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Architectural competitions - it is a sight to the future.

The all-Russia brunch magazine "Construction", № 1-2 2006

The popularity of the different architectural competitions established by the Union of Architects of Russia together with the companies, being the associate members of the Union grows rapidly. In this connection we asked Yury Sdobnov – the chairman of the jury of the competition «Office space: creativity, technologies, innovations », the vice-president of the Union of architects of Russia, the academician of the architecture, the honored architect of Russia to answer some of our questions.

- Yury Afanasevich, I’d rather know your opinion on the architectural competitions, in particular spent by the Union of architects of Russia together with the companies which being the associate members of UAR. What opportunities do similar competitions give to the architects? What’s your attitude to the joint competitions?

Y. Sdobnov: - The competition for the architect it is a very interesting research. The Union of Architects of Russia always supports the maximal development of such competitions considering that a competition gives the most interesting and perspective decision of a task.

Certainly, much depends here on the conditions of the competition. For any architect participating in the competition there is always an opportunity of imagination, creativity and search of the most interesting decisions even in the very strict conditions. It was rather interesting to observe the change of the attitude to the historical heritage during all the time of holding of the similar architectural competitions. According to it, at first a substantial, and then a graphic part of competitions modified.

- And did it modify thoroughly?

Y. Sdobnov: - And how! In Khruschev’s period, for instance, on reconstructing even the city centre, we were guided by the industrial building up in general. Accordingly, our hands were tied by of the needs of preservation of the historical environment, a historical planning … And we had to fulfill the volumes which could be industrialized, unified as much as possible. Therefore there were rigid frameworks for the imagination of the architect. And sometimes so rigid, that even the creativity idea of the architect became unified.

And when the attitude to the historical centers had changed, and first of all in the consciousness of the society, we got absolutely another competitions. The main task now it is the preservation of the historical environment and as much organic embedding of new constructions in this environment as possible, the formation of other spaces which would be the developed parts of the city…

For example, the well-known competition for the building of a new Mariinsky theatre. In such historically developed environment of St.-Petersburg there appears suddenly an absolutely special, improbable for our understanding architecture which we are even afraid to name by this term. It is something especial, unusual to our eyes. The professional jury recognized this project to be the best. We departed from the classical vision of St.-Petersburg and have entered into something new – and we quail, but still we enter. I do not know, how it all will result, but now the poor French author takes much trouble with all our organizational complexities, but the decision of a problem is simply fantastic!

- And what are such joint competitions characterized by?

Y. Sdobnov: - For the companies being the associate members of the Union of Architects of Russia together with which we establish this or that competition, they are important, first of all from the point of view of the result. The today's customer of the competition wishes to see prestigious architecture, functional decisions, a beautiful interior, a facade which would take a special place and would harmoniously enter in the environment. So, it is a question of the wide choice of opportunities which allow to glance forward and to receive new interesting decisions. The Union of Architects of Russia considers, that the most serious architectural decisions – buildings, building up, city-planning projects – should be developed on the basis of the competitions.

For example, in October 2005 the Union of Architects of Russia together with the NAYADA company - the associate member of UAR, the leading Russian developer and manufacturer of multipurpose partition systems, which have been working in the market for 10 years already, - declared the establishment of a new competition: «Office space: creativity, technologies, innovations».

- What is the idea of the competition?

Y. Sdobnov: - As the company connected with the decision of the problems of the effective office space organization, NAYADA was the first to arise the topic of office space as a target competitive problem on scale of Russia and the countries near and far abroad. Experience and practice of the company together with the professional architectural approach of the participants of the competition represent a boundless field for the search of the interesting decisions.

The primary aim of the competition is to define the best office interior projects realized combining brightness of the design idea and high functionality of premises; to show wide design and constructive opportunities of the use of «NAYADA» partition systems for realization of creativity architectural ideas and to support modern development and innovative ideas in creation of office interiors that is very important for us and for the Union of architects.

As a result of this competition we expect the whole palette of decisions contrasting to each other and very interesting thereby. In October, 2006 the jury is likely to face the most complicated problem choosing the laureates, but sometimes it is necessary to restrain, following some rigid criterion selecting the winners.

The " NAYADA " company, having realized such objects as «Moscow - City», “Sberbank” and «Raiffeisenbank», « General Electric » and « General Motors », the city hall of Moscow and the State Duma, the Embassies of Germany and Italy, TVC «Mosmart» and "MEGA" and many other objects, establishing this competition, aspires to show the new opportunities of the product and to give freedom of imagination and creativity search to our architects.

- How do you regard the participation of students of architectural colleges in this competition?

Y. Sdobnov: - We sincerely welcome the students of architectural colleges and faculties in competitions of the various complexities. It’s rather early for them to project real objects, but we enable to create, seek, find … Perhaps, they, who in some years will enter architecture as the professional sphere, now form such vision of architecture which will appear demanded and dominating in the nearest future…