"I observe the constant degradation of the architecture of Minsk". Architect famous about the unenviable destiny of the capital

To do this, we need the advice of a professional who can grasp the essence of the problem. We have found a person who can provide such a detached and professional opinion at the same time. We will talk about urban landscaping, gardening and landscaping – about the setting that turns buildings from a set of concrete boxes into space for a complete human existence. So, let's understand!

Who is it?

Andrey Koroviansky is a well-known landscape architect, urban planner. He lives in Minsk, mostly working in Moscow. Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic Academy of State of Belarus, as well as the Akademia Nieswieska ICOMOS IFLA. Art Director and Chief Architect of IQ-PLAN

The most eloquent speaks of the architect's work, and with that Andrew is doing well. He is the chief architect and scientific director of the project of reconstruction of greenery in the central part of VDNKh in Moscow, the restoration project of the Ostankino estate, Devichye square in Plyushchikha, the chief architect of 18 gardens of the Garden Rings, boulevards, streets, squares and embankments. other cities of Russia. Also in the portfolio of Andrew many other major projects not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the European Union. He is the winner and curator of various international awards, competitions and festivals in the field of landscape architecture. He is a professional expert of the working group under the Governor of the Moscow Region Program "Parks of the Moscow Region", a professional expert of pedestrian infrastructure of the program "Comfortable Urban Environment" under the Ministry of the Construction of Russia

The inattention of architects to trifles? We hear a little censorship of citizens on the city's previous and current master plans, some global strategies. But the stories about the fact that there was a bench in the wrong place, where the tree was cut, and here only the restored street is flooded, there are often … [19659005] – You can find fault on any project. I say this as an expert, who is attracted by the badysis of various types of objects. This is the first.

The second. In my opinion, the main reason for most of the shortcomings found by locals in the improvement of Minsk is the lack of normal funding.

I want to draw your attention: the reduced budgets for the work of architects, construction and installation are the main reason most problems. For 600-700 Belarusian rubles of salary, no one will conceive anything sensible to you.

– There is an alternative point of view: there is no architect in the country that is better …

– Yes …, who knows what thing, went abroad, where they can get three times more from the start. Do not believe the stories of altruists who, for years, will work for the good of the half-hungry country. Let's face it: if a person is in demand and has been asked to work abroad (and they act as soon as he starts to represent himself), he will most likely take advantage of these proposals.

"Minskproekt", where excellent specialists work, loses valuable cadres at the moment, simply because he can not keep specialists with salaries. The money that is offered today does not stimulate creativity, but survival.

It is likely that urban activists have a different perspective on this problem: they say that the municipal official should create independently of his income. But I will say this: an activist is not a criterion of professionalism, everything may seem to be aside. But believe me: as soon as the money appears, there will be architects and great solutions, and the time to give birth to wonderful projects.

– We can say that we have a school of architecture that can do Minsk city (from the architectural point of view), but is it bought from other countries?

– No, you can not. The Belarusian landscape school, which was once the best of the USSR, unique, exceptional, has already been lost. It's unfortunate to admit this fact, but let's do it all. Formerly, there was a unique team of Belarusian architects who not only formed the landscape of the city, but also received state awards USSR for landscape objects and the highest distinction in architecture – the price Lenin for the Slepiansky water system. And today, Belarusian architects graduated from the university do not differ much from Russian or Ukrainian architects. And sometimes they are different, but not for the better. I draw such conclusions not from scratch. Last year, for example, I led a course at the Moscow Institute of Architecture and I saw the processes from the inside.

I will say more. In the Belarussian educational system, linked to the design and landscape architecture, it is now possible to speak only of degradation

– How is it expressed?

– Probably, all of a sudden, project planning. I am talking about plans for this or that landscape object, for example the park. Imagine: when creating a park, square or street project, students do not try to visually present the object, from the point of view of the person and of the person. write in the context of the environment, but draw and decorate plans. Instead of the design of the species (for example, the Slepyan water system), we are spreading a conceptually opposite working method, as one of my acquaintances, paraphrasing the famous Jan Gale , described as a crappy architecture of birds.

That's what it's all about. Building projects from blueprints, architects create a soulless, non-human and discordant environment.

The second is that landscape architecture in the representation of Belarusian education and, by the way, Russian is developing with emphasis on gardening and paving. For example, in Poland, my specialization resembles architekt krajobrazu ("the cornerstone architect"), and this highlights very clearly the essence: it is the architecture of all the visible part. We are dealing with facades, opening perspectives, design of all visible environment, color elements and so on – everything that a person standing, with all kinds of revelations sees. And then all the details, every detail are important. After all, the flashing red dot of the ad can spoil the entire landscape, and this must always be taken into account.

Of course, it can not be said that improvement is always possible with poorly designed buildings

] – The last decade in Minsk has gone under the accompaniment of dozens of scandals "green". City dwellers regularly fight for the preservation of gardening in the city, criticize the cutting methods, the size of trees, coronation …

– In Minsk, the same principles of slaughter, disinfection and improvement of the city as in other cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Kiev, Bishkek and so on. And I do not see anything wrong with that. The fact is that the care of green plantations must be taken care of by specialists, and only these include what type of tree to cut down and which one can be cured. It is obvious that people are still worried about trees. After cutting or cutting the tree, no one will fall on someone.

After that, the situation radically reverses, everyone forgets the protection of the tree and starts looking for specialists who have missed a potentially dangerous situation. 19659028] According to the law, in case of emergency, an expert who takes care of problem trees is responsible for the incident. In many urban sites, I have to face the problem of the difference of views on what to do with gardening, with specialists and local residents.

Believe me, in a modern metropolis, trees develop many diseases. Some plants have been cut, despite the fact that for an uninitiated person, they look healthy. The landscaping in the city has to survive in very adverse conditions from an environmental point of view, and for that we have to make a lot of effort, including by a timely intervention.

Being responsible for green plantations in the city is extremely, sometimes even excessively vigilant. it's just a requirement of the law. And I understand the meticulousness of people who may incur administrative or even criminal liability. And just to cut trees without having a base, no one will be. Always, there is always a good reason.

Why the street was drowned

– One of the latest scandals in Minsk is related to the reconstruction of Revolutionary Street, which has been ennobled and made pedestrian. The project was leased, but when, after the first shower in the street, the water level rose above the knee, many questions arose. Initially – to the water drainage system, and after – and to what visual methods were used in the "decoration". Is it possible that in this case the question is only in money?

– In the case of revolutionary money for reconstruction, of course, decent money has been spent. We see that in the decoration used cast iron and inexpensive granite. But here it is important to clearly distinguish the budgets that have been allocated for design and study work, and the budgets planned for the construction and installation works. So, I'm sure the architects are obviously underpaid.

Errors with "livnevkoj" could occur, again, because enough money has not been allocated for the separation of storm sewers. Or, by allocating money, they counted the initial data of a small territory, without taking into account the transit waters.

Without knowing the nuances of this project, it is very difficult to judge, so I try to be extremely careful in the evaluations. tell your impression of the appearance of the renewed street.

– It is a very spontaneous decision, "warm-blooded". It was possible to make it easier, cheaper and more beautiful. I had the impression that the project was run by an inexperienced architect who feared that if there were not enough details in the project, it would appear provincial. As a result, many decorative items (with the exception, of course, flower borders) look quite decent, but their hodgepodge can not be formed into a single, pleasing look. These mistakes, I repeat, are peculiar to novice architects

– Do you often see such "student" decisions in Minsk?

– I was very spoiled by the expert, constantly engaged in the expertise. I automatically see the errors first.

Unfortunately, most improvements in Minsk happen with errors

– Could you identify the most common ones?

– The first is a violation of the scale. when in a small territory they try to combine an excessive number of elements and decisions. This is one of the unique features of provincial cities.

The second is the retrograde perception of modern architecture and landscaping. In the city there are almost no modern solutions, there are no objects of small architectural forms from modern developments: translucent concrete, fibrovolkna, Koriana, kortens, plastics. The materials used for the design in Minsk are mbadively limited to the 70s of the last century.

The third (I repeat) is the incredibly small salary for architects and designers.

Here may be the main shortcomings. 19659005] – In conclusion, I would like to ask you to identify objects in Minsk that would interest your foreign colleagues

– When my friend-architects come from abroad, what can I show them? in Minsk? In fact, the Stalinist architecture, of which we are so proud, is quite inferior to Moscow. Perhaps, I will offend the Minskers, but again I will argue that several Stalinist ensembles, which we have, can be called "face of the city" with a stretch. Modern architecture in Minsk also seems very pale, although something is gradually appearing.

Therefore, the only thing that is really interesting from an architectural point of view in Minsk is the separate buildings built in the 1980s. At that time, the city had the opportunity to develop a global vision of the construction of the urban landscape. Unfortunately, Minsk has chosen a development path similar to that currently operating in most cities of Russia and Ukraine: the city administration is on the decline of commercial and commercial interests in virtually everything. And "thank you" to this, we see how the city changes every year for the worse.

If we start from the fact that the situation will not change, we can immediately breathe out and calmly watch the decline, which we can not influence. 19659005] See also:

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