Built in the very heart of historical Moscow, this residential complex is a rare example of context-sensitive development, designed using contemporary architecture, without any stylization or historicism. The architects responded to the historical scale of the Zamoskvorechye District by dividing the facade of the building into three parts, each of which received its own architectural design.
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Malaya Ordynka 19
Residential Architecture (Built)
Firm
ADM Architects
Architect/Designer
Andrey Romanov
Design Team
Andrey Romanov, Ekaterina Kuznetsova
Location
Malaya Ordynka str, Moscow
Country
Russia
Photographer/Copyright
©ADM Architects
A red-brick neo-Gothic building borders the site of the residential complex from the north – the new building reacts to this adjacent neighbor with a glass surface – light and airy, creating an almost invisible and graceful transition from the century before last to the present. Flat glass creates the most smooth, neutral integration one might say, and as it moves away from its neighbor, the transparent surface becomes more dynamic, gathering up into “folds”. The curved glass has an external “cold” glazing contour, while its dynamic plasticity creates an additional play of light and shadow on the facade, especially on clear days. The central facade is constructed out of brick, and here even surfaces alternate with patterned ones, the design of which is picked up on and elaborated by the wrought iron window railings. The third, southern part of the building is faced with limestone and combined with wood. Every other window on this facade is cladded by a wooden frame, and these windows are also outfitted with small balconies, adding visual complexity to the surface structure. The most expressive element here is the corner cantilever, under which there is a fire passageway to the courtyard. With its six meter height, it accentuates the building within the street view, and creates an interesting spatial relationship. The inner courtyard space intended for residents was landscaped in a complex and interesting way to a design also developed by ADM architects.