Russian Architecture Research Articles

The “Baltic Text” in the Creative Heritage of Russian Architects in the Eastern Baltic of the 1920s — 1930s

The “Baltic Text” in the Creative Heritage of Russian Architects in the Eastern Baltic of the 1920s — 1930s

Rad arhitekte Viktora Lukomskog u Kraljevini SHS/Jugoslaviji (1884-1947)

A large number of Russian architects came to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as emigrants in the aftermath of the October Revolution (1917-1921), in the late second and early third decade of the 20th century. Among them was Victor Lukomsky, one of the most prolific Russian emigrant architects. Despite its extraordinary significance, the work of architect Victor Lukomsky (1884-1947) has not been comprehensively understood in contemporary cultural historiography. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to shed light and present details on his activities in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes / Yugoslavia to the professionals and highlight its importance, thus encouraging further research and interpretation of the contribution of Russian emigrants to the Serbian interwar architecture.

He designs of the Russian war memorials from the World War I in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes / Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Ideas, symbols, realization

The paper deals with the actions undertaken by the Russian emigration aimed to commemorate the Russian soldiers who have been killed or died during the World War I in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes / Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The focus is on the erection of the memorials dedicated to the Russian soldiers. During the World War I the Russian soldiers and war prisoners were buried on the military plots in the local cemeteries or on the locations of their death. However, over the years the conditions of their graves have declined. That fact along with the will to honorably mark the locations of their burial places have become a catalyst for the actions undertaken by the Russian émigré, which have begun to arrive in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of SCS) starting from the 1919. Almost at once after their arrival to the Kingdom of SCS, the Russian refugees conducted the actions aimed at improving the conditions of the graves were in and at erecting memorials. Russian architects designed the monuments. As a result, several monuments were erected in the country, including one in the capital.

Национальный романтизм начала XX века в двух архитектурных школах Петербурга

The article regards one of the aspects of the large theme associated with the study of romanticism in the Russian architecture of the end of the XIX - early XX centuries. The authors focus on the «national» branch of the romanticism trend in architecture embodied in two versions known as «Neo-Russian style» and «Northern Art-Nouveaux». As a result of study of some relevant publications and archive materials, it has been figured out to what extent these versions were used in the architectural study practice at the Academy of Fine Arts and at the Institute of Civil Engineers. It is shown, that at the Institute of Civil Engineers the «Northern Art-Nouveaux» aroused an enthusiastic interest, and at the Academy of Fine Arts the «Neo-Russian style» was regarded as more preferable for study. Some brief information regarding the methods typical for these two different versions of the «national» trend in the independent creative practice of the graduates of both schools is provided.

"АНГЛИЙСКОЕ" В ТВОРЧЕСТВЕ И. В. ЖОЛТОВСКОГО: ДОМ СКАКОВОГО ОБЩЕСТВА

I.V. Zholtovsky’s name as well as his architecture are imagined as fully associated with Italian influences. Meanwhile, by the beginning of the 20th century, Italy was by no means the most significant country of palladianism: this stylistic movement had been developed much more in England, in addition the first monograph on Palladio was published in London (1902). Having studied the biographical documents of Zholtovsky, one can conclude that the “English theme” in his life was no less significant than the “Italian”. Moreover, this relation was not limited to the sphere of political or cultural preferences, but strongly affected the architect professional activities. By the example of Zholtovsky’s first independent work, the Horseracing Society house in Moscow, one can trace how the creative credo of Zholtovsky-neoclassicism was formed; how from imitation of the British Victorian style, through the study of English architectural books, he came to his own version of neoclassic style (that was so far from the patriotic-nostalgic features of the pre-revolutionary decades of Russian architecture).

Болгаро-российские взаимодействия в архитектуре Болгарии в начале ХХ века: нео-византийская стилистика и национальный романтизм

В статье авторы сосредотачиваются на нескольких объек­тах, решённых в нео-византийской стилистике, построенных в Болгарии болгарскими и русскими архитекторами, и про­слеживают взаимодействие их проектных идей.

Rotunda church in Russia as typological phenomenon

The article describes results of a complex research, in the course of which the main stages of origination and formation of a rotunda church as a rare type in the history of the world’s and Russian architecture have been determined. The main groups of rotunda churches in the world architecture (7 types) and Russian architecture (9 types) have been identified together with criteria of their classification and typological characteristics, the chronology frames of formation of certain types. Space-planning and compositional decisions in designs of rotunda churches have been analyzed based on their types in the context of typology developed by the author. The types of rotunda churches and individual monuments of rotunda church architecture from the world architecture history, which served as a source of inspiration for architects in Russia, are considered. Features of Russian rotunda churches connected with the Orthodox traditions and national traditions of church architecture were identified. The examples of rotunda churches around the world, constructed within the multi-age period between the 6th century BC till the 19th century, and of Russian rotunda churches constructed within a short period from the end of the 17th century and till the middle of the 19th century, are made.

Architectural education: translating internal potential into external actual

The interrelations of economic development waves with waves of thinking, perception, understanding and processing of information for new architectural concepts are considered. A model is presented for translating the internal potential into the external relevant in the educational process using the forms of full-time and distance, traditional methodological support and digital opportunities. Self-assessment of the results of education - internal and external increments, through self-assessment of cognitive (knowledge), creative (creative), organizational (managerial), communicative, value-semantic competences, helps self-determination in what you love (passion), what the world needs (purpose), what are you good at (vocation) and for what do you get money (profession). The methodology of the discipline “Compositional modeling” in solving the problems of critical regionalism of modern architecture is considered on the example of the theme “Russian architecture from antiquity to the Middle Ages”

CATEGORY OF EMPTINESS IN THE WORLD ARCHITECTURE: JAPAN, WEST, RUSSIA

The article analyzes the philosophical and psychological meaning of the category of emptiness and its reflection in art and architecture. The sacred meaning of emptiness in Zen Buddhism and its influence on Japanese architecture are considered. Differences in interpretations of the concept of emptiness in Eastern, Western and Russian philosophy and architecture are analyzed, it is highlighted how echoes of Zen teachings and the category of emptiness contributed to the emergence of the empty canon in the avant-garde. The devaluation of emptiness in the aesthetics of modernity and its transformation under the conditions of postmodernism are considered. In the course of analyzing the attitude of the modern generation to the categories of emptiness and space, the preconditions for the return of the attitude to emptiness and space as sacred categories of architectural culture are revealed.

Features of location in urban structure of buildings of Russian-Soviet consulate in Harbin

The article discusses the consular buildings of Russia that have survived to our time, and later Soviet ones in the city of Harbin in the New Town area (now Nangan), during the first half of the 20th century. This topic has a historical value for Russian architecture, as an architectural heritage outside the state. The location of this type of structures in the city structure is revealed, the techniques and features of their placement were analyzed. During the study, five buildings were found in which the consulate was located, one of which was lost. After analyzing the placement of the consulates, it can be assumed that the choice of buildings was not accidental, the buildings were selected according to a number of characteristic features, such as advantageous location, representative appearance, the presence of their own site, often buildings rented from The Chinese Eastern Railway (CER).

The Problem That Is not There: On the Old and New Interpretations of the Tent-Like Churches in Russian Architecture

The Problem That Is not There: On the Old and New Interpretations of the Tent-Like Churches in Russian Architecture

ЗАРУБЕЖНЫЙ ОПЫТ ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЯ ЗДАНИЙ С УЧЁТОМ ТРЕБОВАНИЙ ИНСОЛЯЦИИ И СОЛНЦЕЗАЩИТЫ

The article identifies the problems of development of large cities in Russia and foreign countries associated with the shortage of land in the territories of large cities for the implementation of new investment and construction projects. In this connection, modern architects and urban planners face complex challenges associated with the placement of new real estate in the existing urban development on limited land plots. New buildings must meet the requirements of insolation, and the areas adjacent to new and existing buildings must also be provided with the necessary solar radiation. The article analyzes the foreign experience in the implementation of investment and construction projects of buildings of various functional purposes, taking into account the requirements of insolation and sun protection, the analysis of space-planning solutions of buildings, the most interesting from the point of view of insolation design. The description of modern techniques and innovative solutions implemented by foreign architects in the process of designing insolation of buildings is given. Recommendations on the use of software of Russian and foreign manufacturers are given. The attention of Russian architects is focused on the need to simulate insolation at the initial stage of the investment and construction project. The role of the architect in the creation of the architectural concept of the building and its impact on the subsequent stages of development of the investment and construction project.

The “Dilettantism” of Savva Mamontov in Russian Art

Abstract This article examines questions related to dilettantism, typically defined in negative terms as engagement in an activity without proper professional training. However, this concept can also prompt a positive association, connoting freedom from inertia, ossified techniques, and professional stereotypes and clichés. The present article contends that dilettantism is especially necessary in transitional periods of art history. At such moments, innovations may arise more readily in intimate and amateur circles, rather than in professional contexts. Such a circle developed in the 1870s-90s among the community of artists who gathered around the prominent industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov, a man of diverse talents, who astutely intuited new trends in art. This group of artists came to be known as the Abramtsevo artistic circle, after the name of Mamontov’s country estate located just outside of Moscow, where the vast majority of their artistic activities took place. In Abramtsevo’s informal, creative atmosphere ideas for new aesthetic projects spontaneously materialized across a range of different artistic spheres—theater, architecture, decorative, and applied arts—in which members of the circle were essentially amateurs. But it is precisely in these areas that the artists would make their most significant contributions. Thus, the first seeds of a novel understanding of theatrical production as a single immersive entity were initially sown on the amateur stage of the Abramtsevo estate and subsequently fully blossomed in Mamontov’s Private Opera (1885-91; 1896-99), which played a foundational role in the development of Russian musical theater. The Church of the Spas nerukotvornyi [Savior Not Made by Human Hands], built by members of the Abramtsevo circle (1881-82), became the first exemplar of the Neo-Russian style in the history of Russian architecture, an important constituent of stil modern or Russian Art Nouveau. The activities of the kustar workshops in Abramtsevo—the carpentry workshop (1885) and the Abramtsevo ceramic studio (1890)—made a significant contribution to the development of the applied arts and industrial design in Russia, leading to their “rebirth” on a national level.

REVIEW OF MODERN CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENTALIZATION OF THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT

The problem of inconsistency of the life-forming environment and global trends forming algorithms in Russia is considered. Attention focused on taking into account the goals of a "green" economy and the tasks of improving the quality of life while regulating the parameters of urban planning and architectural decisions. The newest foreign concepts of ecologization had been study as an object of research. The subject of the research were theoretical approaches and innovative applied technologies that contribute to adapting the methods of architectural and town planning activities to changing environmental conditions. Identification of new ways to improve the consumer properties of the living environment has become the goal of the study. Materials and methods: an integrated approach, collection of information from literary and online sources, compilation and analysis of thematic materials. The basic information about theoretical developments discovered in domestic and foreign scientific journals. They are present on the Russian portal E-library and on ScienceDirect - the Elsevier's multidisciplinary platform. Some aspects were refined according to the information that posted on the websites of electronic libraries of a number of foreign universities and specialized research institutions. Results. Brief description of such foreign concepts as "environmental design", "appropriate technology", "life cycle assessment", "Cradle to Cradle", "lean manufacturing", "upcycling", "planned obsolescence" and "regenerative design" prepared. Analysis of publications showed that the most popular topic is the need for resource conservation. Active laboratory research, transition to BIM-technologies, economic incentive mechanisms and active popularization contribute to the introduction of innovative resource-saving developments in practice. Conclusions. Currently, various aspects of the "green" economy considered in the natural Sciences, engineering, Humanities and Economics. One of the most important tasks of the modern stage of development of urban planning and architecture in Russia is the introduction into practice of design and construction of modern technologies corresponding to the tasks of the "green" economy. In this regard, the actual direction of science researches, which are associated with the optimization of urban planning, architectural and engineering solutions, is the synchronization of the field of sectoral problems with the key issues of sustainable development.

Cover Feature: Special Issue Dedicated to N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 26/2019)

The Cover Feature shows the winter view of the main entrance to the campus of N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ZIOC; project by the famous Russian architect A.V. Shchusev) in Moscow. The cover picture was designed by Mr. Alexey V. Kokorekin. General information about ZIOC, its history, and current research directions can be found in the Guest Editorial by N. E. Nifantiev and the Editorial by L. I. Belen'kii and V. A. Petrosyan.

Environmental design research in Russian architecture

PurposeThe topics “environment,” “environmental design” and “environment and behavior studies” are important and promising in architectural discourse. The academic culture of the global west plays a unique role in the development of the knowledge within the field of environmental design research (EDR), from which these concepts originate. This paper examines the western names, works and ideas related to EDR that have spread into Russian architectural discourse. The purpose of this paper is to consider the status quo of Russian knowledge of EDR and its connection with the western EDR tradition.Design/methodology/approachThe method of research in this paper is the analysis of references and keywords of architectural publications from the largest Russian academic online library – e-library.ru.FindingsThe origin, evolution and current state of environmental architectural knowledge in Russia are discussed. Its segmentation including the presence of several self-organized spheres within the EDR domain and the variety of “dialects” of environmental language are illustrated. The connections of each segment of Russian knowledge with western authors and sources are traced. Further, conclusions are drawn regarding the similarities and differences between Russian and western knowledge in the field of EDR.Originality/valueThe relationship of Russian architectural theory with western EDR knowledge has not previously been the subject of a comparative scientometric study.

Basic Principles and Strategy of Integrated Approach to Urban Environment’ Renovation

Humanization of the urban environment is the central problem of the modern stage of Russian architecture, because the current environment is characterized by shortcomings and contradictions. A comprehensive renovation and reconstruction of the existing environment is requiredto solve this problem. An integrated approach ensures effective social and functional reorganization and architectural and artistic improvement of the environment. Certainprinciples lie at the heart of the comprehensive reconstruction, the observance of these principles can ensure the consistent improvement and humanization of the urban environment. The Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Far Eastern Federal University has developed several projects for renovation of the urban environment fragments of Vladivostok, based on this approach and the principles of reconstruction.Someof these projects were realized. Projects and practical implementation showed the effectiveness of the basic principles and methodology of urban renovation proposed by the authors.

Памятники архитектуры России в китайской живописи

Памятники архитектуры России в китайской живописи

CLASSICISM IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN EUROPEAN RUSSIA AND SIBERIA

The article discusses the general trends in the development of classicism in the architecture of Russia and Siberia. Prerequisites for this development are studied and the examples of famous architectural monuments and the main styles are given. The relevance of this study is conditioned by the problems of preserving historic buildings in Russia and the loss of valuable building elements. Classical architecture is characterized by strict forms widely adopted in the 19th century. For a long time, it was recognized as a background housing and was destructed in the Soviet period. At present, these objects are rare and carry information about the architectural era. Although many authors study the classicism in Russia, it is not yet completely studied, in particular, in Tomsk-city.The purpose of the article is to study the classicism stages in Russia and development in Tomsk. The article uses the methods of comparative and architectural analyses. It is shown how the main public buildings are designed and built in Russia and Tomsk, in particular, in accordance with the approved projects.It is shown that classicism developed in several stages and by the middle of the 19th century became the national style. A need to build state-owned buildings in the provincial cities, the emergence of new types of buildings, such as magistrates, offices, banks, exchanges modified the architectural and artistic direction.Standard projects allow developing the efficient and technically competent housing in a short time, which contribute to the stylistic integrity of the Russian cities. Due to the significant loss of buildings of the classicism period, the existing buildings are the most ancient and valuable objects that require studying and preservation.

АРХИТЕКТУРА МЕЧЕТЕЙ АСТРАХАНИ XIX - НАЧАЛА XX В.: ИСТОРИКО-СТИЛЕВОЙ АСПЕКТ

The article investigates the most important features of the architecture of Astrakhan mosques built in the XIX - early XX century. The authors argue that they are an example of the all-Russian style and volumetric-compositional trend that existed in the pre-revolutionary Russian architecture. The consideration of the volumetric-compositional, style and decorative components of a number of historical mosques makes it possible to reveal the most typical historical-style features in the appearance of the presented architectural objects and to make certain contribution to the formation of the overall picture of Astrakhan architecture development.