SETTLEMENT | PLACE | DWELLING | MEMORY
Workshop | Moscow March 2017
The Public Spirit of Korolyov
Sketch from the day
‘“Existential foothold” and “dwelling” are synonyms, and “dwelling”, in an existential sense, is the purpose of architecture. Man dwells when he can orientate himself within and identify himself with an environment, or, in short, when he experiences the environment as meaningful. Dwelling therefore implies something more than “shelter”. It implies that the spaces that life occurs are places, in the true sense of the word. A place is a space which has a distinct character. Since ancient times the genuis loci, or “spirit of place” has been recognised as the concrete reality man has to face and come to terms with in his daily life. Architecture means to visualise the genius loci, and the task of the architect is to create meaningful places, whereby he helps man to dwell. ...The place is the concrete manifestation of man’s dwelling, and his identity depends on his belonging to places. Christian
We talk of the value of place formed by common ideas and collective memory. In this respect monument serves to enforce the group idea. But the value of everyday life for a town’s people is more than just collective history, and relationship with place is more than any kind of industrial branding.
The value is where the children play and dream, is it where men meet and sit, where teenagers gather and grow, where ladies walk and chat. It is in the midday queues for cheburek. It is in the busy family kitchens.
1
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Ichnographia Campus Martius (second state), sometime after 1762.
SETTLEMENT | PLACE | DWELLING | MEMORY Workshop | Moscow March 2017
brief
Norberg-Shulz, Genuis Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture, Preface, 1976.
Korolyov’s proximity to Moscow
Korolyov is one of the closest former academic towns, sited here around 30km from the Kremlin. This location for its excellent transport links to the city.
Korolyov’s main transport routes
Korolyov has only one major road feeding the motorway and a trainline with two stations within its region.
17th Century
SLAVIC SETTLEMENT
LOCATED
Junction of trade routes
A brief timeline of Korolyov
Due to its location on the junction of major trade routes, prior to becoming a city of the space industry, Korolyov had had many lives, formerly being the location of an artillery plant, a textiles factory and the place of elite dachas.
18th Century 19th Century 20th Century 1924 1939 TEXTILE FACTORY OGPU CITY OF SPACE INDUSTRY Working Commune Town of Kaliningrad Place of elite daches
The site of Korolyov had several lives before becoming a town identified as the centre of cosmonaut research.
The town itself is named after the lead scientist in the industry. At the time of its re-branding the current residents were not allowed to know the new name of the town they lived in. Instead they knew here as “Extraordinary Scientist”.
ExtrAodinary Scientist
Mapping our journey
1 Centre for the investigation of Space
2 Old Central Park, Cultural centre and School
3 Prospect Cosmonavtov, main pedestrian road
4 Old Dashas
5 The pond, Church and Lenin’s House
6 Natasha’s family home
The streets are much more narrow than the ordinary scale of new built streets within the city. There is an opposite difference in height between the road level and pedestrian paths level. This is causing appearance of the puddle and dirt. The closed and high (2.5 meters) fences are going along the whole roads.
The Dachas
1900
Eras of building
As we move around the city, it is clear that many different drives to build have had a hand in the form the built environment now takes.
It was interesting for us to note how each of these developments deals with social space. Some building sit around open spaces that contain childrens play equipment, slowly filling with cars. Some have dedicated internal publics spaces with double hight rooms for public event.
2017
Streets of towers
High rise new build residential structures that are going along very noisy and wide motor road.
Natasha’s family home
At the end of our day we were invited inton Natasha’s family home for dinner.
The table was loaded with potatoes, salads and hand made fishcakes, hand picked mushrooms and what felt like hundreds of blinies with many home cooked jams.
As we ate and chatted and shared stories we drank traditional tea and home made juice.
Natasha’s Grandmother’s former home
Natasha as a child
More tense public space
Publicness of space
As well as being bordered by forest, Korolyov contains a number of large open spaces in the form of parks and squares. These are well spread over the centre of the city.
These spaces are used intensely in the summer months as the city’s social life moves from inside to out. However, during our visit in a colder month we see families wrap up warm and visit the play area and ladies meet and discuss whilst walking the park areas.
The other significant source of public activity was found on the key pedestrian streets. These are also the focus of retail in the city.
Less tense public space
Stalin Architecture
Characteristic features of the streets are narrow but controlled and cozy streets.
The pedestrian line is quite wide however, it is bigger than the new built ones.
The main pedestrian boulevard, where the life goes. During summer time people gather outside, however in nine cold months of the year inhabitants have an opportunity and prefer to go indoor within the same street. It makes the street feel like one of the city’s centres.
Prospect Cosmonavtov
Observation - a city of blocks
Centres in Korolyov
As visitors to the town, we experiecned and viewed the areas in different ways, chanelling our own personal experience through previous notions, and cultural context.
The resdients of Korolyov
The visitors of Korolyov who are themselves, Russian
The visitors of Korolyov who are British
Observation - a place of vast change
Pionerskaya ul
The only way out of the city, laid between the closed territory of the investigation center of the cosmos, which is key-factory of the city, and new highrise residential building on the other side, still in construction.
It hasn’t got pedestrian streets and the motor road is quite busy.
Central Park
The old central square surrounded with residential five stores buildings, the cultural centre and school as a central point of architectural ensemble.
It continues within the central park where people gathering.
Observation - a city of signs
The everyday life of Koroylov
Clockwise from centre -
Nataliya Volkova
Polina Weidenbach
Sasha Ushakova
Ksenia Moryakova
Sergei Pavlovich Korolov
Yuri Alexeevich Gagarin
Hollie Deverell
Emily Gayer
