Architectural bureau SPEECH: close-up. “I don’t need any partners” How Sergei Tchoban became the most successful Russian architect Speech Tchoban and Kuznetsov

The meeting room of the spacious office of the Speech architectural bureau (the full name is “Speech Choban & Kuznetsov”) on Novoslobodskaya is cold like a museum. High white walls are covered with architectural graphics - old Venetian palazzo, Gothic cathedrals, clocks on city halls. “On one wall there are my works, and on the opposite - by Sergey Kuznetsov. Before he became the chief architect, we often traveled together and painted a lot, ”explains Sergei Tchoban, co-founder of the bureau, perhaps the most famous Russian architect in the West today. There is not a single modern building in the paintings, only conventional images of cars and pedestrians indicate that the drawings were made now, and not in the 19th century. "Doesn't contemporary architecture inspire you as an artist?" “I also have drawings of modern architecture - for example, last year I painted Brasilia by Oscar Niemeyer. But it’s clear that modern architecture is less photogenic. It is aging worse, the elaboration of details, complex relief and patina are absent in modern architecture - there is nowhere to catch a pencil or a brush. "

It was his fascination with architectural graphics that played a decisive role in the bizarre development of Tchoban's career. After studying at the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and after working for a short time with the architect Fabritsky, one of the founders of the children's camp "Orlyonok", Choban decided to leave the country at the age of thirty. It was 1991 - a time of hunger for Russian architects and, on the contrary, the era of the construction boom in Germany, so Tchoban purposefully began to look for ways to move to a place where he would have the opportunity to grow professionally. By that time, he had almost no practical architectural experience, but he organized an exhibition of his drawings and paper architecture in Hamburg. He was settled to live with the chairman of the Hamburg Union of Architects, who later hired Cioban to work in the NPS bureau - so that he would make graphic presentations of the company's projects. Vigorously getting down to business, the architect, who at first barely spoke German, three years later already headed the Berlin office of the bureau and began to design urban objects (for example, the famous Berlin attraction - the Akvare House business center with a 16-meter aquarium through which you can take an elevator ride, and the nine-screen Cubix cinema at Alexanderplatz). Soon the company, in the house of whose boss Tchoban once huddled, was already called NPS Tchoban Voss.

“If you order the building of Zahe Hadid, the yield of leasable space will be 50%. And Choban has 75% "

In the early 2000s, when the construction boom finally began in Russia, Tchoban returned as the designer of the most ambitious Moscow project of the time, the tallest tower in Europe, the Federation Tower. “Since 2000, I have been to Russia, looked at what is being built here, the impressions were difficult. The objects that were under construction at that time were, let's say, specific - Choban speaks of Luzhkov's style extremely cautiously and politically correctly. “But after looking at the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Federation Tower, I realized that this was my chance - it was very tempting to return to Russia with such a project.”

Initially, the tower was planned to be built by the head of one of the workshops of the Mosproekt-2 institute, Alexander Asadov, but Sergei Polonsky, the owner of the project, who was already distinguished by his eccentric character, certainly wanted a Western architect. Then Asadov advised to meet in Germany with Choban. “I met Sergei in Berlin - from time to time he received groups of Russian architects and showed us all the novelties of architectural Berlin, told how everything was arranged. It was then very interesting, fresh and unusual information for us, - Asadov says. - When Polonsky's colleagues said that in any case a foreign architect would work for them, and that they went to America to find him, and now they are leaving for Singapore, I said: “You don't need to go that far, there is much closer, in Berlin , an architect who will do everything and satisfy you. "

That was the time when Western architectural stars - Eric van Egerat, Dominique Perrault and Norman Foster - began to be invited to Russia. It was accepted to believe that they would save Moscow from the hateful Luzhkov architecture, although in the end they did not really succeed in building anything. Tchoban's return looked particularly colorful in this context. “Everyone was discussing that he would come now and how he would show everyone here!” - recalls the architect and architectural critic Kirill Ass. But contrary to expectations, Choban did not offer flashy ultra-modern projects in the spirit of Western stars, but began to build more than restrainedly, with transparent historical allusions - using Western quality, expensive materials and the latest technologies in a conservative way.

Both colleagues and customers appreciated this. “I work with Choban because I believe that I should leave behind some kind of positive mark in the image of the city, and not build ugly boxes that are mainly produced by construction companies in St. Petersburg,” says developer Igor Vodopyanov, managing partner of Teorema Management Company. commissioned by which Tchoban built, in particular, the witty "Benois House", covered with reproductions of the costumes of the great theatrical artist. - Basically, all local architects are adults and therefore very conservative - they are rejected by world architectural trends. And Tchoban designs very modern - and at the same time, you can get rational architecture from him. If you order the building of Zaha Hadid, the yield of leasable space will be 50 percent. And Choban has 75 ".

Tchoban himself is sure that the main problem of Western stars is that they do not live here, which means that they cannot influence the design and construction process on a daily basis: “In Europe, the constant presence of an architect at a construction site is not necessary. But in Russia, customers and city planning authorities periodically have doubts, a desire to change something, right down to the architect, and therefore control and the never-ending power of the belief that your ideas are correct are absolutely necessary here. When you look in Moscow and St. Petersburg at the building masterpieces of the past, which were created by Western architects, you understand that these were not stars at all, but just people who dedicated themselves to Russia. "

Working on "Federation" not only returned Choban to his homeland, but also gave him a partner. On the project, he began to collaborate with Sergei Kuznetsov, whose bureau specialized in the development of three-dimensional architectural computer graphics, and together they soon organized Speech. From that moment on, all projects of the bureau (for example, one of the most expensive and sophisticated residential complexes of recent years at 6 Granatnoye, or the Novatek office - the first Russian house that meets European energy efficient design standards) have been signed by two names. And all the numerous prizes they now came out to receive together: the long, stooped Petersburg intellectual Sergei Tchoban and the strong and short Sergei Kuznetsov, who looks more like a young, ambitious manager than an artist.

However, a year ago, Kuznetsov actually turned into a manager - but already a state one: as part of the Sobyanin rejuvenation of personnel, he was appointed the chief architect of Moscow. First of all, he proclaimed his goal to return architectural competitions for city objects to Moscow. “Yuri Mikhailovich held several competitions in the 90s, but the results did not satisfy him, so he quite quickly reoriented himself to the practice of direct orders to Moscow state unitary enterprises - large design institutes that we inherited from the Stalin era,” explains Alexey Muratov, chief editor of the architectural magazine "Project Russia". “Now one of Kuznetsov’s ideas is to return to the city the practice of competitive procedures accepted throughout the world”.

The practice is really back. And in new competitions, the Speech bureau began to win with enviable frequency: for example, Tchoban won the right to design a new building for the Polytechnic Museum and a facade for the new building of the Tretyakov Gallery. Formally, there is no conflict of interest in these victories: although the name of Kuznetsov still appears in the full name of the bureau, according to the assurances of its founders, since Kuznetsov became the chief architect, he no longer has a share in the company, and he does not take any part in its life ...

“If tenders for urban objects had been held earlier, I am sure we would have won about the same amount. We are one of the leading offices in Russia, for us this is a completely natural result, as well as for other bureaus that honestly win in today's competitions organized by the new chief architect of Moscow, explains Tchoban. - The fact that architecture is a thing tied to connections is a delusion! I came to Germany and managed to successfully work there. What connections did I have there? None. Take my work in Russia: I organized my office with Sergei, and seven years later he became one of the notable architectural firms in the country - where are the connections? Probably, it is easier for someone to say that it was blat. In fact, if a person has the ability to do something, he achieves success. If not, then no. And that's it. " Most of Choban's and Kuznetsov's colleagues admit that if we turn away from past connections and look at the bureau's projects themselves, Speech's victories do not seem strained.

The second frequent complaint of colleagues - Kuznetsov not only organizes architectural competitions for city objects, but for some reason he heads the jury himself: the chief architect who orders the competitions himself leads them, and then he himself wins, can ruin his work on the rehabilitation of architectural competitions ... Sergei Kuznetsov himself declined to comment on the Speech bureau.

Having lost a partner, Choban not only found himself forced to make excuses for victories, but also had to limit the work of the bureau on some projects. However, when asked whether he will look for a new partner, he answers unequivocally: “I don't need any partners. I have three partners in Berlin and they have excellent workshop leaders. It was just that with Sergey it was a creative union of the highest level - it was the greatest luck that we coincided so for some time. I have partners, but there is no more partner. "

Having tackled half a dozen city construction projects alone, Choban now mostly looks out of Moscow. From now on, his goal is to create the first Russian architectural brand, successful in the West, and more broadly, to raise the level of all Russian architecture. For this, he has been publishing the architectural magazine Speech for five years in Russian and English, and since the new academic year, Choban, for the first time in his practice, has been taking a graduate course at the Evgeny Assa architecture school “Marsh”. For this, he decided to promote his Russian bureau in Germany - and he has to compete with his own German bureau: recently Choban under the Speech brand built his private museum of architectural graphics in Berlin, which instantly earned the Iconic Awards and caused a fair amount of noise in the press. This is indeed a largely missionary story: Tchoban divides architecture as purely functional and architecture as high art - and Speech, according to his plan, in the West should deal only with the latter. “If in Berlin there is a task to make a simple office building at a high level, I will do it at NPS Tchoban Voss. And the Speech company, I hope, will receive significant objects in the field of culture. To be honest, I am a great patriot of our country. I was born and raised here, she brought me up, - Choban speaks about his super task with particular inspiration. - In Russia, the quality of architecture is very low. Throughout the country we can count about thirty relatively strong and interesting bureaus - for example, in Berlin there are about fifty such offices, competing with each other every day. This is despite the fact that in Berlin the population is three million against our one hundred and seventy. How can a country with such a density of architectural thought enter the world market? No way. Now I want to create an architectural brand that would be known not only in Russia ”.

And this, of course, in a sense, is very our way - that Russian culture is raised by a person who, a few years ago, was considered here as a German.

- one of the leading architectural firms in Russia. Now the workshop employs more than 200 employees - architects, designers, engineers, managers, developing dozens of projects for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, CIS countries and the world. And ARCHiPEOPLE tried to find out in detail what it is like to work at SPEECH?

Sergey Choban, SPEECH head and chief architect

How is the SPEECH bureau organized and how has its current structure developed?

Sergey Kuznetsov and I created the bureau in 2006 through the merger of our two companies ( "SP-project" and "Choban and partners" - ed.), and since the SPEECH staff was initially quite large, it immediately got a vertical structure. In other words, there is the head of the bureau, there are heads of workshops and there are heads and architects of these workshops. I would be glad to work with all employees directly, but it is possible to manage an office in “manual mode” only if its staff does not exceed 25-30 people. I know this for sure from the experience of managing my Berlin office ( Sergei Tchoban is also the head of the Berlin office of the famous German bureaunps tchoban voss - ed.), which in its development at a certain point also exceeded the mark of 30 people, and for effective management it was necessary to create a system of workshops, headed by experienced employees who share my views on creativity and profession, and whom I trust. At SPEECH, the structure is the same: today, when working on a project, I discuss it, first of all, with the workshop leaders, who then transmit our general vision of the process to their employees.

Does each workshop have its own specialization?

Of course, in the process of work, each team develops certain preferences - including for certain typologies - but we always set the task of the workshops to move towards multifunctionality. A narrow specialization in our profession is simply dangerous: the market situation is constantly changing, as well as the functional saturation of individual projects. Therefore, we strongly encourage the desire of employees to master new areas of the profession.

And the heads of the workshops and the heads of the bureau for the most part came to the bureau in this capacity, or were they, as they say, raised in a team?

As a rule, the second. This, of course, is a very lengthy and somewhat risky process, since not every smart employee can grow into a GAP or a good workshop manager. But we were lucky, in the ranks of SPEECH there have matured several very responsible, and most importantly, talented - not only in terms of architecture, but also in terms of team management - GAPs, who headed the workshops at the next stage of office development.

Does the bureau have branches in other cities?

We didn’t try to create branches because managing them makes office logistics extremely difficult. Again, I can say from the experience of managing my German office: branches are necessary and justified only if the company's activities are evenly distributed in different cities of the country. For the sake of one or two projects, it is simply pointless to be in one city or another from an economic point of view. We are always glad to have the opportunity to work in some new city for us, but in this case project management is carried out centrally from Moscow. In addition, in St. Petersburg we have a permanent partner - Evgeny Gerasimov, with whom all projects in this city are carried out. Most of them are now in the final stages of implementation.

Does SPEECH interact somehow with your German office?

In the early days of SPEECH, this collaboration was very close. Sergei and I have always relied on the highest quality of design and implementation of objects, so we used our cooperation with German architects, first of all, as an opportunity to train their Moscow colleagues. And I must say that this model turned out to be very successful: today, SPEECH employees themselves often suggest some interesting solutions to the Germans. So today the contact between the offices takes place at the level of an equivalent exchange of information. Since I make projects both there and here, I often say to my architects: “Look how this detail was solved there,” - equally often implying both Germany and Russia. The design level in the Moscow office has reached German, especially when it comes to designing facades and details. And, by the way, some new materials appear and are applied in Moscow sometimes even faster than in Germany.

And now, three years after Sergey Kuznetsov became the chief architect of Moscow and left the company, how would you assess the changes that have taken place in the SPEECH structure? after the departure of one of the leading partners?

The most important thing in our joint work with Sergey was our constant creative dialogue, very rich and fruitful. After his departure, the very structure of the creative dialogue changed: before, we discussed all new projects primarily with Sergei, whereas now the heads of the workshops have become my main interlocutors and co-authors. I am deeply convinced that any project is born precisely in dialogue, in joint brainstorming.

That is, you are very much involved in the design of any object at the initial stage? How closely do you keep track of all subsequent design stages?

It was not in vain that I said at the beginning that our bureau was very lucky with talented and responsible chief executives: we absolutely coincide with the workshop leaders in understanding what is important in the project and what points should be monitored. No further reminder and no questions asked on my part. At the initial stages of work - both in Moscow and in Berlin - I made endless lists of project questions for myself and my employees and constantly tugged at project managers. And thus gradually taught them, as they say, "think around the corner", think in material, see any detail in a three-dimensional image. Once I literally ran around construction sites and endlessly asked: “Have you decided this moment? Didn't decide? Let's decide together! " Now the heads of the workshops are already tracking all the controversial issues and come to me to discuss them. And I no longer wonder if their list of questions on the project is exhaustive - for those implementations that are obtained, it is quite obvious to me that they are not missing anything.

Anton Pavlov, bureau manager

What are your responsibilities?

An architect cannot exist on his own. He needs some kind of service, which will create favorable conditions for doing architecture. I am the manager of an architectural bureau, and my task is to communicate with customers, personnel management, planning and assignment of tasks, control over document flow and finance. In other words, I am in charge of everything that is not related to creativity.

What is your role in recruiting?

I need to determine who the bureau needs at any given moment. After all, I look at an architectural studio not as a place for creativity, but as a business. SPEECH is a commercial organization, we want to create beauty around us, but at the same time make money. It is important for me that the number of architects is optimal. If there are not enough people in some workshop, we recruit them through the personnel department. I don't interview anyone directly, the chief project architects and workshop managers do it.

What brought you to the bureau?

I have a technical education. I graduated from the Aviation Technology University. The heavenly element even now means a lot to me, and when I have free time, I partially give it to aviation. After graduation, I worked in a field far from architecture, at that time I was already familiar with the founders of SPEECH, they invited me. At first I refused, the architecture seemed to be another planet, and then I thought - why not?

You also work closely with customers. Which ones are easier to work with?

To say that all customers are simple and pleasant people to talk to will probably be a little sly. But we are lucky, our customers are very motivated people with an amazing outlook and deep knowledge. They choose us because of a certain set of inherent professional qualities. Plus, I hope they like our architecture. It's nice when the customer “breathes the same air with us”, and for him the focus is not so much on budget savings as on a healthy compromise between costs and aesthetics and functionality of the future object. In such cases, the difficulties associated with contractual, management issues fade into the background.

How do you feel about the bureau's participation in architectural competitions?

It's nice when people come to us with no alternative: here's a project - do it. The number of projects to compete for, however, dominates. The attitude towards them is twofold. On the one hand, it's great when you can win a small victory at the initial stage. On the other hand, from a business point of view, this is not the most efficient stage of the project process. The requirements for the volume of materials submitted for the competition are very serious. Not much time is given. We do not know how to work not for a 100% result, therefore competitions take up a lot of the bureau's resources.

Can you make concessions to implement a separate project?

We try not to overwhelm our customers with ultimatums. The position is very simple - we do not say why something cannot be done, we say what is needed to get the desired result. I repeat, we are lucky to have customers who want to build up interesting buildings in Moscow, they love the city and treat it and themselves with respect. And we have no faceless buildings in our portfolio. There is one customer who has its own plant for the production of reinforced concrete panels and is building mass budget housing. But he is guided by the rule: panel houses should not look like panel houses.He expects the same from us, and we answer him with stylish facades and well-thought-out layouts. Moreover, the search for options continues until both parties are fully confident in the correctness of the final decision.

How did the crisis affect the Bureau?

Our bureau is one of the largest in Russia, specializing only in architecture. We do not have our own designers or engineers, they are subcontracted. Until the end of 2014, the bureau employed about 300 people. Now we have lost some of the contracts: somewhere investors decided to postpone the project, somewhere they are negotiating with the city authorities about changing the functionality. Our main task in such a situation is to preserve the team. I really want not to break under the winds of change, but to withstand and keep the staff, the best people who believe in us and in the common cause. Everything SPEECH has done is done by their hands. Therefore, we are looking for new projects, we create conditions for the customer to choose us, so that we can provide the team with work.

What compels architects from different bureaus to create joint projects? Before my eyes is the project of the Garden Quarters complex.

Alexey Ilyin, head of workshop # 1

How did you become an architect?

I studied at an art school, where my main teacher was an architect. And even then it seemed to me that this profession combines well both the artistic component and the possibilities for the implementation of buildings, that it allows you to do things that will last for centuries. The choice was simple for me.

What projects are you currently working on?

We are completing the construction of the second stage of the microtown "In the Forest". This is a large residential area on Pyatnitskoye Highway, which will have schools, kindergartens, offices and even a theater. Other interesting projects are the multifunctional complexes "Lotos" on Odessa Street and "Heart of the Capital" on Shelepikhinskaya embankment.

What restrictions do you have to impose on your creativity?

We are a commercial organization, despite the fact that we do the author's design. We do not simply perform the artistic function of drawing beautiful facades, but we are attentive to the wishes of the customer, layouts, and technical aspects. This imposes certain restrictions, but within the framework of the norm.

"Heart of the Capital". Illustrations - SPEECH.

Microtown "In the forest". Photos - SPEECH.

Is it hard to run a workshop?

With a sensible organization - and I hope that we have it - everything works fine. In my studio, there are three main architects who are assigned a certain number of projects.

Has the life of the bureau changed after Sergei Kuznetsov moved to a new job?

For me, it hasn't changed much. Kuznetsov has built a good structure that continues to work smoothly. The management system is now being dealt with by Anton Pavlov. He is not an architect, and this is a positive moment, because he abstracts from creative issues and solves only managerial ones. Architecture, of course, remains a priority anyway.

How has the architectural world of Moscow changed over the past 20 years?

I remember what happened back in the 90s, then I worked in the "ABV Group". Since then, there has been a giant leap forward in architecture and the situation is improving every year. It became easier and clearer to work. Work can also serve as an indicator.« Architectural Council of the city of Moscow» , in which good specialists solve problems.

What is your attitude towards competitions?

Thanks to them, a wide variety of architects have the opportunity to implement their projects. There have always been contests, but now they are more transparent. Of course, most of them are more profitable from an economic point of view for young bureaus, which is still good.

Igor Chlenov, head of workshop # 2

What does your workshop do?

We design mainly housing of different classes: from economy to premium class. Although, there are office projects, hotels, cultural facilities in the works. Among the projects of economy housing, I can single out the New Zelenograd complex and the development of a microdistrict in Solntsevo on the territory of the Vzlet plant. Business class - a very interesting project on the territory of the ZIL plant. From housing with a higher class, one can recall the Wine House residential complex on Sadovnicheskaya Street, designed in conjunction with TPO "Reserve".

Was your specialization in residential architecture a deliberate choice?

Rather, it was a natural market demand. Until 2008, there was almost one hundred percent workload on the part of customers for office development, and we did only offices. After this turning point, office construction began to freeze, but the theme of apartments and housing began to develop. Over time, it so happened that the main objects were residential. Subsequently, it turned out that one workshop concentrated on sports facilities, while the rest, in principle, are “omnivorous”.

What principles do you follow in project development?

They are the same for all architects. On the one hand, we have to fulfill customer requirements. On the other hand, we have to make high-quality architecture. Combining these two components is the most difficult and interesting task in the design of any facility.

What new requirements have appeared for housing? How to create a non-standard variant in Economy Class?

The basic requirements have been smoothly evolving along with the market for twenty years. Everything goes to the fact that the customer asks to make the most effective projects from all points of view: the output of areas, engineering, constructive and, of course, architectural solutions. Everything should be balanced, but rather tough in terms of “non-overruns” of funds, let's say. Now almost all customers check projects for the optimality of the solutions used, the correctness of the choice of one or another design algorithm. At the same time, they began to think more about people. If before they just sold space, and it didn’t matter what and who would be located there, now they are asking for high-quality layouts. Buyers have learned to immediately see how comfortable or inconvenient it will be for them to live or work in this room.

Wine House. Illustrations - SPEECH.

"New Zelenograd". Illustrations - SPEECH.

Which project is closest to you?

This is a provocative question. All architects answer him that they love all their projects. On the one hand, this is trite, on the other hand, soit and there is. But the most interesting is always the project that you are doing at the moment. Because what has already been done remains by itself, and you do not stand still, you develop, you move forward, having both positive and negative experiences. And the earlier a new project is, the more you fall in love with it. You give up all your efforts to make a concept, but when the fundamental story is invented, then technical development goes on, and you want new feelings and sensations. And a new project is needed.

How do you organize your work so that you can effectively monitor all projects?

Our structure is traditional, vertical. Inside the workshop there are several chief architects, each with their own team, dealing with one or two projects. They work mostly autonomously. At the start of the project, we all agree on the concept, the directions, then the development goes on, at key time points we discuss the progress of the project, make changes if necessary.

Are architects moving from one workshop to another?

This is discouraged. Every leader recruits people"For yourself" ... There is no Brownian motion here, and it is not useful, because everyone has certain abilities. It is always more convenient to work in a system of built relationships, and not to adapt each time anew to a certain style or rhythm of work.

How did you become an architect?

After school, where the teaching system is quite tough, it seemed to me that an architectural university has incredible scope for self-realization: you can draw, come up with something new. First, I entered the architectural technical school, and then - at the Moscow Architectural Institute. He began to work at the beginning of his studies at the technical school. Then I ran to different offices, looking for where it would be better.

And how did you end up inSPEECH?

I was here even before SPEECH appeared. I met Sergei Kuznetsov at the institute, after,since 2001, we worked with him in a small studio.

That is, you are also a founding fatherSPEECH?

It is said loudly, but I was there, I saw everything.

Marina Kuznetskaya, Chief Architect of Workshop No.1 Projects

Marina, how did your path in architecture begin?

Since childhood, I have formed the opinion that a person is formed by the environment, so I decided to deal with it. And I studied at the Moscow Architectural Institute.

How did you come toSPEECH?

I started working early, still at the institute. At some point, I realized that I had to go to the workshop, where I could get a good experience. Choban then recently opened his own office. I came, it seemed, not for long and stayed ... I myself did not expect that I would stay.

Why did you decide to stay?

When you go to a large company for experience, you don't know how everything will turn out. There are several leading architectural firms in Russia. They do projects of about the same level of importance, and many experienced people work in them. At the same time, each company has its own principle of forming the architectural image of the project, its own system of work. It depends primarily on the leadership. Contact with the authors of ideas greatly influences the desire to work in the company. I have a good understanding with Sergei Choban. This is a person who is constantly developing in his work and "infects" the development of all those around him. Therefore, I do not get the feeling that I have been sitting and working in one place for many years, it is never boring. In the workshop of Alexey Ilyin, we constantly bring something new to our workflow. This movement is greatly facilitated by new people who come to work with us.

And what are you working on now?

We are designing the "Heart of the Capital" complex, section 17-18 in Moscow City. In early May, a pavilion was opened in Milan for EXPO 2015.

Russian Pavilion at EXPO 2015. Photos - SPEECH.

How was the opening?

The effect we wanted to achieve was successful. It is important for us to create a vivid, memorable image, to which they will react and which will be remembered. The pavilion has a thirty-meter mirror console, where everyone reflexively looks. The concept that we conceived has been confirmed in practice. It's great.

What will happen to the pavilion then?

The exhibition will run until October 31, after which all pavilions, except the Italian one, will be dismantled. As far as I know, Sergei Kuznetsov has an idea to bring our pavilion to Moscow and put it at VDNKh. To what extent this idea is feasible is not yet clear.For example, we have recreated one of the pavilions developed for the XIII Venice Biennale (2012): a dome-hall with a surface made of QR codes containing up-to-date information on the progress of the projectZaryadye Park... Now it is located on a temporary site, next to the future Zaryadye park, and is open to everyone.

What projects are more interesting to work on?

Over the most different! It is interesting to work on exhibitions, because you know that you will achieve results in a short time, while large projects often take several years. On the other hand, these same large projects will remain forever, and exhibition projects will be temporary. I like to diversify my work.

How is your relationship with the contests going?

This is an opportunity to come up with something spectacular. When making a direct order, we take into account the needs of our customers, and you can enter the competition"Out of scope".

Official site of the SPEECH architectural bureau.

Photos: Alexandra Golikova, Alexander Plakhin.

Thanks to the experience accumulated by the leading partners in the design of buildings and complexes for various purposes and varying degrees of complexity, the development of urban planning concepts, knowledge of the latest Western materials and construction technologies, as well as the specifics of project implementation in Russian conditions, rational organization of the design process and a high level of presentation presentation, professionalism of employees and technical equipment of the office, SPEECH Choban / Kuznetsov is today one of the leading Moscow architectural bureaus. Currently, more than 80 architects work here, who develop dozens of projects for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia and the CIS countries.

Many joint works were presented at prestigious exhibition venues, including Arch Moscow, the Aedes gallery in Berlin, the State Museum of Architecture. A.V. Shchusev in Moscow (MUAR), St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, International Exhibition of Investment Projects MIPIM in Cannes, XII Architecture Biennale in Venice, etc.

For the customer, the merger of companies means, first of all, high-quality design of complex expensive objects according to international standards, optimization of the timing of their implementation, the use of modern Western technologies, strict author's control over the implementation of projects. These principles of the companies' work have already been reflected in the work with partners, investors and developers on large-scale projects.

In August 2012 Sergey Kuznetsov, Managing Partner of SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov, was appointed Chief Architect and First Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning. In accordance with the Federal Law "On the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation" (dated July 27, 2004 No. 79-FZ), according to which civil servants should not carry out entrepreneurial activities, Sergey Kuznetsov initiated the procedure for transferring his responsibilities as a managing partner to other partners and top - company managers. To prevent conflicts of interest, he also resigned from the founders and owners of the company.

Experts have compiled the top 10 architectural bureaus whose projects are being implemented in the primary residential real estate market in the capital

Photo: Multifunctional complex "VTB Arena Park"

The top 10 most sought-after architects, whose residential projects are presented in Moscow, were headed by the SPEECH architectural bureau under the leadership of Sergei Tchoban. The total living area of \u200b\u200bthe projects he is implementing in the capital is 1.93 million sq. m (19 residential complexes), according to the rating of the real estate company "Metrium Group". When compiling the top 10, the company's analysts calculated the area of \u200b\u200bapartments and apartments in all projects on the primary market of Moscow and distributed these volumes among the workshops.

The second place was taken by the creative production association "Reserve" by Vladimir Plotkin - six complexes (759.8 thousand square meters) are being built according to his projects in Moscow today. The third place is taken by the Sergey Skuratov Architectural Bureau with six projects with a total area of \u200b\u200b415.6 thousand sq. m.

In total, all workshops from the top 10 ranking of the most demanded architects account for 54 residential and apartment complexes with an area of \u200b\u200b5.2 million sq. m. This is a little less than a third of the total living space of all projects being implemented today in the Moscow primary market, according to Metrium Group.

In addition to Russian, the top 10 includes Western companies. The fifth place in the rating was taken by the international architectural bureau MLA +, which developed the concept of a new large-scale residential complex in the mass segment - the Domashny microdistrict. Its living area is 337 thousand square meters. Also in the top ten were two more foreign archbureau - Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquietectura (Spain) and NBBJ (USA).

Every year, according to Metrium Group, the number of objects created by eminent architects in Moscow is growing, while standard projects are in the minority. Today, dozens of architectural companies operate on the Moscow residential real estate market. Among them there are both old-timers who designed buildings during the Soviet era, and very young workshops under the guidance of young architects. In addition, in recent years, world-renowned masters are increasingly involved in the work on the capital's housing market. And if earlier they designed only expensive residential complexes, today they are creating projects in the mass segment, according to the rating of the most demanded architectural bureaus. “In the coming years, architects will play leading roles in residential development. This trend is already gaining momentum. If not long ago in the mass segment projects from famous architectural bureaus were extremely rare, today recognized masters are beginning to work even outside Moscow, ”predicts Maria Litinetskaya, managing partner of Metrium Group.

Bureau of Architecture	Project name	Housing type
	"Heart of the Capital"	Apartments
	"Heart of the Capital"	Apartments
	"Etalon-City"	Apartments
	"Tsarskaya Square"	Apartments
	"Tsarskaya Square"	Apartments
	"Savelovsky City"	Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
	"Presnya City"	Apartments
	VTB Arena Park	Apartments
	"City on the Tushino River - 2018"	Apartments
	"Water"	Apartments
	"Water"	Apartments
	Atlantic Apartments	Apartments
	"Hometown. October field "	Apartments
	"Fili Grad"	Apartments
	"Fili Grad"	Apartments
	Iskra-Park	Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
	Technopark	Apartments
	"ZILART"	Apartments
	"Garden Quarters"	Apartments
TPO "RESERVE"	"Tricolor"	Apartments
	"Tricolor"	Apartments
		Apartments
	"City on the river-Tushino - 2018" (1st stage)	Apartments
	"Golden Star"	Apartments
	"Heritage"	Apartments
	"Garden Quarters"	Apartments
Architectural studio Sergey Skuratov	"Garden Quarters"	Apartments
	AFI Residence Paveletskaya	Apartments
	"ZILART"	Apartments
		Apartments
	"Art House"	Apartments
	"House on Burdenko"	Apartments
"Ostozhenka"	"River Park"	Apartments
		Apartments
	"Garden Quarters"	Apartments
		Apartments
	Maple DOM	Apartments
	Maple DOM	Apartments
	"Home"	Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
	Smolensky De Luxe	Apartments
Ricardo bofill taller de Arquietectura		Apartments
Bureau of Architecture	"On Melnikova"	Apartments
		Apartments
	Izmailovo Lane	Apartments
	"City of Capitals"	Apartments
	"Legend of the Colored"	Apartments
	"IQ-Quarter"	Apartments
		Apartments
	"Nakhimovsky, 21"	Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
		Apartments
	"Vorobyov House"	Apartments
	"Gorokhovsky, 12"	Apartments
	"Caramel"	Apartments

According to Metrium Group

Sergey Velesevich