IaaC Bit 6.3.2

Implementing Advanced Knowledge

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6.3.2 VDNH Laboratory IaaC Research

VDNH Laboratory

The 1 week VDNH Laboratory of the Future workshop took place in Moscow, Russia, organised by the HSE’s Graduate School of Urbanism Moscow, in collaboration with the IAAC | Project for the Self Sufficient City.

The director of the workshop was Vicente Guallart, a recent addition to the HSE team as Director of GSU’s International Laboratory. The workshop allowed imagining the possible futures of Moscow’s famous Expo Park. The results of this workshop are being shown at the Venice Biennale.

In the duration of one week, a group formed of IAAC staff alumni and students together with local young architects, designers and artists, selected by experts, have had the chance to revive the constructivist tradition of imaging radical futurism in order to find the keys to the present.

Based on this, visions of flying landscapes, connected hyper structures, knowledge campuses, underground cities and temporary occupations have been born, tackling the debate of the sanctity of patrimony and the need to functionally and spatially reactivate the site.

VDNH, as a place with deep historical significance, deserves a proposal for its future that can project the ambition and radical vision matching the one that contributed to its very creation.

The Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy is one of the largest exhibitions, museums, and recreation complexes in the world. It is one of the most popular public places of the Russian capital. It hosts more than 24 million guests per year.

The Exhibition was opened on 1 August 1939. In spring 2014 the Moscow City Government launched a large scale project of the VDNH’s revival commemorated to the 75-year Anniversary of the main exhibition centre of the country.

On the initiative of the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, and according to the results of citizens’ electronic voting the VDNH had its famous historical name of “Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy” returned. Now, the VDNH is combined with the Botanic Gardens and Ostankino Park. Its total area is more than 520 ha.

Cover - Working group, IaaC Archive 2

The resulting in works will be presented inside the Russian Pavilion curated by the Chief Architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov, during the 15th Architecture Venice Biennale.

This year the Russian Pavilion focuses on analyzing the history and proposes a future for the VDNKh Expo Park of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, which began its construction in 1935 and had its major development take place in the 1950s. Today, the territory similar in surface with that of Monaco, has historical buildings and a large amount of unoccupied space and is in need of a new vision for its future development.

During the workshop the participants were given complete freedom of expression regarding their visions of the future of VDNKh, and after a few inspiring group exercises the 12 participants started their individual works.

Under Vicente Guallart’s guidance and curation, 27 original works were selected out of the nearly 40 proposals done by the participants.

There were three main directions that were taken, one was focused on the interior spaces of the pavilions, one on options for the entire territory and one on abstract concepts related with the art and heritage of VDNKh and the Russian culture.

Participants: Natalia Chernobrova, Ruxandra Iancu-Bratosin, Sofia Paymanova, Ksenia Dyusembaeva, Ksenia Ermakova, Juan Diego Ramirez Leon, Valentina Maksimova, Ece Tankal, Irina Shmeleva, Liva Dudareva, Ekaterina Goncharova, Rodion Eremeev.

Organizers: Vicente Guallart, Alexei Novikov, Vera Leonova, Marina Dubova, Katya Dyba, Nadia Kort.

Figure 1 - Placement proposal of workshop results for the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

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IAAC Student Juan Diego Ramirez Leon proposes a tabula-rasa for the territory of VDNKh, in a future where the space is populated by floating tranquil spaces projected upon a densified Moscow.

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HSE student Irina Shmeleva had a more feasible proposal for VDNKh, converting it into an academic campus showing different instances of the student activity.

IAAC Student Ksenia Dyusembaeva has a radical vision on the issue of preserving the heritage and patrimony of VDNKh by not touching any of the existing buildings and proposes the developing of underground productive structures.

HSE student Natalia Chernobrova explores the dystopian future of VDNKh, abandoned to the will of nature, slowly decaying and converted into an animal habitat, like a temple of a distant past.

IAAC and Strelka alumni, Rodion Eremeev proposes a conceptual attack of the future on VDNKh.

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IAAC Alumni Ruxandra Iancu proposes a future where mankind is irrelevant, a future in which all the relics of man are used by the machines to build their own version of the future.

HSE student, Ekaterina Goncharova proposes the conversion of the VDNKh territory into the Moscow Art District, attacking the existing plan, building and road network of the space with an orthogonal disposition of key art pieces.

IAAC Alumni Ece Tankal proposed a connection between the center of Moscow and the VDNKh territory through an elevated mega structures that allows the collection and temporary storage of elements from one side to the other.

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