The site in question is a continuation of the industrial development of the ZIL peninsula, but separated from it by the remains of the old channel of the Moskva River. Because of this, compositionally, he seems to be independent. Right in the center of this small peninsula, Andropov Avenue cuts through - in its eastern part there is the Dream Island amusement park, and the western part has been the subject of urban planning for many years, starting in the late 1980s, when Vladimir Ginzburg's workshop in Mosproekt. The site for the design is very promising - the site has a picturesque "arrow" at the junction of the old and the main river bed, great recreational potential near the embankment and at the same time is absolutely free from context, you can give free rein to your imagination. The existing industrial buildings are loose and of little value, the only thing worth attaching to are the houses of the "sails" of the architect Rimma Aldonina of the 1970s, which form the embankment on the other side of the river.
2014 / competition
Around the same time, when the idea of redevelopment of ZIL took shape, thoughts appeared about the reorganization of its western part and the construction of a residential quarter here. In 2014, the developer held the first of a series of tenders for this site with the participation of Ginsburg Architects. For Alexey Ginzburg, this was the first experience of working with the territory. In the first competition, he performed in a consortium with world stars - Ulyam Alsop and McAdam Architects.
The project was very bright, if not outrageous. But the authors originally planned to do something conceptual. “In that first competition, I invited my friend William Alsop to take part - a magnificent, free-thinking conceptualist architect, I would even say, with the makings of a bully,” recalls Alexey Ginzburg. “We came up with a fairly uncompromising idea, which, in our opinion, was most likely doomed to failure, but we wanted to speak out.”
In the first competition project, a highly urbanized residential development appeared on the spit of the peninsula - a "choir" of extravagant towers, each of which could take its place in a museum of modern art. This uncompromising nature had a right to exist as a new urban planning accent. It was thought up powerfully, gracefully, in terms of the visual image - very much in the spirit of Will Alsop. The master plan is in the shape of a flower, and the complex has a stylobate part formed by "bunded", that is, turned into green hills, parking lots. Because of the high groundwater, they could not be made underground. The space was crossed by a courtyard-park, which will then migrate to subsequent iterations of urban planning studies of this territory.
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zooming 1/4 Scheme of the general layout of the territory. Competitive concept for the development of 3-5 phases of the Moscow city technopark "Nagatino-ZIL" as a complex residential development. 2014 Ginsburg Architects (Moscow), All Design (Alsop Architects, London), McAdam Architects (London)
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zooming 2/4 Improvement scheme. Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2014 Ginzburg Architects (Moscow); All Design, (Alsop Architects, London); McAdam Architects (London)
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zooming 3/4 Sketches of the general plan. Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2014 Ginzburg Architects (Moscow); All Design, (Alsop Architects, London); McAdam Architects (London)
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zooming 4/4 Section diagram and typical planning solution for residential towers. Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2014 Ginzburg Architects (Moscow); All Design, (Alsop Architects, London); McAdam Architects (London)
2016 / competition
The first competitive concept was not developed, but remained in memory as a bright creative start to the development of the site. The next one was born in 2016, when Alexei Ginzburg was again invited to the competition - to design the same site, for which, in the meantime, the territory planning project was developed. It was he who was given to the contestants as a TK. The PPT, according to the architects, had a number of shortcomings - on the basis of polemics with them, the authors built the idea of their new concept.
Multifunctional buildings, to which, in addition to housing, social and business functions have already been added, in this PPT was presented in the form of perimeterly spaced urban blocks. “In the PPT, the houses stood practically on the transport artery of the embankment,” says the architect. "We had to stretch the development in a semicircle in order to retreat houses from the roadway and create a buffer in the form of a green recreational zone."
The architects tried to open the residential courtyards as much as possible to the south - to the river and the sun, and at the same time to form the front of the embankment from the ends of the houses facing the water. The idea with a green buffer to Alexei Ginzburg, according to him, was prompted by children's associations: “I spent all my childhood in the house of architects on the Rostovskaya embankment near the Kievsky railway station, and I remember that we had a square there, which, due to the relief difference, screened the automobile embankment from residential houses. The building was conceived by Alexei Shchusev as the front of the embankment on this section of the Moskva River. It seemed to me that in the Nagatinskaya floodplain logic demanded the same decisions."
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zooming 1/9 Competitive concept for the development of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 2/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Territory improvement scheme. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 3/9 Competitive concept for the development of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 4/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Sketch. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 5/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Sketch. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 6/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Sketch. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 7/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 8/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
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zooming 9/9 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2016 A. V. Ginzburg - GAP. A. F. Orlov - GAP. T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect
The automobile artery, an important section of the ZIL transport scheme, could not be removed, so that the green buffer could advantageously separate the road from housing and turn into a mini-park. So, the pedestrian boulevard laid in the PPT, a cut and which passed through residential courtyards, was literally moved to the embankment: a rather extensive recreational zone arose here. ***
2017 / development of the competition concept
Unexpectedly for themselves, Ginsburg Architects won the competition, - Alexey Ginzburg believes that this was probably due to the public space carefully thought out in the project, which included a well-developed scheme for the circulation of people and cars. At the stage of detailed study for future coordination with the city, Alexey Ginzburg decided to connect several more bureaus to the project - the volume of construction was impressive, about 400,000 m2… The work included "Laboratory of Virtual Architecture" by Stanislav Kulish and Vadim Lipatov, "Popov and Architects" and "SENAB PROJECT".
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zooming 1/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Virtual Architecture Laboratory, Popov and Architects, Senab project
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zooming 2/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Virtual Architecture Laboratory, Popov and Architects, Senab project
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zooming 3/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View of the embankment park improvement. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 4/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the side of the boulevard leading to the park. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 5/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the river to the complex. Option 1. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Virtual Architecture Laboratory, Popov and Architects, Senab project
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zooming 6/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the river to the complex. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 7/7 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. General layout scheme. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
Since the layouts were rather rigidly defined by the customer's technical assignment, the architects focused on the external appearance of the buildings. The houses within the block were divided into several types, and all four bureaus developed their own facades for each of them. In an effort to preserve visual integrity with a variety of individual solutions, Aleksey Ginzburg suggested combining all facade solutions with the obligatory use of bricks.
“We left the shades of brick, methods and techniques of its use to the discretion of each of the participants,” says the architect. - As a result, we got four patterns, each of which showed its own author's technique. For example, in the version of our bureau, the facade idea was expressed in large divisions, for Kulish and Lipatov, the facades were pixel painting. Then we held a series of workshops to determine how best to arrange the variations, and eventually developed a system of factors to do this within the urban block based on compositional analysis."
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zooming 1/5 Work on the facades. Architectural and urban construction of the multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the bridge to the complex. Archcouncil, concept 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 2/5 Work on the facades. Architectural and urban construction of the multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the bridge to the complex. Archcouncil, concept 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 3/5 Work on the facades. Architectural and urban construction of the multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the bridge to the complex. Archcouncil, concept 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 4/5 Work on the facades. Architectural and urban construction of the multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the bridge to the complex. Archcouncil, concept 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 5/5 Work on the facades. Architectural and urban construction of the multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. View from the bridge to the complex. Archcouncil, concept 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
In parallel, the fourth layer of this site was being developed - the concept of public spaces. She developed a competition idea with a green buffer area shielding the motorway embankment from residential development, adding a new level to it - an elevated system of pedestrian promenades, bridges and ramps, which unites the landscape park above the driveways laid in the PCB. This layer in the plan resembled a coarse mesh that connected the park through the carriageway to the level of courtyards raised by the construction of bunded parking lots.
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zooming 1/3 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. The scheme of the organization of transport and pedestrian connections. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 2/3 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Cross-sectional diagram of the pedestrian space. Archcouncil, 2017 Ginsburg Architects, Laboratory of virtual architecture, Popov and architects, Senab project
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zooming 3/3 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. 2017 Ginsburg Architects: A. V. Ginzburg - GAP, A. F. Orlov - GAP, K. I. Fedorova - Leading Architect, T. S. Arkhipova - Leading Architect. Virtual Architecture Laboratory: S. V. Kulish, V. V. Lipatov, M. A. Kazarinov. Popov and architects: O. V. Popov, K. Skorokho
While this work was being done, Yuri Grigoryan developed a concept for the development of the coastal areas of the Moskva River for the city, on which peculiar growth points appeared - or “ports”, multifunctional public spaces. Aleksey Ginzburg decided to "get involved in this story" and made the river tram stop on the projected site one of such "ports", adding a semicircular pedestrian bridge to it. The future park was to be called "NAGA" - from Nagatino. However, he remained at the level of conceptual studies. ***
2018 / competition
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zooming 1/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 2/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 3/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 4/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
The next generation of managers at the helm of the protracted project held another competition in 2018, inviting Western stars to participate. Alexei Ginzburg took part in this competition by right of "old-timer". And although new customers had a desire to move away from brick as the main material for residential buildings to more budget-friendly panels, the project inherited a lot from previous iterations. The layout of the neighborhoods has changed a bit, but the idea of a green buffer space by the river, raised banked parking lots and game levels persisted. Here again, an emphasis was placed on the embankment - the authors formed a single front from the ends of residential buildings so that they would represent “a single plane cut off by a cutter,” the architect explains. So they would unite in a small arc all four residential areas from the side of the river. Another emphasis was the business part - the quarter was considered by the developer as a multifunctional one.
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zooming 1/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 2/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Territory improvement scheme. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 3/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. Site improvement scheme. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
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zooming 4/4 Architectural and urban planning concept for the construction of a multifunctional complex on the territory of the western part of the Nagatinskaya floodplain. General plan. Competition project, 2018 A. V. Ginzburg - Chief Project Architect; A. F. Orlov - Chief Project Architect; M. A. Dudin - Chief Project Architect; A. V. Puchkov - Chief Project Architect; M. E. Alexandrova - Leading Architect; V. E. Galimov - Architect
The 2018 project, however, was also not implemented. The concept of the territory was reformatted again, and until today there is no clear understanding of whether a new project will be developed or solutions previously found are being implemented. “Several times we tried to incorporate progressive ideas into this large urban planning project, observing the principles of the commercial approach that the market now dictates,” says Alexey Ginzburg. - Re-arranging, repacking these quarters, we have never violated the rules, which, unfortunately, greatly limit the range of architectural solutions. And yet, I believe, we managed to solve two main tasks, the internal one - to create a more humane space for people's lives, and the external one - to form a fragment of the urban fabric that would have a compositional and aesthetic connection with the Moscow environment."
