"In new buildings, you can sometimes use old ideas, while old buildings need to use new ones," once said the American Jane Jacobs, a writer, activist and theoretician of urban planning, who stumped the very "builder of New York" Robert Moses. "As a rule, in our time, they are guided by the principle of exclusivity and historicity of the object, but it seems to me that buildings should be preserved based on whether they will be able to tell in a hundred years how we lived," says another well-known urbanist of our time, theoretician and practitioner big architecture of Rem Koolhaas.
Maryna Dyachenko, CEO of the MANEZH company
In this matter, the leading European architectural bureaus demonstrate a correct strategy that elicits a positive response from the public and citizens. A good example is the renovation project of Potsdam Square from the workshop of Stefan Benish Behnisch Architekten. The German architect will turn the area around the historic square and the largest transport hub in the center of Berlin into a promising and attractive city quarter in all respects. In the mid-1990s, after the reunification of Germany, this territory was developed based on the needs of the time — as a place to live, work and shop. Despite its youth, the district has a number of shortcomings from the point of view of architecture, landscape design and urban planning strategy. The Potsdamer Platz Arkaden shopping center and local attractions make it a tourist mecca, which, as a result, creates hustle and bustle and heavy traffic. Meanwhile, people living and working in this quarter usually do not identify with it and rarely use its open spaces. Their quality is also negatively affected by the lifeless facades of the first floors of buildings, the constant intersection of human and car flows, the unfortunate location of adjacent streets, gloomy underground passages, etc.
CoffeeDOOR restaurant in the garden named after T. G. Shevchenko, Kharkiv. Bioclimatic pergola M-Ocean Line with rotating slats. Implementation — MANEZH
Benysh will breathe life into the district, creating a series of interconnected public spaces with an area of forty hectares with barrier-free streets and squares, as well as pedestrian areas and traffic-free zones. The lower levels of the houses will be occupied by elite restaurants with mandatory outdoor areas, covered with reliable sun protection systems that protect against heat and precipitation. The result will be a unique district with a new identity, capable of playing an active role in the life of the city. Outdoor solar protection here not only improves the microclimate, but is also easily integrated into the energy-saving system of old buildings, increasing their energy efficiency and at the same time influencing the temperature of those heat islands that we talked about in the previous volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.
"The architect sets a certain vector, and we implement it in our sun protection systems," - Maryna Dyachenko
Examples of the correct strategy in the application of external protection against excessive insolation have been given and iconic public spaces in the historical areas of cities are sufficient in Ukraine. The most representative of them use solar protection systems of the MANEZH company, a leader in the field of their design and production in our country.
Suppose you have a favorite city park in which you know every path, every corner. The only point is that it is not well-furnished enough, which does not prevent people from loving it and visiting it regularly. As soon as a beautiful terrace, elegantly covered by a pergola system, or simply a rest area shaded by awning structures appears in it, the number of visitors to the park increases. People are ready to come even from other districts to spend time in a pleasant place, where it is cool in hot weather and warm, cozy in rainy days. You look, and very soon the rest of the surrounding area is transformed - it becomes cleaner, more well-groomed, more comfortable.
Bucket awning Tondo from MANEZH. It plays the role of a visor over the door, an advertising sign, protection from the sun, and also serves as a facade decoration
For example, the MANEZH company together with Kharkiv architect Olga Kleitman (SBM Studio) designed the area of the CoffeeDOOR restaurant in the garden named after T. G. Shevchenko — in the main city park of Kharkov, near the central square of Svobody and ul. Sumy, which recently underwent a large-scale renovation. "Here we used our M-Ocean Line system with rotating slats," says MANEZH CEO Maryna Dyachenko. — I note that not a single tree was cut down. In addition, the presence of a food establishment in public areas attracts people, which allows such spaces to live, because they live only when there are people in them." The pergola itself serves as a key design element of the surrounding landscape, attracting the attention of guests with its bright red color. "Our strategy is one - do not harm the environment. Therefore, we strive to organically integrate MANEZH systems into the landscape, avoid trees, treat nature as ethically as possible, with respect. For me, it is stronger than a person, so it must be respected and also refers to both the person himself and what surrounds him, including the historical context of the urban environment. And in this sense, we do not compromise," says Marina.
"Collaboration with architects gives us a creative impulse to revise and improve our models," - Maryna Dyachenko
The same method works with streets in historically built-up areas. MAD Bars House, the concept and design of which was developed by the YOD Group team, appeared in Lviv, not far from Rynok Square. It occupies six floors of an old XIX century building. along Shevskaya Street. The space in front of it is decorated with an open area with tables, shaded by an exclusive pergola from MANEZH, created especially for this project. Now you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of old Lviv without hurrying, in a quiet, cozy corner, enjoying it slowly - like an aromatic liqueur at sunset on an August day. It is simply impossible to pass by this place: the terrace not only offers leisurely rest and contemplation of the surrounding panorama, but also attracts to the institution itself. It is not surprising that the citizens and guests of the city walking here find a reason to stay here. It is no coincidence that the terracotta shade of the canopy is reminiscent of the color of Lviv tiled roofs.
Terrace of Gianvinino restaurant, Dnipro. Pergola M-Ocean on cables with a reach of 4 m. Individual project for Dmytro Podoprygora. Implementation — MANEZH
"Cooperation with such architects as Vladimir Nepiyvoda and Dmitry Bonesco from YOD Group gives us a creative impulse to revise and improve our models," says Marina. — Yes, while working on the MAD Bars House in Lviv, where it was necessary to cover an 8×4,5 m platform, we developed a separate pergola system with a sliding roof. It occupies part of the pedestrian street, going beyond the terrace as such, and is distinguished by wide posts and the fact that it does not have a gutter for collecting water. We called it M-Ocean MAD, included it in our assortment and thus expanded the model range." By the way, this has happened more than once. For example, the special M-Ocean Wave model with an automatically sliding roof with folds, covering the horizontal planes of the terrace, appeared when the MANEZH company worked on the shading of open areas in the cottage town "Zoloche", including boats, houses for rent, private houses, as well as a spa Zafferano center and restaurant. "The architect sets a certain vector, and we implement it in our solar protection systems," says Marina.
True Burger Bar Lviv restaurant, Lviv. The Sigma system from the Lite line. Implementation — MANEZH
In the event that modern architecture is introduced into the historical environment, for an acceptable perception of the overall picture, it is advisable to make a transition from the old to the new. "For example, cover some open areas with systems made of wood, or emphasize the architecture of the old building with awnings, as it was done before," says Marina. And here it is appropriate to recall what, say, the central streets of Kyiv looked like at the end of the 1906th century. — the beginning of the XNUMXth century. The first floors of houses on Khreshchatyk, Vladimirskaya, Yaroslavov Val and Andreevsky spuske streets - exactly where there were shops, benches, bakeries, restaurants, drinking and coffee establishments - were decorated with awnings, which not only created a saving shadow, but also served as advertising signs. Having come to us from Italy, they are still successfully used in historic buildings. Elbow, bucket, balcony - the MANEZH company has a number of realized cases, where awnings not only perform their sun protection function, creating a favorable microclimate, but also serve as an architectural accent that enlivens the historical fabric of the city. Among them is the terrace of the Kiev boutique hotel "Opera" in a reconstructed building of XNUMX, located within walking distance of such attractions of the capital as the National Opera of Ukraine, Sophia Cathedral and St. Vladimira, as well as capital boutiques Symbol, Domino, designer jewelry showroom Oberig on ul. Zankovetska.
MANEZH systems are painlessly integrated into the natural landscape or historical fabric of the city, improving the quality of the urban environment
Cable systems for entrance groups and restaurant areas on the first floor can be an alternative to awnings. They do not have racks, due to which they look light, and at the same time there is no need to cut trees for their placement. The main issue here is the correct fastening to the building itself. It is important to calculate the load with a large offset of the canvas, when the roof is moved, take into account the force of the wind. "Old buildings are fragile," Marina emphasizes. — And we, as designers, must correctly think through the points of attachment of our systems, correctly distribute loads, etc., in order to preserve both the historical appearance and create an interesting and comfortable space for a person, providing a different quality of the urban environment. And this is where MANEZH's strength comes into play - our design and engineering and construction department." Moreover, in places of historical development, it is possible to foresee minimal intervention in the architecture in advance: the roof systems are collected, the racks are removed, the load-bearing elements of the facade sun protection are carefully hidden, and when replacing the old wooden windows with new ones, you can make a special niche for the box, where the fabric blind is rolled up, shading window openings, for example, Screen Spectra from MANEZH. In other words, their competent integration absolutely does not change the building itself.
MAD Bars House in Lviv. Pergola M-Ocean MAD with wide posts and with a sliding roof with sags. Implementation — MANEZH
For city cafes and summer areas in central squares, in addition to awnings, it makes sense to use free-standing systems that do not adjoin the building facade, as was done, for example, on Greek Square in Odessa for the terrace of the Krabi Japanese cuisine restaurant, covered by a three-module M-Ocean pergola Wave from MANEZH on automatic control. As for terraced areas on the roofs of old buildings, the M-Ocean Atrium model with drainage and horizontal movement of the roof will come in handy here. It is perfectly integrated into the historical facade of the building, moreover, solutions are possible when it is practically not visible from the street, which meets the task of not disturbing the authentic appearance of the building.
The terrace of Krabi Japanese cuisine restaurant near Greek Square in Odessa. Free-standing three-module M-Ocean Wave pergola. Implementation — MANEZH
"We always take a very delicate approach to work in historical areas and insist on involving an architect in the project, since it is he who is able to make the right decision in this case without violating the essence of the place, the original idea," says Marina. — We do not consider projects from the point of view of quick earnings. Our main priority is beauty. When it is beautiful, it inspires and encourages people to get to know their city, to discover it for themselves in a new way. It is a pity to see old buildings with poor signs, which are installed, by the way, with the permission of local town-planning authorities. It would be better to replace them with retractable awnings: it would be much more effective for the quality of the urban space."
Text: Nadezhda Bogataya
