The museum and exhibition complex was opened for the 155th anniversary of the Obukhovsky plant, a large gun and steel enterprise, which remains strategically important for Russia to this day. The new complex was built from scratch, it expands the existing museum, housed in a building of the late 19th century.
Office 7.4.2 construction consists of three blocks: two brick pavilions and a gallery connecting them. The first spacious pavilion is intended for temporary exhibitions. In the glass gallery, filled with light, there is a model of the pre-revolutionary Obukhov plant, made by the famous Grand Model Russia workshop. And in the third small pavilion, the smithy of the times of Pavel Obukhov, a metallurgist and one of the founders of the plant, is recreated.
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zooming 1/5 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 2/5 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 3/5 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 4/5 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 5/5 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
The smithy is perhaps the most interesting part of the project. The architects did not take historical models as a basis, but “tried to embody a certain archetype of the forge,” so that when looking at it, one could immediately determine the function: first of all, by the characteristic pipe-roof. The architects invented and designed the gates themselves, inspired by those that were at the Obukhov plant.
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zooming Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
After archival research, the interior concept was quickly born. Since the decoration of the forge looks simple and unpretentious, we decided to add a little grotesque, building the interior like a theatrical mise-en-scene: the floor is laid out by hand from silt slate, the lighting is thought out, the forge has old tools, anvils, furs, and, most importantly, an operating furnace and forges, as close as possible to the samples of the XIX century. That is, the smithy is the most real.
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zooming 1/4 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 2/4 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 3/4 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
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zooming 4/4 Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Obukhov Plant Design Bureau 7.4.2
Behind the smithy there is a small exhibition hall with modern equipment: so that visitors can get from one era to another, just stepping over the threshold of the door. There are also technical rooms.
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zooming 1/4 Museum and exhibition complex of the Obukhov plant. Facade plan Design office 7.4.2
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zooming 2/4 Museum and exhibition complex of the Obukhov plant. Museum plan Design office 7.4.2
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zooming 3/4 Museum and exhibition complex of the Obukhov plant. Facade Design Office 7.4.2
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zooming 4/4 Museum and exhibition complex of the Obukhov plant. Facade Design Office 7.4.2
The architects tried to make the new building match the spirit of the industrial buildings of the 19th century. Hence, the proportions of windows and arched openings, sparse decor. The pitched roof is covered with folded metal sheets and the red brick looks really old. By the way, it took a long time to pick it up, but the result was convincing: the choice was stopped on the hand-molded Terca Portsmouth brick from the Wienerberger factory.
Natalia Anischenko, architect and restorer, talks about the project: “This building was born and built very easily when compared with the construction of other similar structures. Of course, it was worth the effort both for the builders and for us and the customer. But if we abstract from mundane matters, then for me, as the author of the project, this is an unforgettable experience. Throughout the entire process of work, I had the feeling that this building requires that it be built, and the architect is just a canal, a living instrument for its emergence. That was great.
The museum was shortlisted for the Strelka and ArchDaily awards.
