Archcouncil Returned Project of Multifunctional Complex on Leningradsky Prospekt for Revision
Archcouncil of Moscow returned a project of a multifunctional complex on Leningradsky Prospekt for revision. Experts had a lot of questions as to the architecture, landscaping and the transport scheme of the facility, explained Chief Architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov.
«The project requires serious work. The architecture, the siting of buildings, public spaces raise certain issues. We would like to see more striking author’s solutions here. And after finalizing the concept, I hope we will see new interesting options,» noted Sergey Kuznetsov.
It is planned to build the complex designed by the architectural bureau Dyer at the following address: Leningradsky Prospekt, 8, at the intersection with 1-ya Yamskogo Polya Street. This site previously housed one of the workshops of the Slava watch factory, but at the moment the territory has been freed from buildings. The plant itself became the basis of the large Slava technopark.
According to the authors of the project, the complex will consist of three buildings from 8 to 17 storeys high, united by a single underground level with a parking lot for 250 cars. On the ground floors, commercial spaces, cafés, shops and so on are to be located. Within the framework of the presented concept, the expressiveness of the external appearance of the complex is formed due to its division into several multi-storey buildings. It was proposed to use natural stone of light shades and dark brick for cladding. The glazing at the top levels is made in a single style with a slight slope, facilitating the overall monolithic look. The total area of the facility will be over 46 thousand square meters. It was decided to improve the territory and plant greenery.
The director of Dyer bureau Philip Ball said that the architects tried to solve three main tasks: to fit the project into the existing historical landscape, to create an attractive retail space and to surround the complex with green space as much as possible. «The first task is solved due to the different number of storeys: the facades give the complex a sense of depth and volume. In addition, their appearance changes as they move away from the historical buildings and becomes more modern, dynamics appear,» said Philip Ball.
According to the experts of the Architectural Council, the project should be more elaborate and expressive.
«It seems that the solutions of the second and third buildings could have been improved. Now we just see simple borrowing and repetition. The architecture there is already switching to another language, which is no longer very compatible with the development of Leningradsky Prospekt. If we are dealing with glass on the roof, a kind of crystals, then we must remember that it is a little self-deception to think that in the end the technical part will be visible there. Maybe pedestrians won’t see it, but it will be read. I would look at the facades again and look for more accurate statements,» commented Nikolay Lyashenko, head of the Tsimailo Lyashenko & Partners architectural bureau.
«The volumetric decisions facing Leningradsky Prospekt were made very tactfully, accurately, and there are already enough accents in this place. In this sense, I support the project. I am confused by the status of the passage parallel to the prospekt. Now it looks like a street, but in fact it is a dead end, along which all cars enter the parking lot. Then it will become a roundabout, also of unknown purpose. The connection between the territory and its surroundings also raises questions,» added Olga Aleksakova, a partner at Buromoscow.
«To be honest, I don’t really want to discuss the architecture of the facades. It was chosen by the authors and the customer; you can agree or disagree with it. Two things confuse me. The first one is the master plan. It is unclear how the client and the architect plan to separate private and public spaces. This issue is not solved at all. If a large public load is planned there, then it is unjustified, and if there is a private courtyard, then the territory cannot be considered public. If we are walking from Leningradsky Prospekt, will we walk along Yamskogo Polya Street? Who, then, will find public functions? Nobody will, because there is no interaction system between private and public territory. The second one is a very small yard. If we look at the plan of the building, we can see that this architecture was designed to get more square meters. I propose to revise this project completely,» said Sergey Skuratov, founder and creative director of Sergey Skuratov Architects.
