In USSR there were so many great architects, who created really outstanding projects, outstanding because they were different for that time. In this post I want to show you some of that kind of buildings of USSR’s constructivism, which are amazing, but unfortunately not well known.
First building is Roads Ministry, in Tbilisi, Georgia, by architect Georgy Chakhava’s. You can see it on Photo-collage 1. It was built in 1975. Chakhava created many interesting projects, he tried new forms, shapes, but the main thing of his work was the fact that his main inspiration was unique nature of his Motherland, its identity and originality of all its regions, beautiful rivers and especially never-ending mountains, because one of the most powerful thing about Georgia is its mountains, they are like Georgian people: free and powerful. Georgy Chakhava wanted to create a harmony between city and the nature. He said: "I consider that the more difficult is the relief, the more opportunities are therefor the architect to create".
This building is located near the river, a little bit on the rock. Under this building there is beautiful nature landscape and small stream. Its area is 10 960 m2. I think that this building looks like a mountain itself, it rises up from the earth and is so powerful and massive. Actually, the idea of this building consists in using earth’s surface as less as possible in order to let the flora, which is under the building, exist.
The сonstruction of the building consists of five horizontal, two-floor in height cross beams, which look as if they were put at each other. Horizontal beams are fastened on three cores. Inside them there are ladders and elevators. The supporting structure is made of steel and reinforced concrete and lean on the massive rock. The middle vertical part of the building is 18 floor in height.
I really like this building, it is great piece of constructivism architecture of USSR, it looks so brutal, because of its strict geometrical composition, but I like its heavy cantilevered forms, because all of these strictness, gris and brutality somehow make it so natural, because of its location inside of the rock and above the river, moreover if to look between the horizontal parts of the buildings you can see lines of mountains, this is amazing. This building has such deep connection with nature of Georgia, it is really hard to transmit these feeling through architecture, but Chakhava did it amazing.
Photo-collage 1. Roads Ministry, Tbilisi, Georgia, 1975 by architect Georgy Chakhava’s.
Second building is the Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics (RTC), it is located in Saint Petersburg, RF. It was built in 1987 by architects B.I. Artiushin and S.V. Savin. You can see it and its inside on Photo-collage 2.
It is one of the largest research centers in Russian Federation, where scientists make researches and developments of mechanical and electrical robotics, furthermore, this centre is specified on space engineering and new technologies, and also there is producing and tests of specialised space-travel equipment.
I really like this building because of its cosmic look, It is huge and powerful, like a spaceship, like an alien among other usual buildings. It breaks the standards and it is the main thing, why people may like it and also may not. I think that it is absolutely amazing how during that time people created that kind of buildings, which seemed to be from the science fiction book. Its structure reminds me also of a technical instrument, which gives the idea of technologies, and engeneerings which are happening inside. Inside there is a very big space, for testing and constructing many objects, actually, there is not a lot of information about the insight of it, which make it very secretly interesting.
Photo-collage 2. Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics (RTC), Saint Petersburg, 1987 by B.I. Artiushin and S.V. Savin.
Third building is just usual house. It is called Circle House in Nezhinskaya street, 13. It was done in 1974 by architects Evgeniy Stamo and Alexandr Markelov. You can see its construction, how it was build and actual house on Photo-collage 3. In 1970 there was a big build up of Moscow with typical, the same houses and many districts in the city looks similar, that’s why architects decided to change usual, ordinary Moscow’s house. Actually, the way they changed it was unpredictable, architects created absolutely circled house, which was shock for city’s usual architecture, because very one is used to the fact that all houses have edges and this building was a total collapse for people’s minds and understanding of houses, it was really new step. To create this building, the main thing, which architects found out was the fact, that the maximum angle, in the point of meeting of panel blocks could just be not higher than 6градусов. This is extremely brave and original.
The building turned out to be huge. It has 9 floors, 913 flats and 26 doorways ( in USSR;RF there are too many apartments in one buildings, so not to get lost, there is a system of doorway in every house, in one doorway there could be till 100 flats, and in one house there can be till 10 doorways, or even more ). Also, inside of this building is very big garden, which can, actually, be used as a football field, because of its size. I think having such garden is very good, because you can not be worried for your children, for anything, actually, because this garden is closed inside and you can get there only if you live in this house. Moreover, inside of this house there were some shops, hairdresser, pharmacy, and atelier, which were located on the first floors, near the doorways. Everything that people need was in this house. I think that it is great, when everything is so close, even too close, that you do not even need to go out to the city, but it seems a bit back to the commune-houses, where people lived all together, sharing everything: from sleeping to eating. Anyway, I find this house wonderful, because of its brave originality. It looks so mysterious, powerful like a big ring. I even feel, as if it was an unapproachable fort.
Photo-collage 3. Circle House in Nezhinskaya street, Moscow, 1974 by Evgeny Stamo and Alexandr Markelov.
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