STEEL FREEDOM 2018. Young people trample their way into the world of great architecture

/ Architecture /

"Almost everything great is done by the young," believed the English writer and politician Benjamin Disraeli. If you believe him, the chances of getting something big in the field of commercial real estate have increased thanks to the STEEL FREEDOM competition. After all, it was organized for students and young architects. And the customers of the works were real investors. PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA studied the projects of the winners of the fifth STEEL FREEDOM and talked to their creators.

A total of 50 teams took part in the fifth STEEL FREEDOM competition. Contestants had to propose conceptual solutions using steel structures for the creation of real estate objects in different segments. There were three nominations in total. Students of specialized universities could compete in two categories: reconstruction of a complex built for an office center in the historical part of Podol and creation of a project for a cinema with public premises in Holoseevskiy district of Kyiv. Graduates under the age of 35 worked on a separate category: the creation of a residential building project in the affordable housing segment in Mariupol. According to the organizers, the winning project of the last nomination will be implemented with almost one hundred percent probability.

Winners and finalists of the Steel Freedom architectural competition after awarding and awarding of prizes

Foreign speakers Andreas Lambrinos (Atelier Lambrinos) and Harry Ibbs (Zaha Hadid Architects), who were invited to give lectures as part of the STEEL FREEDOM Architecture Festival 2018, highly appreciated the works of the contestants.

"The works are excellent, at the level of professional architects. I am very glad that this is happening here in Ukraine. And I look with great optimism at young architects in your country," said Dutch architect Andreas Lambrinos in an interview with PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.

On November 24, the winners and prize-winners of the Steel Freedom student competition in two nominations were determined

His colleague Harry Ibbs even complained that there are no such competitions for young architects in his native Great Britain. "We just discussed it with Andreas. We are really impressed by how the projects are worked out, what attention is paid to details. The quality of work is really impressive. When you look at most of them, it seems that these are projects of professional architectural offices, and not the work of students," said the British architect.

 

Reconstruction of an office center

The task: reconstruction of the complex built for a class A office center in the historical part of Podol at the intersection of Bratskaya and Igorevskaya streets (Kyiv) as part of an architectural monument. The customer is "Smart-Holding" company.

1 place

Team O69: Anna Tomusyak, Lyubomir Dzhanov, Darya Shulzhenko, Anastasiya Konotopenko (Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture)

2 place

Team O43: Iryna Zelenkova, Anna-Maria Altukhova (Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture)

3 place

Team О47: Ilya Masko, Elizaveta Masko, Veronika Toropova (Prydneprovska State Academy of Construction and Architecture)

PROJECT 069

The authors of the project proposed to build a three-story office building with an atrium on the plot of land allocated for development. The idea was to provide office workers with their own recreational space.

One of the main details of the project is a console that partially hangs over the historical building. This solution increases the area of ​​office space. On the facade from the side of ul. Bratskoy architects proposed placing a metal milled panel that imitates the facade of the building of the Credit Union (1894) built by the architect Vladimir Nikolaev, which has not survived to this day. The panel helps the new part to fit into the series of historical buildings. According to the authors of the project, the modern facade of the new building creates a background for the monument of architecture, emphasizes its image and, thanks to its transparent facades, complements the ordinary building of the street.

Anna Tomusyak
22 years old, 5th year, Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, specialty "built and constructed architecture"

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Why did you decide to participate in the competition?

Anna Tomusyak: We wanted to try ourselves in something bigger than a student project, and such competitions are a good opportunity to show ourselves and our ideas, to evaluate our own capabilities, to work on a real object with further prospects for implementation. And we had an incentive. Last year, we also participated, but did not make it to the final. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we can do it.

PM: Why did you choose the reconstruction nomination?

A.T.: Reconstruction is already our professional specialization, because the architectural part of the team represents the Department of Reconstruction of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. In the conditions of modern Kyiv, this is a very relevant topic.

The student project provides an atrium — a recreation area for office employees

PM: Is it more complicated than creating a project from scratch, in your opinion?

A.T.: It is more interesting, because you are already starting from the context. There is an existing situation with its pros and cons, and you, analyzing it, make decisions about how to get rid of what is not attractive, how to emphasize the main function, whether it is possible to expand it, etc. It seems to me that a certain limitation in possibilities stimulates to search for interesting solutions.

PM: What is the most difficult part of your project?

A.T.: The most difficult part of our project is the console that hangs over the historical building, its reach is 12 m. It is also its most memorable detail. In addition, the difficulty was that according to the tender, it was necessary to place a two-level underground parking lot under the office part of the building, and in the conditions of the historical part of Kyiv, this is a very difficult task. Our designer worked out this point in detail, the structures selected by him can make everything a reality, but he also emphasized the fact that reinforced concrete structures will still have to be used in the foundation.

Project 069 in the nomination of complex reconstruction completed, 3D section

PM: How to maintain a balance between respect for the historical environment and a modern approach in the process of reconstruction of a historical building?

A.T.: It is necessary to analyze the context in detail, to understand what goals you set for yourself. But, probably, the most important thing is to find for yourself, to understand, what is the importance of the historical environment in which your object is located, because, understanding its importance, its main aspects, its history, thanks to the modern approach, you will be able to emphasize and reveal all this, not necessarily reviving the historical function of the building.

PM: Are there any examples of world architecture that inspired you in the process of developing your project?

A.T.: Rather, we analyzed objects that were reconstructed in a similar urban planning environment. The cantilever was inspired by Rem Koolhaas's CCTV building in Beijing with its 75-meter cantilever overhang. We decided that the console is a good technique that will add space and emphasize the historical building in the conditions of dense construction. The stylistic design was inspired by the UPI-2M building, which is a Croatian architectural workshop. Their architecture is very modern and concise.

PM: Did you expect victory?

A.T.: Rather no than yes, because before the presentation we could not see the works of the other contestants. We were confident that we would make it to the finals, because they worked out our project in detail and provided for all the nuances. We hoped for victory, because a lot depends on the presentation itself.

PM: Is it important for you that your project took first place or is it more important to see it implemented?

A.T.: Of course, it would be more desirable to see it implemented and participate in its implementation, but, unfortunately, this competition does not guarantee such an opportunity.

PM: What did participating in the competition give you?

A.T.: First of all, this is the experience of working in a team, namely working in a team with a designer. After all, in student projects you are your own architect, designer, and engineer, but in reality each specialist is responsible for his area, and as an architect it is important and necessary for you to listen to everyone in order to obtain a high-quality project. I would really like to continue working in the same composition, it is no longer student competitions, but professional ones, that go to a new level. We are starting to look around a little, we don't want to stop at what we have achieved.

The feature of the project is the console that hangs over the historical building

PM: Who do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

A.T.: I can definitely see myself as an architect. Definitely with much more experience and baggage of knowledge than now.

PM: What project would you like to implement in Kyiv or, for example, in your hometown?

A.T.: I would like to realize a public building in the capital. It seems to me that Kyiv lacks modern museums of history and culture, and I would like to work in this direction.

In my hometown - I am from Khmelnytskyi - I would like to build or restore a building of cultural value in contrast to shopping centers and housing. The same museum or theater. I would also like to realize a socially necessary building, for example, an animal shelter. There are some problems with this in my city.

The project of the reconstruction of the complex built for the office center at the intersection of Bratskaya and Igorevskaya streets in Kyiv, visualization

PM: Why did you decide to go into architecture in the first place?

A.T.: The union of creativity and calculation attracted me very much. After all, architecture is mathematics combined with art. When designing buildings of different typologies, you are an architect, but at the same time a doctor and a patient - if you design a medical institution, you are an office worker - if you work on an office building, a teacher and a student - if you design an educational institution. It's very exciting.

The complex was built for public use

The task: creation of the concept of the project of the complex built at 116 Goloseevsky prospect in Kyiv, consisting of a cinema, an office building and public areas. The customer is Kyiv investment agency.

1 place

Team C74: Vladyslav Chernyshov, Inga Kompaniets (Dnieper state academy of construction and architecture)

2 place

Team C33: Bohodar Lysenko, Anton Konyshchuk, Valery Polegenky (Dnieper state academy of construction and architecture)

3 place

Team C67: Marina Tsyganova, Iryna Pryplavko, Yulia Romanchenko (Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture)

 

PROJECT C74

In order to increase the attractiveness of the rented spaces, the authors of the project bet on improving the environment, which, according to their plan, should become a "magnet" for local residents. The architects decided to create a "green corridor" - a comfortable pedestrian path that connects the two main streets of the district. In addition, bicycle paths have been provided. The project involves the improvement of not only the surrounding area, but also the construction of the roof, where it is proposed to create recreation areas.

Vladyslav Chernyshov
23 years old, 6th year, Prydneprovsk State Academy of Construction and Architecture, specialty "architecture of civil buildings and structures"

The shopping center is organized according to the passage principle and has three entrances. For the office floor, the architects proposed three options: with a corridor system, with three independent rental sites and a completely open office on the entire floor. A big advantage for all scenarios are the enclosing structures made of window blocks around the entire perimeter, which makes it possible to organize a maximum of well-lit workplaces.

The main hall, hall and cafeteria are located in the cinema block. On the second floor of the cinema there are two more small halls for 120 seats. The parking lot has three levels.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: What were you responsible for in your project?

Vladyslav Chernyshov: This project was a complete team effort, starting from the first sketches and concepts and ending with diagrams and visualizations. Therefore, it is difficult to answer what exactly I was responsible for. Probably, for the general approach to design and for the fact that it concerned constructive solutions and visualizations.

PM: Why did you decide to participate in the competition and why exactly in this nomination?

V. Ch.: I decided to participate in the competition after seeing the task. It interested me. I chose this nomination because the result in this category could be an object that affects the surrounding environment.

PM: What was the most difficult for you in the process of working on the project?

V. Ch.: The most difficult thing, probably, was to stop and stop sorting through different ideas of layouts, facades, a playground, etc.

Plot
Insolation
Organization and landscaping

PM: You mentioned that you were betting on improving the environment. How did you achieve this?

V. Ch.: The improvement of the environment was achieved by methods of organization and division of public zones, creation of comfortable pedestrian paths. We analyzed the flow of people and improved the territory according to them.

PM: Did you expect victory?

V. Ch.: I did not expect victory. But on the day of the final, when the judges asked questions to the other contestants, I understood that our project gives answers to these questions. And I was pleasantly surprised that the developers in the judging team gave preference to the idea of ​​a quality environment, rather than large rental areas.

The authors of the project bet on improving the environment in order to increase the attractiveness of the rented premises

PM: Are you satisfied with the victory in itself or is it more important for you as an architect to see the project implemented?

V. Ch.: When you go to a student competition, you mentally prepare that the project will remain on paper. But I am very happy that now more and more competitive works are being implemented. I am always ready to take part in further implementation. For every architect, especially a young one, this is very important and inspires much more than just winning.

PM: What did participating in the competition give you?

V. Ch.: Participation in the competition is a very valuable experience of working with a team, with new designs, etc., as well as an important experience of public speaking. And of course, the drive for self-realization is very powerful. I think that if at the end of each competition they announced the start of a new one in a week or two, many people with burning eyes would run to sign up for it.

PM: Do you have any idols that you look up to, whose works are close to you?

V. Ch.: There are no idols as such, all architectural firms have strengths. I am close to the ideas of Bjarke Ingels in terms of work with form and the overall structure of the bureau, in terms of approach to function, the works of Rem Koolhaas, and in terms of philosophy and visual beauty, the projects of Tadao Ando.

Project C74 in the nomination "Creation of the concept of a complex built with a cinema" in Holoseivsky district of Kyiv, visualization

PM: What further goals do you set for yourself in the profession?

V. Ch.: One goal is to develop and expand your horizons.

PM: Do you have a dream project that you would like to realize?

V. Ch.: The dream project is a crematorium.

PM: I can't help but ask why?

V. Ch.: For two reasons. First, it is an object with a unique and complex function. By crematorium, I also mean the latest methods of burial. Expressing something similar in architecture is a unique experience. This is very rarely built. Secondly, it is a socio-philosophical aspect. Rethink, put some idea and influence the public attitude to this topic.

PM: Already have specific ideas? Or maybe you know where exactly you would like to build a crematorium?

V. Ch.: There are no concrete ideas yet. And about the place: the situation is now such that many cities are concerned about this issue. For example, in our Dnipro, the existing burial system uses the territory extremely inefficiently and harms the environment.

 

Creation of a residential building project in the affordable housing segment in Mariupol

The task: creation of the first project of a residential house in a metal frame in Ukraine with its further implementation. The customer is Mariupol City Hall.

1 place

Team M96: Dmitry Shchepetnov, Yevgeny Kolmakov, Nikolay Voronchuk, Yevgeny Tsyupin (Praktika studio)

2 place

M80 team: Sergey Trytko (Bilas Design studio)

3 place

Team M95: Alina Holovatyuk (Ardis company)

PROJECT M96

The main feature of this project is its flexibility. The architects left only the main construction (metal frame, ceilings, foundations and external enclosing structures) as typical. Everything else can change and adapt: ​​the authors of the concept propose not to form the floors in advance, but to combine them based on what kind of apartments future residents will choose (they are proposed to be involved at the design stage).

Dmitry Shchepetnov
23 years old, co-founder of PRAKTIKA studio

In addition, the architects set themselves the task of preventing the appearance of boring and monotonous streets. The authors of the project propose to achieve variety by alternating facade finishes (metal panels, ceramic facade tiles, plaster and wood inserts). It is proposed to use a metal frame as the main structure.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: Who was responsible for which part of the work in your team? Was there a formal or informal leader?

Dmitry Shchepetnov: Yes, the formal leader was, in fact, me — as the initiator of participation in the competition and the initiator of the creation of the PRAKTIKA studio. But this is rather a question of internal organization and communication. In general, each of us made a huge contribution to the result. If you remove someone from the process, I think the result would be different. Zhenya and I (Evgeny Kolmakov. — Editor's note) together developed the idea of ​​a participatory approach and modularity, later he worked on the development of the general plan, and I was responsible for the function. Kolya (Kolya Voronchuk. — Editor's Note) was responsible for the aesthetic component and visual content of the project. Zhenya (Eugeny Tsyupin. — Approx. ed.) as a designer was engaged in the development and optimization of the construct. During development, we constantly had micro-deadlines, when we met and jointly discussed certain solutions.

Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot
Layout schemes of the residential complex on the land plot

 

PM: Even during your presentation of the project in Kyiv in November, liveliness and originality were felt. Most of the presentations, let's say, were somewhat monotonous. Do you think humor is important in the work of an architect?

D. Sh.: We worked a lot on the presentation, thought through its emotionality and tried to form the reaction and involvement of the audience in advance. Many watched and analyzed the presentations of such speakers as, say, Steve Jobs. I believe that the presentation of the project is no less important than its essence. As for humor, humor is important everywhere. No one likes excessive seriousness. If he talks about architecture, I have my own opinion. It seems to me that architecture should be characterized not only by humor, but also by some form of irony, absurdity and provocation. Peculiar "Easter eggs" frozen in time.

PM: Why did you decide to participate in the competition and did you expect to win?

D. Sh.: When the nomination for young architects was announced, I immediately gathered the guys, and we made the competition our priority. We were just planning to open our studio, and I saw in the competition an excellent opportunity to start. At the same time, it was possible to clearly observe the teamwork of our work (spoiler: we worked well as a team). To some extent, they really expected the victory, because they understood that we really need it as a young architectural studio. This expectation was also reflected in the result. Everyone felt responsible for each other and understood that we only needed victory.

Project M96 in the nomination "Building a residential house project" in Mariupol, top view

PM: The final defense of the works of young architects was held in December in Mariupol. Tell me how everything went there?

D. Sh.: The defense went well, all the teams have improved something since the presentation in Kyiv. We also made a lot of improvements. In particular, we worked on optimizing the project to make our residential complex truly accessible to people who need it. And, of course, they gave answers to the comments that were made during our presentation in November.

PM: Residents of Mariupol were not invited to the presentation? I wonder what they think about your project.

D. Sh.: There were no local residents at the presentation, which I think is correct. Communication with the population and city authorities should take place in two stages, as this is a completely different approach to communication. But both stages must be done. Unfortunately, the first is often neglected.

I really wanted to convey the variety and individuality of the building, while preserving the "typicality" in the implementation

PM: How did you come to the idea of ​​the project? Have you traveled to Mariupol to inspect the location and get to know the city's problems and residents' needs?

D. Sh.: Yes, the trip to Mariupol was primarily to understand the situation and attitude of local residents, as well as to feel the city from the inside. Pre-project analysis, by the way, is one of the main principles both for me and for our studio. Unfortunately, I was only able to go to the area. When I arrived, I immediately caught the consonance of Mariupol with my hometown Kryvyi Rih, about the development of which I had thought a lot before. Therefore, returning to Kyiv, I already knew in which direction we should move.

PM: A feature of your project is its flexibility (floors are divided into apartments depending on demand, different number of rooms). You didn't give up on this idea? This concept raised questions for the panel of judges. Did you manage to convince everyone?

D. Sh.: The questions were not so much about the concept itself, but how much about its implementation. We took them into account and refined them for the presentation in Mariupol. We have not given up on the idea itself, and we will do our best to make it a reality. After all, such an approach can bring indisputable benefits to both parties - both the developer and future residents.

On the first floor, there is a public area and a place to store bicycles

PM: Are there any examples from world architecture that inspired you in the process of developing your project?

D. Sh.: There are probably no concrete examples, but I can definitely say that we were inspired by the cities of Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. I really wanted to convey the variety and individuality of buildings inherent in them, while preserving the "typicality" in the implementation.

PM: You noted that Mariupol is similar to Kryvyi Rih. And there are plenty of such industrial cities, unattractive, not comfortable, in the east of the country. What to do with them? How can architects and urban planners solve their problems? What is needed to revive them?

D. Sh.: This is, perhaps, one of the most urgent and important questions for me. So, thank you for asking. Yes, as I already said, when I arrived in Mariupol, I immediately caught a note of familiarity and familiarity. Similar problems, similar construction and even a similar mentality. I have been thinking about such "panel" cities, as I call them, for a long time. And I don't understand why all the attention of Ukrainian architects is mostly tied to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Lviv, whereas, looking at the statistical data on industrial cities, we see how they are slowly dying or barely staying afloat. But, despite similar problems, they need their own vector of development. In Kryvyi Rih, I see development due to the Bilbao effect. In Mariupol, it is enough to develop the coastline and return the city to its "resort-ness". Now we are preparing to start a large-scale study of these cities and want to propose ways of their economic and social development through the prism of urbanism and architecture. We hope to at least draw the attention of specialists to them. We would like to start with Kryvyi Rih, Mariupol and Kremenchug, and we will see from there. Who knows, maybe a non-profit organization will be formed on the basis of this research.

We have united around common goals, principles and the mission that we see in front of us - to inspire through the prism of architecture

PM: Do you have a dream project that you would like to implement?

D. Sh.: I do not have a clearly defined project that I would like to implement. But there is a long-standing desire to build a building in Nigeria and in poor areas of India. I don't know why, but the social significance of such objects simply attracts me. I am sure that I do not want to leave Ukraine, because I love our cities.

PM: Would you like to build something in Kryvyi Rih?

D. Sh.: In Kryvyi Rih, as in any other Ukrainian city, I would like not just to build a building, but rather to improve the city itself through architecture: to give it new value, to start some social processes. It is important to remember that architecture is first of all about people, and then about buildings.

PM: Your competition project is now very likely to come to life. Will this be your first completed project? How important is it to you as an architect to see the implementation of the project?

D. Sh.: I realized objects, but mostly it was private housing. As an architect, it is important for me to see both the theory and the implementation in which it is displayed. I am glad that we managed to convey the concept first of all, and not just aesthetics, but the realization will give this object a real social meaning.

The authors of the project suggested alternating different finishes on the facades in order to avoid homogeneity of the houses

PM: I came across the idea that student time for an architect is exactly the time of creativity, since after graduation, a graduate often gets a job in an office, where he is forced to play by other people's rules, make concessions, and there is no place for creativity in his work. What do you say to this as a young architect? Are projects that remain only on paper real creativity? Or is it more important that it can take an objective form, even if this project is far from the original idea even in its finished form?

D. Sh.: It seems to me that this question is not so much about the conflict between creativity and reality as about literacy and the ability to argue. Any well-executed project can be aesthetically and functionally attractive, which means it has the right to be implemented. But the argumentation and presentation of this project is no less important. It is absolutely not important that you speak to a person who does not know your language.

PM: All members of your team represent PRAKTIKA studio. Tell us more about it. How many of you are there and what are you working on?

D. Sh.: PRAKTIKA is our architectural studio, which we plan to fully launch in January. We have united around common goals, principles and the mission that we see in front of us - to inspire through the prism of architecture. We believe in Ukrainian cities and want to make them better. The main areas of the PRAKTIKA studio are residential and public functions. Today there are four of us, we are all young (up to 26 years old), we all have our own ambitions and goals. There are orders, but they are small so far, one of the immediate and main goals we see before us is to enter the big market and further cooperation with large developers and cities.

 

The organizer of STEEL FREEDOM is the association "Ukrainian Center of Steel Construction" with the support of the "Metinvest" group, companies GreenCoat / SSAB, KRAFT, Ruukki, Tekla / Trimble, "Staleks", TPK, Sweetondale, as well as the National Union of Architects of Ukraine. PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA acted as the media partner of the competition.