A small building is located in the Pervomaisky district of the city of Korolev on the border of a pine forest, which determined its function as a cosmetology center with an ecological theme.
But the center was not built "from scratch" at all, it is the result of the reconstruction of a house with yellow rustication and attics, a typical representative of Moscow stylization of recent times. The architects of AB A4 were tasked with giving the building an up-to-date modern look, emphasizing the eco-orientation by using natural materials, in particular, on the facades.
This happened after a year of design and construction. The imagery of large and laconic, according to the architects' own expression, "chopped" forms of the building is largely determined by the volumetric elements of the facade, covered with gray-blue titanium-zinc RHEINZINK-prePATINA blaugrau.
At the end of last year, the head of the RHEINZINK company, Leonid Golovanov, met with the architects and talked about the project. Details are below.
Leonid Golovanov, RHEINZINK;
Alexey Afonichkin, Sergey Markov, AB A4
Leonid Golovanov:
Alexey, please tell us what the customer's requirements were and how did the facade concept come about?
Alexey Afonichkin:
One of the main requirements for the architecture of the building was the extensive glazing that unites the interior with the surrounding landscape. After all, initially there were very few windows in the building, and they were all rather small, but now, being in the interior, you feel as if you are in the middle of a pine forest.
We were inspired by the modernist architecture of America in the early 2000s, because such facade solutions are very typical for American country houses and mansions. And we wanted to create something similar, very warm in feeling and delicate to the environment. Nevertheless, the image did not take shape right away, we studied a large number of examples, brought samples of finishing materials to the construction site and discussed them with the customer. After lengthy approvals, it was decided to use several dissimilar and dissimilar materials in the facade decoration, to create a geometric pattern with protrusions and recesses - which together makes the facade more active in space.
There are many imported and Russian materials on the modern market. How did you choose building and finishing materials and what are the nuances of implementation?
It was important to create the correct color scheme for the facade, the metal on the facade should be shaded by wood, which is covered with natural oil for the exterior, creating a rich warm shade. The idea was to combine a natural woody scale and a cold metal surface that would reflect the sky. Such an image should mimic the surrounding landscape and dissolve in it.
In addition, in our work, we constantly think about the “life of a building”, about its existence in the urban fabric with its climatic and ecological imperfections, so one of the aspects when choosing a material was its beautiful aging and patina over time.
As a result of long discussions, it was decided to build facades plastic on a combination of two types of finishing materials: titanium-zinc seam panels RHEINZINK-prePATINA blaugrau and heat-treated Lunawood wood. Their background is a painted white water panel. This play of contrasts makes the building stand out, highlighting its modern style.
Have there been any difficulties in the design of non-standard parts and assemblies in the reconstruction project?
Sergey Markov:
One of the most difficult elements was the removal of the canopy-parapet of the roof: it made it possible to mask the slope of the pitched roof of the previous building. The pitched roof did not suit us at all in the style of the facade. To implement such a solution, we developed a detailed structural design and calculated the loads, because this element acts as a console two meters from the building's monolith and must bear the snow load.
The installation of the facade finishing took place in several stages, the finishing from the aquapanel was of paramount importance, then the most difficult process took place - the installation of window slopes and ebb tides, which took quite a lot of time and effort from all participants in the process.
Initially, the slopes were planned from ordinary painted sheet steel, but after assembling several elements and showing them to the customer, it was decided to replace the ordinary steel with RHEINZINK titanium-zinc. Later, this decision was largely justified, since the material showed itself very well at low tides, eliminating the need for constant cleaning of these surfaces. The result is a kind of window frames - this solution allowed the facades to be compositionally organized and given a modern sound, to find the desired style, more relevant and light.
And of course, I would like to hear your conclusions and impressions on the use of RHEINZINK material in your project
Having realized this object, we have gained undoubted experience in the design of such facades. The complex and multi-piece design, which ultimately turned out, looks modern and relevant. RHEINZINK titanium-zinc applied on the facade and on the window slopes met our expectations and those of the customer. The material has proven itself well and continues to be used successfully.
We are very pleased that such an object appeared in Korolyov and that the customer had a certain courage and taste for the implementation of such an architecture and style of facades. In the work of our bureau, we always strive to discover new interesting finishing materials and original technical solutions. It is especially pleasant when professional contractors and suppliers help you with this. This object is just the case when the "puzzle came together" and all the participants in the process got exactly the result that they had planned!
text and photographic material provided by RHEINZINK
