. This is shocking: the recognition of the outstanding value of the monument in the hungry 1918 and its destruction in our well-fed and prosperous era. A national treasure, a masterpiece of temple architecture was not equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system and was guarded by one caretaker …
5. Construction / Project of the Year
Restoration of the Narkomfin House under the leadership of Alexei Ginzburg. I hope that this inspiring example of the revival of a monument to constructivism will create, as they say now, a new trend in development.
Biennale in Venice
I do not consider the success of the Swiss pavilion at the Venice Biennale to be accidental. I must say, I predicted his victory from the very beginning. Yes, it was "empty", there were no architectural projects. But there was a reflection on the fundamental themes of architecture - an unexpected and very interesting view of things. And then, in the exposition of the Swiss pavilion there was integrity, which the Russian pavilion was sorely lacking - it seemed to be assembled from different pieces …
Even in Venice, the Renzo Piano exhibition made a strong impression with its techniques in the field of exhibition design, and Carlo Scarpa's glass - with its artistic qualities.
WAF and
the victory of the Studio 44 Blockade Museum project
We really needed this victory, we put a lot of thoughts, feelings, skills, nerves into it. We really wanted to win and achieved success. We have been participating in the WAF competition since 2013, and out of the projects we exhibited, every third won - very few people in Europe can boast of such performance.
Igor Shvartsman, SKiP
1-2. Summary and trends I see the tendencies of the year in the blurring of the tendencies themselves. There is no deeply thought-out strategic development program on which manifestos, tactics and short-term forecasts would be based - and no one even tries to propose such a program.
On the contrary, a nihilistic tendency continues to develop, which often borders on the cynicism of all participants in the process of creating objects. The required and declared sociality is increasingly formal in nature, irrelevant to the essence of the issue. The dialogue between officials and the professional community is lively, but it is often limited to the notorious “I heard you”, which, we admit, does not inspire optimism.
Talk about the protection of the rights of architects and the law "On architecture" has set the teeth on edge. Again the "new" law, correct provisions and high goal-setting. But, unfortunately, in the eyes of many, these are guild interests, incomprehensible neither to the broad masses, nor to quite intelligent intelligent people from other areas and completely uninteresting to customers and officials. On the other hand, hiding behind the banal: “we are not like that, life is like that” is also not the case - “whipping up sour cream” is still worth it. Lobbying the interests of one's community is a good thing and not at all shameful. I would like to wish us the emergence of charismatic authoritative lobbyists who will be respected and whose opinion will be reckoned with both in offices and in squares.
The participation and victories of our colleagues in international competitions and awards, as well as the holding of international competitions here, I consider a positive trend. However, I would like to see in our country many more projects implemented with the participation of their authors, who have retained both the name and the concept. So far, only Zaryadye comes to mind, and even there the DS + R concept has been significantly adjusted.
3. Events and buildings
Of the foreign buildings of interest to me, I would like to note the Apple headquarters in California, completed at the beginning of this year, designed by Foster + Partners, like many Apple stores around the world. Although Apple Park itself is not accessible to outside visitors, the visitor center located next to it is open to the public - a very stylish, minimalistic, functionally competent building.
One of the main positive events of this year in Russia was the FIFA World Cup, which became a kind of test for the pedestrian streets and public spaces of Russian cities. The cities coped with this test, even withstood the activity beyond the planned - as, for example, the "holiday of disobedience" on Nikolskaya. However, it is difficult to say whether users should adapt to the landscaping - or if the landscaping should "legitimize" the prevailing environment. However, most likely, the truth should be sought in compromises.
Of the Russian projects - I would like to draw your attention to the project of the museum on Solovki Narine Tyutcheva and the Rozhdestvenka bureau. Here, landscape-town-planning, space-planning and interior solutions make up a common inseparable ensemble, solved in one breath in an organic combination of feeling and reason.
Of the important events for our workshop, I can single out the very fact of continuing professional life with all its disappointments, routine and successes. ***
Levon Airapetov and Valeria Preobrazhenskaya, TOTEMENT PAPER
1. Summary of the year
One of the most interesting events of 2018 in Russia, which struck despite the fact that there is little to be surprised at in our country, is the appointment of Vitaly Mutko as an official who forms the federal policy in the field of construction and, naturally, the architecture subordinate to him. The mechanic-minder of ship machines, the leader of the Komsomol, a football functionary, a "great orator", a fine connoisseur of sports medicine - such a gift was presented to the architects of Russia by our prime minister and president.
But that's not all. Vladimir Yakushev became the head of the Ministry of Construction, from 2001 to 2005 the deputy governor of Tyumen Sobyanin, and from 2005 to 2018 the governor of the same Tyumen. A lawyer and financier has been running Tyumen for 17 years. It was hard to find a better candidate.
The horror is that these are our direct leaders for years. They write laws for us, give permission for the total demolition of monuments, which for obvious reasons are not such for them, unite cities and regions, as their predecessors once unrolled great rivers.
Putin - Mutko - Yakushev - Sobyanin … - this is the architectural vertical since 2018, and it is, of course, "fun", but very, very sad. Well, the rest of the year is quite nothing. We, of course, never got our own Thomas Heatherwick, Bjarke Ingels, Winnie Maas, Tom Viscombe, Ma Yansong, but what cool Iskanders we have …
2. Trends of the year
Professional. Recently we read an interview with the talented architect Tatiana Bilbao in SPEECH. The quote literally: “… The idea of an architect as a genius and the savior of the world is dead. An architect is, first of all, teamwork and improving the quality of life of those for whom you are designing."
This "brilliant" phrase of a suicidal architect (and their number is constantly growing), which divides the world into two times - until 2018, where it is still alive, albeit too literal-sounding "beauty will save the world", and after 2018, when you can online with Congress of "United Russia" or from the Mexican architectural star Tatiana Bilbao to hear that … improving the quality of life of the population (those for whom you are designing) increased (with our, of course, help) by …% relative to the previous period, when these worthless geniuses were engaged in this - architects.
And this is the second horror of 2018. Is this going to be a long trend? In Russia in the coming years - probably yes (see "architectural vertical"). But in the world? I would like to hope that the female instinct let down the "star Mexican".
One of the notable trends was the near-final formation of the Chinese school of architecture, which has grown up wonderful young architects over two decades. Vietnam is just getting started. The Arab world is striving forward, albeit with the help of foreign geniuses. Well, we are still looking for our own path.
3. Important events and buildings
Well, of course, this is the Venice Biennale, WAF and other professional events. We congratulate our Russian colleagues who have achieved success at international festivals and competitions. We visited some of them ourselves, receiving awards. For example, we were in Athens, where we presented the personal award of the Architect of the Year to Sergei Tchoban, and where our project received the European prize in 2018. Wonderful victory for "Studio 44" at WAF. Young Russian architects have many good works and victories. We congratulate all colleagues.
3.1. In the world
Something comparable in importance to the Elbe Philharmonic in Hamburg or the New Louvre Nouvel did not appear. The last time with the parametric manifesto was Patrick Schumacher. Now in his hands one of the best bureaus in the world, but so far only old projects in China and Macau are good.
WAF is becoming more and more socialized. The curators of the Venice Biennale were hardly known to a large number of architects before they were appointed as such. Yes, they are certainly good professionals, but were they ready to formulate the task of the future … We missed both events.
3.2. In Russia
The main thing - see paragraph 1 above. And, of course, renovation, standardization, urbanization, integrated development of the territory, all-consuming improvement of the country (it seems that soon there will be a ministry for improvement - there is already
your own).
I wonder who will become the minister of welfare in the country?
In general, when the state begins to do something specific, or pays too much attention to something, begins to take care of it, appoints ministers and heroes, attracts loyal professionals to this to improve the quality of life … something inside creeps in anticipation of trouble. And the more attention, the worse.
3.3. In a workshop
We got some prizes for the previous one, came up with a cool future, as usual, not in Moscow, somehow we have with this city - not with the city of course, but with these, which are renovation, improvement, comprehensive development … Not very much. And after all, it has been somehow for a very long time.
Well, we are in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, London, Switzerland, even for EXPO 2020 for the commonwealth of Arab countries, and in St. Petersburg there is a rather interesting project.
By the way, about EXPO 2020.
What about the Russian pavilion? Was there a competition? Who designs? Who knows? Or are Petrov and Boshirov engaged in it too?
4. Find / Disappointment
Too much has already been said about the disappointments of the year.
From personal - they expected a more decisive architecture from Schumacher. Did not happen. Frank Gehry, who is difficult to recognize in his new
Facebook headquarters building.
5. Construction of the year
So far better than
Ex of in House from Stephen Hall on the concentration of architectural manifestation on a unit of space also did not happen. Well, yes, this is not 2018, but what can you do about it? We wait! ***
Alexey Ginzburg, Ginzburg architects
1. Summary of the year The year was difficult, but productive.
2. Trends
A significant increase in the volume of construction of residential complexes in the Moscow development as a functional imbalance.
3. Events
Venice Biennale, competition for pilot renovation sites, restoration of the Narkomfin building in our workshop.
4
The find of the year - the victory of the blockade museum at the WAF, the disappointment of the year - the decision to demolish the building of the Nightingale cinema center on Krasnaya Presnya.
5
The building here is the Zaryadye Concert Hall.
The project here is houses on legs on the Badayevskaya embankment of Herzog and de Meuron.
The building there is the Victoria and Albert Museum in Scotland by Kengo Kuma. ***
Sergey Skuratov, Sergey Skuratov architects
1. Summary of the year
The year has been very productive for us. We worked on a project of a 405-meter skyscraper in the City, on the concept of an elite quarter in Minsk. Both projects won an international competition. We worked for several months, also after winning the competition, on the pilot renovation site in Tsaritsyno. We have made many changes to our competition project related to significant adjustments to the TOR. Most of them fit into the final version, almost without damaging its integrity. Unfortunately, this task had to be abandoned, since the renovation fund categorically insisted on placing the already designed and examined three-section 17-storey starting house in a green area, which in our project was an important part of the public area, park, future museum and boulevard. I have no grudges, but in the event of a conflict of professional interests, I considered it necessary to take a principled position. I decided that further cooperation was pointless and unproductive and abandoned the project about a month and a half ago. And besides, I must admit that communicating with government agencies at this level was an extremely tedious task for me.
Otherwise, we are doing very well: we are building Sophia embankment, three skyscrapers on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment, a residential complex on Donskoy, a complex on Paveletskaya is being built with might and main … there, however, we did not make a working project and perhaps therefore the customer was not able to preserve the historical buildings; now the customer has returned to us with a request to rectify the situation, perhaps we will restore the destroyed, already as a remake, but still. Our seven houses are under construction on ZIL, the third quarter of the Garden Quarters is coming to an end, next year we hope to start designing a school, and the central zone will be completed. The construction of some houses according to the Ostozhenka and Reserva projects will begin in the second quarter, and the construction of the fifth quarter - however, unfortunately, I have nothing to do with them. The fifth quarter will be built according to the monstrous project of the Homeland company. This is another fly in the ointment of Mr. Soloshchansky, which he added to the Garden Quarters project before leaving Inteko. Unfortunately, it is solved in the same design code, and people may have suggestions that it was done by a very tired Skuratov …
We successfully passed two councils: from the residential complex on the street of the Fonchenko brothers and in Setunsky proezd. Next year they should start building a house in Nikolo-Vorobinsky Lane, next to the Art House. Perhaps the project in Kazan will return to us; we are building several country houses. Now the studio employs 60 architects, we will not increase it. We had little rest, but the mood was cheerful.
2. Trends
Nothing masterpiece, according to the Hamburg account, appeared in Russia. And it is unlikely to appear: due to the timing of design and construction, the quality of the order itself, conditions for density, height. In order for some masterpieces to appear here, the attitude towards urban planning, architecture and the concept of professionalism must change. So far, I do not see any prospects for improvement: the volume of government orders and the density of buildings are increasing, prices for design are decreasing, the influence of the architectural workshop on the formation of city policy is decreasing. When making a decision, the opinion of a professional is heard by the latter.
It is obvious that the workshop is getting younger, but the professional level is falling. There is no shop continuity, there is a big gap between our generation and the youth. A city like Moscow is sorely lacking professional architects. You can name a dozen workshops, including mine, which have a dozen advantages and a dozen disadvantages. In order to calculate really high-quality, good, supervised buildings - you don't need two hands. A beautiful concept becomes the ultimate dream; young people want to build, and they have very bright ideas about how to work with a customer and how to achieve results. Those who have already tried it choose either the commercial-compromise path, or the path of designing "one house", replicating the same technique in different guises. Unfortunately, there are no workshops in Moscow that would stubbornly move forward from project to project and reach a serious level. I don’t know, maybe it’s just so it seems to me. Everything that is done in Moscow is endless compromises. And architects are not fighters.
3. Events and projects
Of the interesting projects - I would name the Herzog & de Meuron project for the Badayevsky plant, if it takes place. I like the idea of a living area with legs. She is very innovative, but stylistic and compositional issues remain. I would have done a little differently, I will not say what it is, maybe ultra-thin glass towers or something else … But I like how the reconstruction of the plant is done in this project.
A very good project is a museum on Solovki Narine Tyutcheva; this, of course, is not a discovery, but a very appropriate, stylish, worthy, beautiful work.
I do not like the MVRDV building on the Garden Ring: the form is not Moscow, not urban, not restrained, deliberately provocative, although, as the council members say, the story was convincing. I absolutely do not like the project of Zaha Hadid's bureau in Yekaterinburg, I was a member of the jury of the competition and voted against this project; the city leadership, it seems to me, went about the big name. I'm not sure that the project will be implemented, primarily due to its inconceivable high cost and irrelevance.
I cannot comment on the situation with escrow accounts from a financial point of view, but I understand one thing: all developers become economically dependent on banks that will finance them. They will lose a lot of freedoms, a lot of money; Apparently, we are making leaps and bounds towards socialism, total control, when all will be controlled by state banks. In my opinion, not too enlightened in this area, only banks will be enriched, and all the rest will suffer, and maybe future tenants too.
I liked the NER exhibition very much - it is very interesting, there have not been such exhibitions for a long time, it is clear that its task is to explain both to us and to ourselves what it was. Even I always had questions about what the NER was: an energy surge associated with the thaw, or an attempt by young talented people to come up with something of their own, or a pattern of development of liberated thinking, or an attempt to do on Russian soil something like Peter Cook and the Archigram group, or Paolo Soleri. After all, there were echoes of NER in Andrey Meerson's project for Plateau-Beaubourg.
This year I had an architectural trip to Basel and there I liked three things: two Herzogs and de Meurons for Vitra, and the third is new
addition to the art museum in Basel, which recently won an award at the Brick Awards. A stunning architectural structure, both outside and inside.
Yes, I almost forgot: an amazing house was built by Totan Kuzembaev in Klaug Muizha! ***
Evgeny Gerasimov, Evgeny Gerasimov and partners
1. Summary of the year From the point of view of the result, the year was good for us. We have commissioned several landmark facilities. This is Europa City - a large complex with ceramic facades, a joint project with SPEECH bureau, where we also brought in five young architects by organizing a competition. Another important object is the Russian House. The reaction of people to him is very inspiring, it is much more important than the reaction of criticism. We also put into operation the house "Verona", we are completing the construction of the Art View House. We build a lot, everything is on schedule, without shocks, the company is on the move.
2. Trends
I'm not an oracle, we'll see. But the feeling of what is happening is alarming for me. It is alarming about the political, economic situation in the country.
3. Events and buildings
Nothing special comes to mind. I regularly attend the Venice Biennale. I cannot say that I was inspired by something there. The general tendency is confusion. We see this both in the politics of Europe and in architecture, which is an exact “cut” of society, a reflection of the present. There are separate, local successes. The creativity of those who are close - it gives food for thought. For example, what Neutelings & Riedijk or David Chipperfield are doing is still great.
4
The disappointment of the year is the situation with the Dostoevsky Museum. We created a private foundation, raised money, and on a charitable basis made a museum project - for the city, for the country and, excuse the pathos, for the whole world. We believe that Dostoevsky and Petersburg are almost synonyms.
We collected the necessary money, at the St. Petersburg economic forum in May 2018 we signed an agreement on cooperation with the former governor Georgy Poltavchenko. But the city administration not only did nothing to implement the project, there is a feeling that it is opposing, making the museum a bargaining chip in its pre-election "games". They deliberately drag out time, do not allocate a site, a process is underway that I would call in one word - sabotage. It is very sad, but we do not give up. We will not be in time for the anniversary - sorry, we will implement it later. We are sure that the truth will prevail, here no one has any bad intentions, only the desire to do a good deed.
There is not a very good tendency in the city: budget overshoots, scandals, waste, criminal cases. And there is another example - New Holland with private money. We would like to join precisely the last example. At the same time, we see how taxpayers' money is going to be spent on the Museum of the Blockade in a strange place: 2.5 hectares of a potential park in the same Central District, 6 billion rubles, which will turn into 36, instead of developing a museum of the blockade in Salt Town. And for our project, we ask for only five acres of land.
5. Build of the Year / Project of the Year
We don't even know. When I look at the results of Zodchestvo or the Petersburg Architecton, I conclude for myself that these results are very far from the real Hamburg account. Moreover, the sample is not very representative, as well as at the WAF. These are narrow activities that do not cover the entire palette. For example, Sergei Skuratov does not participate in Zodchestvo - Zodchestvo loses its meaning. The WAF does not include Americans or Germans. This event is for people who are unsure of themselves who are eager to prove something.
We participated in the WAF twice, entered the short list. This event was invented by the British, they play on the ambition of architects who participate for a lot of money in order to dissolve the peacock's tail in front of each other. Do the results reflect architectural trends? Of course not. Do they affect the market for design services? Again, no. A meeting of people who are not particularly busy, and under the sauce of social responsibility and environmental friendliness, which is ridiculous, given that the participants live in 5-star hotels, wear designer clothes and drink expensive champagne, while talking about how to reuse at home. how to help refugees. We also participate as people from a country that is not yet self-confident. But we participate partly for the fun, and so that our young colleagues can practice.
If we consider architecture to be art, what kind of competitions can there be? Who is better - Bach or Beethoven, Tarantino or Lars von Trier? All this is convention, like Oscar. Art is not a sport.***
Daniil Lorenz, Natalia Sidorova, Konstantin Khodnev, DNA ag
1. Events of the year for Moscow
Announcement of projects for the construction of residential complexes from leading European bureaus: MVRDV at the Garden Ring and Herzog & De Meuron at the Badayevsky plant: bright, bold, unexpected for Moscow. We hope that this will become a good example in terms of a variety of architectural solutions, and especially for such a conservative area as housing.
2. Trends
Improvement is the most positive thing that happened in Moscow and was implemented. First of all, we are talking about Gorky Park (playground), Tyuffle Grove and Zaryadye Park. These spaces have become iconic. In addition, thanks to the Arch-steamer, we were able to see the completed improvement projects in Kazan. It is worth noting that all projects work there and are made taking into account the interests of local residents for a modest budget by Moscow standards, but at the same time of very high quality. It was not just landscaped areas that appeared here, but reprogrammed areas filled with life and events for local communities. A particularly impressive project is the Kaban Lake embankment, where the regeneration of the natural environment and landscape has been successfully carried out. And in Tula, there have been major changes for the better. We are talking about urban planning projects, reconstruction of the embankment, historical streets.
The current trend is attention to architecture and environment. More and more high-quality projects appear, not only in Moscow, but also in the country. This means that the number of architectural firms that can and do good architecture is increasing, however, projects do not always reach implementation. But the main thing is that new names appear with a new and fresh vision.
In the world, the requirements of the time are such that architecture reflects, interacts with life to rethink the established stereotypes. Hence the emergence of new, diverse and creative solutions related to lifestyle, ecology, and so on. And this is a very good trend.
This year, we also note as a trend a great interest in the topic "PE": redevelopment, reconstruction, restoration. She was in the center of both architectural events, for example, the exhibition "Zodchestvo 2018", and development, in Moscow and in the regions. This year we took part in conferences on this topic in St. Petersburg (Urban Space), Ufa (RBC. Real Estate. Trends 2019), Kazan (Christmas Summit), Alma-Ata (CREW: Under the sign of PE). In the regions, in contrast to the capitals, the topic of redevelopment is still a novelty and the interest is quite large.
4. Disappointments
The loss of the historical fabric, despite the seemingly great interest in the topic of heritage conservation in a broad sense. Unfortunately, the demolition of historical buildings continues, including monuments in Moscow and other cities. It is worth remembering the sensational story in Borovsk. The point is that the replacement of the historical fabric with a new one, for example, in Moscow, may acquire an irreversible character, and the city will completely change its face. This is a rather sad testimony to the low culture of attitude towards the City.
Loss of the year
The departure of Ilya Georgievich Lezhava and Mark Meerovich. Mark is the only person who described the history of our architecture in the context of the socio-political structure of our country. There is still much he could have done, and it is a pity that he is no more.
Luck / Trend of the Year
The explosive growth of educational projects and platforms, starting with architectural excursions, lectures at the Museum of Architecture, Garage, MARCH, the opening of the Re-school by Narine Tyutcheva. A significant event was the Dvorulitsa conference of the new InLiberty site on Rassvet and the Meganom bureau. A very interesting and informal discussion turned out from the point of view of the development of the problems of the city and the urban periphery, concentrated, meaningful, which could compete with the Moscow Urban Forum.
Life goes on, there is a desire to learn something new and understand it, improve, which means that sooner or later all this will materialize qualitatively.
Architectural impression of the year
The building of the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel. It opened at the end of 2017, and at the beginning of 2018 we (Natalia and Daniel) managed to visit it. Made a very strong impression: light-shadows, warmth-coolness, reflections, glare, birdsong … Once again, you are convinced that architecture should be perceived not only by magazine and Internet pictures, but also through real sensations. Moreover, the decisions that affect the climate, for example, which are laid down there and actually work, you feel only on the spot, and they are no less important for the building than its visual image.
DNK ag Achievements
Three of our large residential projects are almost completed and residents are already starting to settle in them. This is the "Resort City" May "in Gorki Leninskikh," Severny "on Dmitrovskoe highway and, of course, our complex of club apartments" Rassvet LOFT * Studio "in Stolyarny lane. We follow with interest how our projects develop over time and fill with life. For example, in "Severny" on the first floors, intended for street retail, nice shops and cafes began to open, and in Gorki, residents of apartments on the first floors are actively equipping their porches and front gardens. This year we won a closed competition and have already completed a project for redevelopment of the territory of the Plant of Electrical Measuring Instruments (MZEP) in Moscow. This is how the CO_ LOFT project turned out with new housing formats and a community center. We managed to work with the regions - we designed a residential complex for Tyumen: also with a public space for residents and active improvement. It should be noted that attention to the quality of residential complexes has sharply increased in the regions, and projects have begun to be made at a new level: the factor of architecture and an integrated approach are taken into account.
Oyat Shukurov, Alexandra Ivashkevich, Elizaveta Lartseva, Vazha Magradze, Mikhail Mikadze, KHORA
1. Summary of the year
The year was very difficult for economic and socio-political reasons, however, despite the difficult conditions, it was quite productive both in terms of implementation and in terms of theoretical work.
2. Trends
Everything is heading towards inevitable extinction in order to be reborn. At least one would like to hope so.
3. Events and buildings
3.1. In the world
Extinction of the white rhinoceros as a sign of the growing separation of our culture from its natural roots.
3.2. In Russia
Restart of the magazine "Project Russia".
3.3. In your workshop
Work on the pavilion "Huhula" for the Tbilisi Biennale of Architecture.
4. Find / Disappointment
Ordinary corpulent ceramic brick of the Engelskiy Brick Factory (EKZ) / Closing of the Divisare platform.
5. Construction / project of the year here and there
Pharmaceutical headquarters by Architects of Invention / Haus Hunkeler by SeilerLinhart.
Sergey Choban, SPEECH
It seems to me that the completion of the Zaryadye Concert Hall designed by Vladimir Plotkin and TPO Reserve headed by him is very important and, perhaps, the main event of the year for Moscow and Russian architecture. This beautifully implemented large public building was an excellent completion of the park's spaces, and the fact that such a significant object was implemented by a Russian architect seems to me an important achievement. My congratulations to Vladimir Plotkin and his entire team!
Mikhail Beilin, CITIZENSTUDIO
1. Summary of the year It was an interesting year. For us, it is generally a breakthrough and very eventful. Perhaps, in general, so far the most productive and bright in the small history of our bureau But, if you take the country and the world as a whole, it is generally good that life goes on, architecture continues and still has not been covered with a copper basin.
2. Trends
In Russia, everything is moving towards the absolute minimization of the role of the architect in all processes associated with him. And often it is presented as innovative management, innovative design, development of a modern city and effective development. As far as I know, these are precisely domestic tendencies.
3. Events and buildings
The architectural world of our studio is united by the main event of the year - the 16th Venice Biennale of Architecture. We were fortunate enough to take part in it with expositions "Dichotomy?" and the Great Russian River for our national pavilion. It seemed to me that one of the main thoughts that the curators of the biennale McNamara and Farrell wanted to express was precisely the value of an architect as an artist, and, moreover, a timeless value. This is a slightly different approach compared to the last Aravena Biennale, where the focus was on the idea and benefits prevailing over Beauty. And all the more strikingly different from the views of people who somehow manage architecture here.
4. The find / disappointment of the year
This dichotomy is for me, apparently, both a find and a disappointment of the year.
Also, of course, I will refer to the outstanding events as the FIFA World Cup. And for him we invented and implemented the urban kinetic art object "Football Screen" in Gorky Park in Moscow. For us, it is especially important because we first came up with this project, and then we found a customer for it.
Well, and also the competition of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation "Improvement of small towns and historical settlements." Our project for the city of Kukmor won a grant, but this competition is not important for us. The most important thing that he demonstrated for local officials: in order to get money, you need to provide a high-quality project, which means that an architect must be invited. This idea was previously inaccessible to most Russian officials. The crushing victory of Tatarstan and Natalia Fishman personally in this competition proves that this is the only correct approach. I would very much like it to become a trend.
5. Construction / project of the year here and there
It is difficult to single out one by one. In Russia, I really liked the Octava cluster in Tula. And for the intelligent renovation, developed by "Orchestra" and implemented quite modestly, but competently, and for the concept of the cluster in general, and the wonderful Museum of the machine tool in particular. Of course every year you can call Brodsky. You can't go wrong. This year: a tower in Zurich made with students, a pavilion for chacha ceremonies, a villa at Archstoyanie.
There: Thomas Heatherwick's Coal Drops Yard and Binhai MVRDV Library
For me, the main project combining “here” and “there” is a skyscraper in Manhattan that Meganom designs. I hope that in a year I will be able to name it among the best buildings under construction in the world. ***
Pavel Andreev, GRAN
The year passed not without difficulties, but productively.
I see a tendency to multiply “paper” problems and formal requirements that have nothing to do with common sense - lawyers and other people who are far from the essence of the issue are becoming more active. You have to get used to it and treat your papers more scrupulously. The composition of companies on the market changes, long-term colleagues-subcontractors leave, new ones appear, which carries certain professional risks. However, all these are rather administrative issues, they can be solved.
We must be prepared for the problems of the transition period. Not to stand in the way of the locomotive, but to react within reasonable limits in order to protect professional interests - without conformity, but within the framework of one's own moral and ethical standards. I must say that now everyone, except architects, is diligently defending their corporate rights, it's time for our workshop to get involved.
Looking at your list, I realized that I do not know much of what is happening here and now, despite the fact that in general I try to keep track of what is happening in the professional sphere. It seems to me that the new generation of young architects gives a lot of interesting things, and in general we “caught up”: the quality of architecture in Moscow has become quite high. This is not necessarily about large objects - small ones are pleasing, for example, VDNKh. Moreover, if before me the work of foreign "stars" impressed me so much that I wanted to break the pencils, now they seem to have become more predictable, and ours, on the contrary, are more active and multifaceted.
NER is a very important exhibition. Now the role of urban planning regulation is negligible, but urban planning policy is necessary, infill development and the activities of individual architects cannot be the basis for the formation of the urban environment. We have achieved a lot in the field of landscaping and decoration, but from the point of view of planning organization - the norms hold us hand and foot. One of the tasks of the future is to rethink urban planning standards, they must be brought closer to reality, since the ideal scheme does not allow achieving the spatial and economic effect that we strive for and which life requires. I hope that 2019 will bring some kind of rethinking of our activities and our relationship with the Ministry of Construction. ***
Vera Butko and Anton Nadtochy, ATRIUM
The main result, in our opinion, is that foreign celebrity architects are really starting to build something here, and all the projects are interesting and non-trivial as for selection: the Herzog & de Meuron University in Skolkovo has already been built, their own residential complex on Badaevsky in the active design stage, the MVRDV house on the Garden Ring is for sale, the Technopark of Sberbank, Zaha Hadid's bureau is under construction, the office building of Norman Foster in Yekaterinburg is being completed. If earlier all these stars were invited solely for their image, and the final project, in fact, had nothing to do with them, now the situation is changing. And this creates a unique precedent and raises the bar for Russian architecture as a whole, leading it to quality growth: if these projects are successful at the end, customers will understand that the efforts and funds invested in architecture will pay off. For Russian architects, this is also very important, because they will also be able to offer bolder design solutions, which, in turn, will develop the construction industry.
On the other hand, in Europe there are now very few projects similar to those announced in Russia. And it may very well be that in the near future it will be Moscow that will become the European Mecca of modern architecture.
For us personally, the year was also successful and productive. Already now we can state that the Symbol has taken place - a significant and noticeable project for Moscow: the finishing of our buildings is being completed at the construction site and a unique automobile-pedestrian bridge is being built. Three of our facilities were opened at once: the Letovo school, which we designed together with Atelier PRO, the BROOKES school, in which we were responsible for interior and landscape solutions, and the Sheraton hotel in Krasnodar. Participation in open and closed competitions led us to an even more significant expansion of borders and the creation of projects for Kazakhstan and Georgia. This, among other things, was facilitated by our strategy to rely on youth: every year we take more and more interns and trainees, in 2018 about 40 of them passed through the workshop, many remain and are actively involved in the work.
And the last event that we would like to note is the relaunch of the Project Russia magazine, for which we root very much and in the light of the changes in the concept, we regard it as a promising platform for professional dialogue and another tool for promoting high-quality Russian architecture. ***
Alexander Popov, Archimatics
1. Summary of the year
The year was active and very fast, literally rushed by: it seems that yesterday we were sitting with colleagues at a strategic planning session - and now it's time to take stock.
Elements of international recognition were important for us: we presented a project at WAF, our project - Pechersk International School -
nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize.
From professional contacts - we started working in the North American space, just a few days ago I returned from a discussion with American partners, we hope to present this work in the first half of next year.
2. Trends
The windows are shrinking and the wall is enlarged. This is a tendency in world architecture, a consequence of the reaction to both the danger of terrorism and the possibility of social cataclysms. There are two poles in architecture: the glass house of Philip Johnson - and a medieval fortress with narrow loopholes. So, modern architecture is moving from the absolutely transparent architecture of the 2000s, the period of globalization and new opportunities - in the other direction. Now is the time of protectionism, in architecture it is the cult of the wall, but this is a very fruitful time, because in the wall, in the texture, you can make no less, and maybe even more interesting things.
3. In the world
Vatican Biennale and Exhibition. This is a new attempt for several decades of the actual theological understanding of architecture.
3.1. In Russia
WAF and the victory of "Studio 44".
3.2. In a workshop
Gymnasium A + was opened. This is a school in which we managed to implement the concept of aesthetic education, in which the walls, the ceiling, the facade, the roof, and the trees in the courtyard teach.
4
Disappointing - fire at Glasgow Art School.
The find is the Swiss pavilion at the Biennale, whose authors showed emptiness on a different scale.
5
Buildings of the year, I would call two completed works by Zaha Hadid: a villa near Moscow in Barvikha and
hotel in Macau. She looks good in contrast in the new projects of the bureau: with her participation there was more intuition, and now they reduce her to some kind of excessive consistency.
From projects - houses on the legs of Herzog and de Meuron, in the world - the Green Spine competition project from UNStudio in Melbourne. ***
Oleg Shapiro, Wowhaus
1. Summary of the year
In 2018, Wowhaus celebrated its 10th anniversary, and it was both an interesting year and a year of hard work. In the summer, we completed a large-scale project to revitalize the center of Tula and build a new Embankment. It was a serious challenge, we worked on a tight schedule: a little more than a year passed from planning to commissioning of the facility. But at the opening of the embankment it was just fun: it looks like all the residents of Tula came, and the responses we heard in the crowd were very warm. People accepted the embankment, the future quarter of museums, and the square. We are glad that this project took place, and we are very glad that we finished it! This is exactly the case when you put in a lot of effort and get an excellent result. Also in 2018, we were actively engaged in educational activities, shared and continue to share the accumulated experience. It looks like our joint course with MARSH on designing public spaces will be an annual three-month program.
2. Trends
Regional projects
This year, representatives of other Russian cities began to contact us more often. So far, this is more discussion and conversation, but that's great. In my opinion, there is an obvious public interest in the urban development of the regions, in the adaptation of cities to life. As an example, there is a competition for urban environment projects in small towns and historical settlements, where many young architects from all over Russia took part, who showed interesting projects, and most importantly, received funds for their implementation.
The transformation of major metropolitan museums
For some reason, little is said about this, but the trend is obvious: now, several large museums are being reconstructed in parallel in Moscow. Firstly, the project of Rem Koolhaas's New Tretyakov Gallery building and a new building, which is being built on the Kadashevskaya embankment. Also, work is now underway in several small museums of the Tretyakov Gallery. Secondly, in the midst of a transformation at the Pushkin Museum. Thirdly, the reconstruction and renovation of the Polytechnic Museum is entering the home stretch. We have never seen so many cultural initiatives and such an active life around the capital's traditional museums before. If we add to this list the Garage Museum, which is not far away from the opening of the second site, and the Center for Contemporary Culture of the V-A-C Foundation, then the stake on the program for the development of the city as a cultural center is obvious. Similar processes are taking place, in my opinion, in St. Petersburg (Museum of Railways).
World Cup legacy
In addition to large sports facilities, which now, according to tradition, need to figure out how to generate profit, the World Cup has brought to our cities an interest in spending time on the city streets. All pedestrian areas and public spaces have finally been tested for durability and compliance. And, for example, in Samara, where we held a seminar, the World Cup gave impetus to the development of the center, although the stadium is located on the outskirts. Kuibysheva Street, which was the main gathering place for football fans, after the end of the World Cup, remained pedestrianized on weekends for another 2.5 months. This decision was made by the authorities of the city and the region at the request of the residents of Samara, inspired by the holiday atmosphere prevailing on the historic street. People saw how one can live; know that for this you need to do something; and even know what.
Awareness of the river
In recent years, the topic of the river, its presence in cities, its important recreational function, has been in particular focus of attention. In 2018, people started talking about the reconstruction of Moscow embankments. Not only in Moscow, throughout the country, we can observe a trend of increasing the value of recreational spaces, and above all, coastal areas, which cannot but rejoice. Moreover, the theme of the river is one of the favorites in Wowhaus; we have as many as three embankments on our account: Krymskaya Embankment, New Embankment in Tula and Shelepikhinskaya Embankment, which we also commissioned in 2018.
3. Find / Disappointment of the Year To be honest, it's hard for me to single out any individual author or project. In general, I would like to note that in Russia, or rather in Moscow, architectural life, despite the economic downturn, is developing quite intensively. Although the construction industry is clearly not on the rise now, we still have new interesting projects, including world-class foreign authors. Developers are ready to involve serious forces in the design of the environment (Tyufeleva Roshcha, Salyut site). In addition, the competitive system is gaining momentum: perhaps this year we participated more often, and the competitors were stronger and more diverse than in the past.
Oddly enough, today Russia has fit into the concept of the development of world architecture. Our architects, of course, rarely build in the West, but international stars are gradually appearing on the local site. ***
Alexander Skokan, JSB "Ostozhenka"
1, 3.
For myself, I noted two outstanding events, one universal, the other more professional.
First, Elon Musk launched a red car with a stuffed astronaut and music towards Mars. In our calculating and commercialized time, an inexplicable gesture is suddenly made, a pure joke, on the implementation of which many people enthusiastically worked. And several billion people watched it fly past the earth … In my opinion it was very cool, I watched with great pleasure, imagining myself in the place of this astronaut. Gorgeous, you know, the car is open, summer, with music. We will soon see a car in space.
The second bright event for me is the NER exhibition. What brings them together? - Fifty years ago, in 1959, a group of young people got together and came up with the city of the future. Then it was already possible, not before - I recently read Valery Frid's book "Notes of the camp idiot", she talks about how in 1944 or 1945 a group of young people gathers on the Arbat, says something - and they were all imprisoned. Ten years passed and in 1959 no one was imprisoned, on the contrary, they made diplomas, books and so on.
So, what brings these two events together: there is Elon Musk, and here was Gutnov. There is a book at the exhibition that Gutnov wrote at the age of nine; he had already invented the city of the future. Then he organized a group of people - this does not diminish the importance of Lezhava or Baburov, but nevertheless it is clear that the crystallizer was Gutnov - without him the phenomenon would not have taken place at all. It seems to me that in both cases the role of personality becomes clear. In our life today, there are not enough personalities around which people gather and something happens.
As for the NER project, fifty years ago it was launched into orbit and has now returned to us like a comet in the form of such a bright event as this exhibition, which seems to me to be a significant event in our professional life.
NER, of course, cannot literally influence our life today. All this was about the future, people in the 1950s - 1960s lived not so much the real life that was around, as the future. Belief in the future ended somewhere in the 1970s, people began to live the life that is. Now there is no idea of the future at all. It either looks quite pessimistic, or its prospects are short: the next vacation, for example. From the point of view of fifty years ago, the future should have come in 2000. We have been living in the future for 18 years, the future turned out to be completely different from what it was then seen. I think that we need a picture painted in the 1950s as a criterion that will help us to understand the present, to look at it from some unusual angle.
4. Find / Disappointment
I am a pessimist and will start with disappointment. Our profession is more and more cornered, it is easier to do without an architect. All that remains for us is to paint the facades of the chests that are being built. They do without architects when they determine what, where, how how much, in what parameters to build, and these are the most essential questions, then the embellishment of decisions made by people who have a very distant relationship to urbanism and architecture begins.
Finds … I can't mention anything. If we talk about our work - there is a lot of it, life is in full swing. Then, later, we will understand what we did and maybe we can even explain to ourselves why.
