Eastern promise: Wallpaper’s Russian architecture picks

Architecture | 4 Sep 2015

It should come as little surprise that a country with as much disposable capital and an open-minded approach to ostentatious design should house a veritable hitlist of beguiling architecture – but Russia isn't any old country. Here, we've collated a number of 19th, 20th and 21st century architectural curios featured in Wallpaper* over the past years, from Soviet-style cultural centres and rickety avant-garde residences, through modernist pavilions and cosmic rural creations…

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Modern Russia's complex relationship with its avant-garde architectural past is well documented. Photographs of the crumbling husks of once pristine geometric visions of historic modern architecture are widely circulated. Konstantin Melnikov's house, built in 1927 and featured in W*164, is a good example. The house on Krivoarbatsky Lane in Moscow was a prototype for mass housing for workers, showcasing new techniques, materials and forms.

Writers: Jonathan Bell and Ellie Stathaki. Photography: Leo Balanev

Over multiple storeys and 250 sq m, Melnikov created a generous living space and two vast split-level studio areas united by a spiral staircase and lit by bands of diamond-shaped windows. Beneath the white render, it is built from brick, with timber flooring, conceived from an interlocking lattice of planks, rather than conventional joists. As a result of this rather bold move, as well as the low quality of materials available, the house is now very fragile. Chaotic, in need of conservation and a focus of architectural debate in Russia, the Melnikov House is still above all, a unique and remarkable home.

Writers: Jonathan Bell and Ellie Stathaki. Photography: Leo Balane

Finally, after being burried in scaffolding for the best part of a decade, the 'house with the lions' – named after the two lions flanking its entrance – was unveiled as a grand five-storey hotel, with a state-of-the-art spa complex and pool built into an internal courtyard, and a restuarant and bar overseen by Eastern Europe's first Michelin-starred chef, Andrea Accordi. The building, completed in 1820 and featured in our November 2012 issue, was designed for Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky by Auguste de Montferrand. Soon afterwards, it served as the Ministry for War until the revolution in 1917. It then variously housed a hostel, a school and, most recently, a state-owned architectural bureau.

Writer: Tobin Auber. Photography: Egor Rogalev

Boris Bernaskoni's Villa Mirror Mongayt near Moscow, which originally appeared in W*164, is more akin to an art installation than a house. Its facade, which for now features mirror panels that reflect the surrounding forest, is designed to be replaced every year, while the locally sourced, prefabricated wooden frame, recycled wool insulation and wooden interiors all underline the building's eco-consciousness. The result is a mix of clean shapes, simple materials and playful, eye-catching conceptual elements, which is fast becoming Bernaskoni's signature approach.

Writer: Ellie Stathaki. Photography: Yuri Palmin

Bernaskoni himself, standing under his Arc pavilion, a striking 13m-high wooden construction designed as 'a gateway to nature' for the Archstoyanie festival. The arch-shaped wooden pavilion combines a striking perforated facade with a gallery space, a viewing platform and even its own water well. 'The Arc de Triomphe is traditionally an urban symbol,' explains Bernaskoni. 'We took the classical shape, symbolising fame and victory, and transferred it into the countryside to celebrate nature.'

Writer: Ellie Stathaki. Photography: Yuri Palmin

When Alvar Aalto originally created his library, between 1927 and 1935, it was a civic jewel of the wealthy port of Viipuri, a city second in size only to Helsinki in the Finnish region of Karelia. But after the Second World War the area was ceded to the Soviets, the indigenous population relocated to Finland and replaced by Russians, and the city renamed Vyborg. The library, which was featured in Wallpaper's July 2011 issue, vanished behind the Iron Curtain and a fog of rumour, which makes its survival and restoration, crowned by recent 75th anniversary celebrations, all the more heartening.

Writer: Trevor Dannatt. Photography: Gustav Welin

The most impressive symbol so far of the library's renaissance has been the recreation of the lecture hall's undulating ceiling. Here, the use of timber brought a warmth indicative of Aalto's role in the development of a far more humanistic modern architecture. The original ceiling was probably built by carpenters specialising in boat-building, and its new incarnation matches such immaculate workmanship.

Writer: Trevor Dannatt. Photography: Gustav Welin

'It’s interesting, don’t you think?' Calling Vladislav Doronin's $160m Zaha Hadid-designed space rocket in the woods ‘interesting’ is like saying the Mona Lisa is mildly diverting. The 35m-high structure, featured in our April 2015 issue, is perhaps the most striking new private home in world. It’s certainly one of the most ambitious. ‘People told me it couldn’t be built,’ he says. ‘The builders said it couldn’t be built. At times, I thought it couldn’t be built. But Zaha, who is a strong woman, very intelligent, very smart – a genius, in fact – insisted.’

Writer: John Arlidge. Photography: Daniel Stier

The 30,000 sq ft structure is more of a living, breathing sculpture than a home. The exterior is a wildly cantilevered mushroom shape, with a skinny stalk and a 4,000 sq ft top. The windows at the front are raked steeply forward at a 45-degree angle, giving the building a precarious stance. ‘I said “no” to the angled windows but Zaha wouldn’t budge,’ says Doronin. Every piece of furniture, every fixture, every fitting has been custom designed by Hadid and Doronin. The beds look like they belong on the Starship Enterprise and the central lift and wardrobes are made entirely of clear and mirrored glass. The top floor comprises two bedrooms, bathrooms and dressing rooms above the tree tops.

Writer: John Arlidge. Photography: Daniel Stier

Gorky Park, on the banks of the Moskva River, is Moscow's largely abandoned lung, but that's something Dasha Zhukova wants to change. The 34-year-old is turning a forgotten corner of the park into Garage, an international arts institution originally featured in W*164 and supported by her non-profit Iris Foundation. In 2013, Rem Koolhaas' Office for Metropolitan Architecture started work on a 5,400 sq m building which will include galleries, shops, cafes, classrooms and offices, and the design will incorporate original Soviet-era design elements like brickwork, mosaic, tiles and, latterly, graffiti.

Photography: Jegor Zaika

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Eastern promise: Wallpaper’s Russian architecture picks

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