PROJECT RUSSIA №30 - New Capitals

Architecture of the USSR Some weeks ago, I got a call from Raoul Bunschoten, a Dutch architect/artist based in London and well known in the select international circle of architectural theory or, as it is called today, research. The reason for his call was also research. He had been asked by Stefano Boeri, another prominent architectural researcher, to travel to Russia in order to investigate the situation here. This was directly related to the fact that from January 2004 Boeri replaces Deyan Sudjic as the editor-in-chief of DOMUS. So I decided we could soon expect DOMUS to publish something about our architecture. It turned out, though, that our foreign colleagues were not interested in real buildings and not even in the results of big international competitions. The main purpose of Bunschoten’s visit to Russia was to find out about the architectural policies of our President. I immediately explained to him that President Putin doesn’t actually have any architectural policies, that he is concerned with more important questions, and that, on the other hand, there is Yury Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow, who has a very specific architectural policy; and this would make a good subject for investigation – not because the policy produces good results, but because Luzhkov’s approach is exotic enough to raise the interest of the European reader. I presumed I had sounded quite convincing and since I was going away on holiday, I was only too happy to advise Bunschoten to see some people in Moscow on this subject. When I returned from my vacation, my editors told me about Bunschoten's visit. He appeared to have been remarkably persistent. Not only were my editors thoroughly interrogated about Putin's architectural policies, but all the other important figures with whom we had arranged meetings for Bunschoten, were posed the same question. The fact that Bunschoten was asking the question repetitively made us a bit uncomfortable. You can deny a lot of things, but if someone asks you the same question ten times, you start to have doubts. So if the West expects Putin to have an architectural policy, then maybe he has one, only we don't know about it yet. Suddenly we started to understand that the issue we were preparing (the one you are reading now) was actually very up to date. We saw an amazing kaleidoscope of possibilities with regard to how to represent the power of the state in architecture. From Aliev of Azerbaijan, who lit the Eternal Flame in the Alley of Shekhids, to Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan, who built a new capital between the steppes and the swamps, and from Lukashenko of Belarus with his sports-palaces and libraries to president-cum-chief-architect Turkmenbashi – all these leaders have shown how to construct a strong vertical structure of power in architecture. Actually, recent events have led me to believe that Bunschoten's question was not so much a naive insinuation as a prophecy. The rumour is that Aleksandr Kuzmin will lose his position as Moscow's Chief Architect to Mikhail Posokhin. And you know why? Because Lyudmila Putin, our president's wife, likes Posokhin’s work so much. But this is not all. Shortly after the December elections Yuri Gnedovsky, President of the Russian Union of Architects, came out with the remarkable announcement that six months ago the Union had concluded an agreement of association with the United Russia party (which, as we now know, won the parliamentary elections in December). So Vladimir Vladimirovich, what are you waiting for? The architects of Russia are ready: your wish is our command! Bart Goldhoorn, editor-in-chief CONTENTS Bart Goldhoorn Editorial Alexei Komov How to build a Soviet capital. A ready-to-assemble urban model Alexander Fils Capital cities founded by democracies Vasily Baburov Astana: future city or new utopia? Kisho Kurokawa 21st-century city will never stop growing CENTRAL ASIA Philipp Meuser Building one’s ‘I’. In search of national identity Astana: green city between the steppes and the swamps Taskent: inventing history Ashkhabad: residential towers and rocket launch-pads TRANSCAUCASUS Alexei Мuratov Baku: the city and its time E.Gasim-zadeh, А.Аbdullaev, N.Veliev Eternal Flame Memorial in the Alley of the Shekhids N.Veliev, N.Imamaliev The Trade Representative Office of Chinа Elena Gonzalez Yerevan: the art of the possible The Competition to design the Museum of Contemporary Art in Yerevan Ilia Voznesensky Tbilisi: poetry of frankness KIEV Boris Yerofalov Кiev and independence Kievproekt-6 The South Terminal of Kiev Passenger Station Atelier PRO The Embassy of the Royal Netherland’s МINSK Alexei Комоv Мinsk: reload V.Kramarenko, М.Vinogradov The National Library B.Shkol’nikov ‘Lukoil’ company office Vladimir Sedov Ten best buildings in the capital cities of republics of the USSR MONITOR