#architectureofthevolga

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Real Estate Terrorism

In Astrakhan, there are many old houses made of wood. In general, they are in poor condition, but they are quite beautiful and often they are still inhabited. Meanwhile, forces of urbanism and politics are hard at work, and the result is the construction of new high-rise apartment buildings. This is partly an effort to accommodate a population said to be growing, to show development and progress as world leaders meet in Astrakhan, the "Capital of the Caspian," and partly the kind of land speculation common all over the world.

To build these new towers, the land must be purchased from its owners and the existing houses must be cleared. This process is violent. In the pre-dawn hours, especially in spring, the people of the old wooden neighborhoods are woken by the smell of smoke, the sounds of fire. Their neighbors are burning. Firefighters eventually arrive, but sometimes the fire spreads to other houses. Everyone lives in fear of fire, and the contracts offered by the developers are unfair and they exploit this fear.

Meanwhile, the typical, anonymous, and crude version of Russian urbanism destroys the true heritage of old Astrakhan.    

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Kazan facade

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Lifted Buildings

The buildings of Astrakhan and the Volga delta is lifted above the threat of flood. Foundations or footings are prominent elements of this high-water architecture. From deep basements above ground, to feet that hold buildings above the wet, to barges and boat hulls, solutions are visible everywhere. 

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Astrakhan' gates.

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There isn't only a fusion of nations in Astrakhan.

Along with Russian forms and ornaments, one can find a plenty of architecture borrowed from the East.

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All for Lenin

The best parts of nowadays Ulyanovsk connected to Lenin. The quarter where Lenin was born has been the most preserved territory. The biggest sqare was designed after 100 years of his birth.  

Memorial complex "Lenin Motherland"

Sqare of 100 years from lenin birth

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The peaceful coexistance

Even if there's no relation in form, shape, scale or technique the modern and pre-soviet architecture in Ulyanovsk seemed to coexist peacefully.

This is grounded in city budget. For the celebration of 100 years of Lenin's Birth in 1970, the city received a huge amount of investment that allow it to develop is modern heritage. Even if at that moment big areas of the city where destroy in order to insert the new modern, this buildings follow clear principles that create a relation with their environment.

In 1990 the city was almost completely cut-off from the gobernmental budget, this lack of investment produce a stagnation that as a result create a really well preserved area.

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Mix of religion

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Kazan customers in search for new architects

Customer��– TAIF Ltd. 

Taif Ofice building 

A housing complex in Gogol street Architects D. Velichkin, A. Shevchuk, N. Golovanov, I. Metelkin, K. Galueva. 

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Decoration for Kazan River Port

One of "fast sollutions" that was made in preparation for Universiada.

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Three in one

The moments of Russian modernity are visible in here.

First at the very bottom a representative of a "national-romantic-eclectic" branch of modernist style made by F. Livchak. Second, a clearer appearance of modern architectural principals such as the floating facade and continuous window. Third and a more conservative building clearly adapt to its context.

In this block modernity never exist as an imposition that destroy everything around, but was intended to integrate with the context.

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SARATOV FAVELAS

The first acquaintance with Saratov started from excursion with Igor, he is local informal ethnographer. Starting point was near the museum of local lore, next stop was street with a lot old half ruined wooden houses, we  were still in the city centre.  Passing by the streets picture haven’t changed, all street has only one-story buildings wood, brick, stone houses, all they look abandoned, ruined, you can't imagine that somebody can live here, some streets even hasn’t got a proper road, there is only mud there.

We had made a turn after some garages , it’s looked like empty space on some periphery, were only one thing you can find is  garages and abandoned cars, felt like it's not unsafely to be there, going down without a road, everything was dirty, everywere mud, after all found ourselves in the concrete road surrounding marsh. On the other side you can find houses,  quite populated. Igor told that actually this is a river Taybalik  and it's was putted inside the collector, and we are standing on it, later we found the hole and saw the river inside.

Moved on, its appeared that this concrete collector is a path, kind of road for locals. Its surrounds by the same type of houses that we saw in the central area streets, they all looks the same ruined with some supplemented small architectural forms, but actually  they are not abandoned at all, all this houses are full of life, they all inhabited.

Walking on the streets of Saratov, peek a sneak into alleyways and courtyards, everywhere in the city center you can find this favelas. Many of them have as a background picture of modern just built sixteen-story buildings. So  you can see this incredible contrast of new buildings and one-story pre-revolutionary houses. All these courtyards and houses equipped well, vast majority has some kinds of improvements, patches, add-ons, extensions, some have flowerbeds, some historic houses has increased volume of balcony, others has attached extra rooms, that are just built from all rubbish things that they could find in surrounding area .

Generally we can specify all the main Saratov favelas characteristics:

1_Most of the time all Saratov favelas you can find near newly built modern 15-20 story buildings, apartments.

2_Its always goes with the courtyard, from the main street you have a nice but quite ruined building of the end of 19 or beginning of 20 century, you go inside and see a courtyard. All rest buildings and shelters are faced to this courtyard. In the centre it can be placed a flower bed, or  some small shared public space for children.

3_ All buildings have some adjusted, completed, modified structures, the intervention, expansion of the new territory. It can be a adjusted room, it can be enlarged entrance, porch and attached loggia or a balcony.

4_ From the first view you all these buildings looks abandoned, but in a closer look you will be able to notice the details, signs of life and comfort such as flowers in window, nice curtains, in some courtyards you will find the clothes hanging on the rope outside.

Generally speaking Saratov has these two controversial vectors, in the one hand it’s seems to be perceived as die out, shrinking city, cause still there are a lot abandoned, burned, ruined houses in it, but in other certainly a lot of houses and districts that seems to be at first sight abandoned and inhabitant are full of life and their own aesthetics.

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A Superstudio Moment

Superstudio image.  Architecture firm, founded in 1966 in Florence, Italy.

A coincidence.

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First impression

The hotel Venets in Ulyanovsk is our first impression of the city, a clear Modern building consisting of a slab/tower nicely detail over a podium well anchor to the ground.

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National Village in Saratov. The paradox.

On the hill Sokolovaya above the city of Saratov, one can find a unique constellation of history preserving sites. Further behind the open-air museum of Victory with its large collection of military objects and the memorial sites, the National Village is located. This artificial village consists of less than twenty uninhabited houses. The National Village was created to display different types of traditional dwellings of various ethnics living in Saratov region.

As the map shows, the houses are built along two streets, one of them ends with some kind of special occasion plaza. There are some steel poles forming a semicircle. There are no flags.

The houses must have been built just recently, even though the pseudo styles refer to those of traditional or vernacular styles of the ethnics. Some of the houses even show the incorrect way of constructruction. A concrete structure is covered by stone facade. This evidently shows that the construction method is not relevant for this village aim.

It is a very fine example of a paradoxical situation. Architecture as a medium has been chosen as a demonstrative testimony to preserve cultural heritage. But the way the National Village shows it, is a simple mock.  Architecture has been chosen to represent various ethnicities, yet the architecture of the actual houses is irrelevant.

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Kazan Extreme settlement

When the luxury in Kazan is taken to the limit what would you obtain?. All times that represent abundance, richnnes, opulence, combine in single buildings that then are combine in a single district.