Архитектор Уборевич-Боровский

49 ARCHITECTURE COMMUNITY CENTER ON KHOROSHEVSKOYE HIGHWAY

Development of a relatively small piece of land along the Khoroshevskoe Highway included both construction of a complex of buildings with a variety of functions and linking the neighbourhood with the surrounding buildings. There are high-rise buildings on the nearby Begovaya Street, and the new Community Center had to be designed on a proportional scale. The project was, in fact, the architect’s response to the existing needs for the devel- opment of urban areas with a high building density. The team succeeded in designing a series of various height buildings that combined a variety of functions on a limited area. There was enough space for offices, shop- ping malls, housing and even schools. This functional diversity is reflected both in the shapes of the buildings within the complex and their clear zon- ing: the public area offering retail, entertainment and office spaces is sepa- rated from the group of residential buildings. Every aspect of this project,

from the overall spatial structure to improvement details, follows a single concept with the objective to create a new urban environment. This approach can, with some reservations, be compared to the principles that guid- ed the architects who designed the buildings along New Arbat Avenue in the 1960-es. Thus, the residential buildings have a common ground floor, a podium that stretches along the highway and, firstly, protects the ten- ants from the negative influence of the urban environment and secondly, provides them with the necessary infrastructure.