"An architect should be the 'director of the city,'" Sergei Choban believes
Sergey Choban, a Russian and German architect, co-author of the project of the tallest building in Europe, the Federation Tower (Moscow City Exhibition Center), has worked in Germany for more than 10 years. According to the architect's designs, commercial, residential and office buildings have been built in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Potsdam, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart. Sergey Choban's projects have been implemented in European and Russian cities. Sergey Choban participated in the creation of the FC Krasnodar stadium project, developed the Nevsky Town Hall administrative and public business complex in St. Petersburg (together with Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners). Since 2003, the architect has been working in Russia, managing the architectural bureau SPEECH. The experience of project implementation in different countries allows the architect to successfully adapt the use of the latest materials and construction technologies to the specifics of project implementation in Russia.
At the 100+ Forum Russia in Yekaterinburg, Sergey Choban's lecture on the role of high-rise accents in the structure of the city was sold out. The video of the lecture can be viewed on the 100+ website at the link http://www.forum-100.ru/novosti/onlayn-translyatsiya-meropriyatiy-100-forum-russia /
And we talked with the architect about how to form a certain type of city and whether it is possible to stop building faceless houses-"chests".
– What role do 100+ high-rise buildings play in modern cities? Do they have an additional function and load besides the direct purpose?
– Buildings of this height are always dominant in the structure of the city. And in this sense, it is very important for which type of city skyscrapers are created. A traditional European city, that is, a city whose buildings have developed over the centuries according to the same harmonizing, proportionating principle, treats the dominants in one way, and a polyphonic modernist city, such as Hong Kong, has become, in a completely different way. In the first case, it is very important how the high-rise dominant fits into the fabric of the building and interacts with its surroundings, in the second, rather, we can talk about the dialogue of the dominants with each other, and this is a completely different story. But, in any case, I repeat, when designing high–rise buildings, it is necessary to start with the urban situation - there must always be clarity of purpose in urban planning.
– What is your goal?
– I grew up in Leningrad and I love European-type cities. That is, structures that have separate high-rise accents and streets, public spaces, and viewpoints are oriented towards them (this is exactly what my lecture at the forum was dedicated to). This does not mean that cities with an already established dominant system cannot develop further. But in this development, it is very important to understand where these dominants stand, how they complement, develop, and perhaps contrast with the existing picture of the city. For me, directing a city is important, where there are so-called supporting actors (background buildings), but there are also first-plan actors (the very dominants).
- Where are Russian cities moving to in general, and to what type?
– To be honest, I don't have a single answer to this question. And I don't think they should move in the same direction. It is important that the direction of this movement is very clearly articulated in each individual case. For example, I went and walked around Yekaterinburg, which, by the way, I love very much, including for its rich constructivist heritage. So, somewhere I understand where this city is moving, and somewhere it is not. I am in favor of making it always clear to an outside observer how and in which direction the city is developing. But I don't want this picture to be the same for all cities. I am in favor of making people feel comfortable in the city, so that when they walk around it, they assess the prospects opening up before them as at least "interesting", not to mention "beautiful".
– The construction of such dominants, which you are talking about, is it always expensive? How to build a skyscraper and not go broke?
– A skyscraper is always the quintessence of the achievements of the construction industry. The high–rise is designed to visually demonstrate the achievements of companies, cities, and countries. Therefore, it is always really expensive, both during construction and during subsequent operation. We must honestly admit that the construction of a skyscraper has little to do with environmental friendliness, economy and efficiency. The costs of building a skyscraper can only be covered by higher rental or sales rates. In other words, skyscrapers can be built either at the peak of the city's economic development, or as a landmark of some individual company, when economic considerations recede into the background compared to representative ones. For example, the Russian Copper Company is building a Norman Foster-designed building in Yekaterinburg.
– As an architect, do you still have an idea ahead of you? Or the budget?
– I both want and have to relate my idea to the budget. This is one of the main professional skills of an architect – he must understand at the concept stage how his proposed solutions will affect the final cost of the project. For example, you are designing a tower. Will it be round in plan or square? Or maybe an arc-shaped one? You can make a tower square, but with an expensive facade, or you can make it round – and then do your best to save on the facade. Or make a round house with an expensive facade and break records for the cost of the project. For example, for the site in Granatny Lane in Moscow, I once made two projects. In one version, the residential complex had a rather exalted shape, but the city authorities rejected it, as they decided to build ordinary rectangular houses on this site. In general, this was not surprising: 90 percent of all buildings that are being built today have a rectangular "chest" shape – the most economically feasible. But it is clear that with this configuration of the building, the nature of its facades becomes of particular importance. This is how a facade appeared in Granatny Lane, in which work with detail, surface texture, and ornament comes to the fore.
- What should I do to get away from these "chests"?
- I repeat, 90 percent of all buildings under construction will always have this shape. This is an objective fact: apartments, offices, and shops are most convenient to operate when they have a rectangular or square shape. I urge you to honestly admit this to yourself and work more carefully on the surface quality of the facades, turning the "chests" into attractive-looking and capable of aging background buildings for a long time and with dignity.