Mikhailovskie barracks is one of the first buildings in Orenburg, founded in 1743. The long history is reflected in the official name of the monument: “Mikhailovskie Barracks. The year is 1750. Eclecticism : the surviving walls remember the Pugachev rebellion, revolutions and wars of three centuries. In Soviet times, an extension appeared - a house of culture for the Red Army, later the entire complex belonged to the Ministry of Defense. After the disbandment of the military unit quartered here in 2012, the monument became the property of the region and began to rapidly collapse.
In 2020, the local Department of Architecture announced an open
competition for the concept of the development of the territory with the formation of a residential area near the Mikhailovsky barracks. Three concepts took part in the competition, the work of the Moscow bureau melix was recognized as the best.
The territory of the former military unit is a large wasteland on the scale of Orenburg, now fenced off. The site is located next to the main promenade of the city - the Ural embankment. The slope in this place is quite steep, so the view from the windows should be beautiful - there is no city on the other bank of the river, only groves and summer cottages. The environment is in a good county-like manner: mainly low-rise brick buildings, greenery, narrow quiet roads. The film of the project "Architectural excesses" will help you to feel the atmosphere of Orenburg, barracks appear in it at 35 minutes.
The architects tried to preserve this county spirit by means of land surveying, pitched roofs, bricks, various sections and a network of paths. The result is a comfortable environment with all the advantages that the human scale of development gives: coziness, good neighborliness and permeability.
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zooming 1/3 Residential areas. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 2/3 Residential areas. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 3/3 Residential areas. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
To support the configuration of the historic quarters, the architects are dividing the site into two parts, continuing Kobozeva Street, and building three new pedestrian streets. Four urban blocks are inscribed in the quarter grid obtained in this way. Each is formed from sections of different types: they are distinguished by their height - from two to six floors, orientation - angular or central, one of three options for roofing and windows, brick colors. Morpheme sections help to avoid excessive regularity and give the complex features of the vernacular architecture inherent in the old city. The diversity of the created environment is reflected in the apartment design: there will be 400 apartments in the complex, among them there are both studios and large four-room apartments, attics, terraces.
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zooming 1/5 Formation of the street road network. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 2/5 Creation of block buildings. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 3/5 Zoning. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 4/5 Volume-spatial principles. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 5/5 Typology. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
The barracks located in the eastern part of the site are the flagship of the complex, its main public space and link with the city. It is proposed to convert the building into a cultural center with a library, coworking space, a museum, workshops and a cafe, and to improve the adjacent territory and turn it into a park. The urban block closest to the barracks is formed according to the territory regeneration model, the buildings here will be slightly lower.
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zooming 1/3 Characteristics of the site. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 2/3 Axonometry. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
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zooming 3/3 General plan. Mikhailovsky barracks © melix
The nature of the space from the street side and the yard side is different. The houses face the street with balconies, open balconies open into the courtyards. On the outside of the complex, where car and pedestrian traffic is active, shops and cafes will open, and on the inside - a kindergarten. The spaces of quiet private courtyards without cars will be connected by a network of paths; the residents of the first floors will have an advantage - their own exit.
According to the terms of the competition, the project of bureau melix will be implemented after the city holds an auction and finds a developer, who will be obliged to restore the barracks during the development of the territory. The restoration project will be developed separately.
