Portfolio 2022_Alena Shlyakhovaya

Alena Shlyakhovaya

Contents

Kultura.

research

media

ZIL-South redevelopment strategy

Place: Time: Role:

Citymakers, Moscow, Russia May 2021 — August 2022 Creative Director / Content lead Responsible for:

concepts and design proposals for “Street design”, “Design-code and city navigation” chapters of the Strategy

project presentation

Strategy

communication

Summary:

ZIL-South is a southern part (109 ha) of the former ZIL-factory, lo cated in Moscow, Russia. By 2035 the territory is planned to become a new residential district named Shagal. e masterplan of the territory was designed by KCAP in 2020. e redevelopment Strategy aims to complement the master plan in order to sharpen its concepts and ensure their achievability.

ZIL-South Strategy is a comprehensive guide for the future project phases as well as for construction documents design. It consists of 6 chapters with detailed design concepts and proposals: “Logistics”, “Functional program”, “Street design”, “Design-code and city navigation”, “Activation”, “Sustainable solutions”.

book

Apart from the the Citymakers’ team, there were over 13 teams of contractors from multiple areas and 20 invited experts involved in this project.

Shlyakhovaya

ZIL

Masterplan of the territory redesigned as a result of collaborative work of multiple contractors in accordance with the Strategy

Street design 12

Core idea:

Concepts of multi-mobility and 15-minute city were already suggested by KCAP and embedded into the masterplan of the new district. Along with the desire to make the environment of Shagal as comfortable and safe as possible, we wished to make people’s life here interesting, exciting and involving.

On the level of urban design this idea is expressed in an attempt to turn everyday walking routes into a journey — to design each street as a unique and remarkable emotional experience.

We developed precise and illustrative briefs for each street and main public spaces of Shagal and then split them between 4 teams of architects and urban designers we had hired to make detailed design proposals.

My role:

• developed an approach and overall concept of street design in Shagal

• hired and briefed contractors (architects and urban designers)

• supervised contractors during the project (from regular design proposals review to providing templates for schemes and presentations)

unique street design-codes

4 architectural teams

Scheme of various street design types elaborated by me. Street design and visualisations made by contractors in accordance with the brief

Core Idea:

e approach behind the navigational element design was aimed:

to strengthen the idea of a journey under lying the street design

to highlight the public spaces and separate them from private areas

to develop the identity and general image of the district

to integrate the new elements with con ventional city navigation system

One of the most convenient ways to meet all these conditions was to develop a system of symbols for each street and residential block and make the overall design system modular. We hired 2 design o ces specialise in branding and city navigation to develop proposals of design-code of navigational elements, their types and placement on the territory in accordance with the common spaces hierarchy.

My role:

developed the overall concept and princi ples of navigational elements placement

supervised contractors (graphic and product designers) during the project, reviewed their work

Project presentation and communication

At the di erent stages of the project we had to repeatedly present ideas and results to various client representatives, professional community and city authorities. Such work ow meant that we had to be exible in adapting the general project narrative and updating presentation materials.

My role:

• developed the approach to project pres entation and narrative of booklets

• led the preparation of slides and booklets (from brie ng editors and designers to writing, editing and designing layouts myself)

• presented the project on public events, moderated related discussions

of the

for Archmoscow

Work on the book

Core Idea:

e publication of the book was supposed to be the nal stage of our work.

e book contains a summary and detailed description of all the main aspects of the Strategy. It ought not only to promote the Shagal district among future tenants, but primarily to be the rst openly published redevelopment strategy in Russia. It also aims to x and save the project vision for the client to use as a reference during the fu ture construction stages.

Moreover, it was important for us to make the book clear and interesting both for pro fessionals and non-professionals. erefore, it was designed in a form of a conversation about the city we all dreamed to live in.

My role:

• developed the general narrative and struc ture of the book

• collected the content and prepared it for design and layout

• hired and briefed editors and designers, supervised and managed their work

Shagal

Book cover and design code elaborated by Maria Kosareva

Soft

Brand media all the CIS readers geography

In 2019 we in So Kultura started an online magazine about the culture of professional work ow of architects and interior designers. e magazine is dedicated to everything we nd useful for development of professional consciousness, daily work and career: inter views with established professionals and beginners, instructions, tips and tricks, reviews and resources for self-education.

3 publications weekly

monthly brand media website visits increase within 2 years

share of organic internet-traffc

My role:

Led the opening and further development of So Kultura’s brand media:

• developed an overall concept of the media: set of themes and formats, tone of voice and design code

• hired a creative/editorial team of 5 per manent employees

• set up the content production work ow (texts, videos, graphic materials, onlineevents)

• made briefs for publications, managed content plan and distribution of publica tions

• searched for experts, authors and collabo rators

• managed nances, analysed editorial met rics (Yandex. Metrika, Google Analytics)

Shlyakhovaya

So Kultura

Brand media’s homepage and example of the article

Social networks and communications 6

e work on the project social networks included the gradual transformation of the project public image. e goal of this trans formation was to increase the share of educational and involving content and sub sequently expand the media auditorium.

In practice it was achieved by combining the So Culture educational platform with the brand media content. e number of courses announcements was reduced and the share of educational and involving content was increased.

Telegram Facebook VKontakte

Behance

My role:

• rede ned the project’s tone of voice in accordance to the brand-media strategy

• rede ned and constantly updated designcode for posts and publications

• set up a work ow of content production (texts, videos, online-events, graphic ma terials)

• managed content-plan, briefed, super vised the creative/editorial team

• searched for collaborators and advertising customers

community

from

Examples of content for Soft Kultura’s social networks produced by creative team under my supervision

Advertisement

Apart from the development of project’s brand media and social networks, So Kul tura’s editorial team was responsible for designing promotional scenarios for all the products (courses) and also for advertise ment production.

40

individually designed promotional scenarios for courses and brand

cross-integrations of products into content, and content into educational programs

My role

• worked closely with product and market ing teams to develop marketing funnels and promotional scenarios for educational products, publications and events

• supervised and actively participated in the creative production process — either with in-house creative/editorial team or with outsources

• searched for channels, accounts and media to collaborate in content or advertisement production

Shlyakhovaya / So Kultura

Examples of announcements and advertisements produced by creative team under my supervision

Website and product landings

e So Kultura’s editorial team also worked on the content for the project’s web-site and constantly make small updates to it’s design.

For bigger design-tasks such as full redesign of particular pages we preferred to hire other design teams. In 2021 we hired the newpur ple studio to redesign the template of courses landing pages.

My role:

• briefed and supervised in-house designers and editors to make changes to the home page, product landings or blog web pages, both for mobile and desktop website ver sions

• briefed and supervised outsource designers and copywriters

• changed the general positioning of some products

Kultura

Examples of advertisement in brand media’s articles designed by inhouse designer

Example of landing page redesign suggested by newpurple studio

Project presentation and communication

As one of So Kultura’s leaders I had to present the school and participate in nu merous events dedicated to architectural education and applied skills.

Among events I participated in:

• Zodchestvo festival (Voronezh, Russia)

• ArchMoscow festival (Moscow, Russia)

• Discussions of the Project Russia magazine (Moscow, Russia)

My role:

• presented So Kultura at conferences and festivals

• participated in public events and discus sions as an invited expert or speaker

Shlyakhovaya / So Kultura

Examples of events I participated in as a Soft Kultura’s lead and expert

Dvorulitsa (Yardstreet)

Place: Time: Role:

dvorulitsa.moscow, Moscow, Russia

2016 — 2019

Co-founder / Producer Responsible for:

• research and concept development

project’s strategy

design, promotion, communications

non-commercial projects (educational activities, media collaborations etc.)

commercial projects (urban design and planning)

Summary:

Dvorulitsa is a project dedicated to the preservation and develop ment of the residential environment of post-Soviet cities.

I launched the project as an individual urban research in 2016 as part of the research program at “Meganom” (Moscow based archi tectural practice). During the next 3 years I managed to develop the research into a commercial project and nancially independent architectural consultancy practice.

By 2019, the philosophy and values put forward by Dvorulitsa became widespread and accepted in the professional architectural community in Russia. e project was also hired to design alterna tive pedestrian networks for residential districts in Moscow on a commercial basis. Together with the project’s team we succeeded in conducting the research and developing conceptual design proposals for 17 districts (up to 1000 ha) in an extremely short time.

Project’s website designed by me and Polina Sokolova

and concept

Dvorulitsa concept was designed as a part of my graduate thesis project at Moscow Architectural University. en in 2016 I continued to work on it and deepened the research within the educational program of Meganom, Moscow based architectural practice.

e co-founder of the project is Yuri Grigo ryan, Meganom founder and lead architect.

My role:

• created Dvorulitsa (Yardstreet) concept and urban design approach

• conducted the research and wrote articles

• prepared lectures and presentations about the research and the project

Please nd out more about the research and the full list of publications on the website.

Shlyakhovaya / Dvorulitsa

One of explanatory presentations about the research fully elaborated and designed by me

Identity and promotion

e project philosophy aimed to shi from the traditional way of presenting an urban research and turn it into a fascinating story architects and urban planners can tell a wider audience. Our goal was to develop a bright and recognisable visual language as well as simple and clear tone of voice. Its was aimed to turn an architectural concept into a brand.

My role:

• hired, briefed and supervised graphic designers to develop project’s identity and website

• developed tone of voice and design-code of the project, prepared texts and images for publications

• managed project’s social networks and advertisement

Shlyakhovaya / Dvorulitsa

Dvorulitsa’s dynamic logo and illustrations designed by ESH gruppa for the project’s frst website

The frst website version designed by ESH gruppa

The last website version designed by me and Polina Sokolova

Educational activity

Large part of the project was devoted to lec tures about the spatial organization of post-Soviet cities and workshops on how to carefully change and develop their residen tial environment while maintaining its identity.

Among our collaborators:

• Moscow Architectural Institute

• Politecnico di Milano

• e Moscow City Committee for Archi tecture and Urban Planning

My role:

• developed a program of workshops and prepared working materials

• managed workshops promotion process and selection of participants

• participated as a leading tutor

Shlyakhovaya / Dvorulitsa

Photos of some workshos of 2019

Collaborative projects

In 2017 Dvorulitsa designed an interactive map together with the Urbica Design. e map shows all potential Yardstreets in Mos cow, the changes to them the project puts forward, as well as allows users to comment on them and suggest route changes. e map release was followed up by a publi cation of a detailed story in where we shared our work process. e English ver sion of the text is unfortunately not available yet.

My role:

• initiated the project

• prepared data for further map develop ment (QGis les)

• made briefs for graphic designers and map developers

• supervised the design of the map, made graphic style samples (Mapbox)

• prepared a publication about the project

Shlyakhovaya / Dvorulitsa

Interactive map designed by me and Taya Lavrivenko in accordance to projects identity

Collaborative projects

In 2018 we organized a 2-day conference “Dvorulitsa (Yardstreet): A New Look at the Urban Periphery” in collaboration with In Liberty educational project. Its aim was not only to talk about the Dvorulitsa project but also to raise the central issues of the urban environment development. Among them: social, economic and political aspects of the city life, the role of the street art in the city, etc.

Among speakers were: Grigory Revzin (Strelka KB), Alexei Novikov (Habidatum), Yuri Grigoryan (Meganom), Yuri Saprykin, Maxim Trudolyubov, Grigory Yudin, Ekate rina Schulmann and many others.

My role:

• initiated the conference

• actively participated in design of the pro gram and list of speakers, producing and promotion of events

Shlyakhovaya / Dvorulitsa

Schedule and photo of the conference

Scaling of the approach

In 2019 Dvorulitsa was hired to design alter native pedestrian networks for residential districts in Moscow on a commercial basis. e main goal of our work was to illustrate the potential of the peripheral territories of the city. Together with the project’s team we succeeded in conducting the research and developing conceptual design proposals for 17 of them in an extremely short time (≈4 months).

My role:

hired contractors and in-house team of architects

taught them to work in accordance with Dvorulitsa’s methodology

supervised urban design and planning, preparation of presentational materials

managed documents and

communicated with clients

detailed presentations of these projects on the website.

Public speaking and publications

As a co-founder and leader of the project, I had to constantly present Dvorulitsa and conduct lectures on the research and related topics, as well as prepare publications for not only Russian, but also in international media.

Among the events I participated in:

• Moscow Urban Forum (Moscow, Russia)

• Public program of the Milan Triennale Museum (online)

• Congress for the New Urbanism (Seattle, USA)

Among publications about the project:

• article for CanActions magazine

• interview for ArchDaily

• paper for Urban Studies and Practices (HSE magazine)

My role:

• wrote articles

• presented the research on festivals, conferences and during the interviews

• prepared presentations, adapted them to be presented to di erent audiences

Please nd more about events and publica tions on the website.

Am dst e�orts to revita ze and improve urban centers, the peripheral areas of c ties are o�en gnored or forgot en The intense focus on he downtown core means, n terms o land use that only a relat ve y smal area receives the major ty of des gners’ attention "Dvoru tsa" (l teral y "Yardstreet" in Russian) s an urban deve opmen strategy proposed by Russ an arch tecture irm

Meganom aiming to sh � that focus Tak ng the idea of the “superpark” from the 2013 study "Archaeology o the Per phery " the yardstreet project p esents an alternat ve method of view ng the periphery o a post soviet c ty

The project currently focuses on Moscow but he dea is that it could be w dely adaptab e and appl cab e to any urban area Dvoru tsa would create cohesion and cons stent deve opmen wi h n Moscow s periphera res dentia districts 95% of Moscow’s tota area s considered to be part of this periphery, which s also home to 90% of the c ty s res dents Uti z ng he ex st ng space between arge apartment blocks the yardstreet takes th s empty, uncared or area and creates a comfortab e purpose ul space

Not sole y a place of trans t the yardstreet becomes

Shlyakhovaya

Dvorulitsa

Examples of interviews and publications

Dvorulitsa Project by Meganom Proposes Reinvesting in Cities' Peripheries to Improve Urban Environments Wr t en by Megan Sch res Ap i 26 2019 Share

MOR

Future o Afr can C ties: An nterv ew w th Matri Archi

MOS

PRO

Additional materials

Time and place

Public program for the exhibition of Alex ander Gronsky photography.

PennLab gallery, Moscow, 2021

Description:

4 lectures and public talks were brought together around the main artistic devices used in the exhibition — repetitions, same ness and distinctions in the urban environment. Topics:

• the culture of standards, the evolution of norms and the con ict between urban and natural

• the aesthetics of new buildings, desola tion and repetition in the international artistic context

• urban scenarios, their design and the for mation of human experience in public spaces

• whether “typical” is possible in an urban environment, and if so, what does this word actually mean

My role:

• developed an the program and briefs for each event

• found speakers and communicated with them during the program

• promoted and moderated events

Photos and record of events

Architecture as landscape

Public program for e New Landscape exhibition of с ontemporary Russian pho tography.

Ekaterina Foundation, Moscow, 2019

Description:

3 public talks were dedicated to perception of urban landscapes:

• on the persuasive power of images, urban polympsests and the limits of aesthetici zation

• on the architect’s responsibility and limits of in uence, and whether it is possible for an architect not to be an artist

• on landscape as a re ection of collective experiences and reproduction of cultural codes and on the opposition between culture and nature

My role:

• developed the program and briefs for each event

• found speakers and communicated with them during the program

• prepared and published articles based on lecture transcripts (in Russian and English)

Photos and transcripts of events

Architecture in theory

Public program organized by Sklad Uma , an online project dedicated to the most important pieces of architectural theory. Moscow Museum, Moscow, 2017

Description:

5 lectures and public talks were organised to present read-lists of 5 architectural o ces we have recently published on project’s website. each o ce was represented by a speaker, each of them talked about the meaning of reading for their practice as well as about their favorite books.

My role:

• developed the program and briefs for each events

• found speakers and partners, communi cated with them during the program

• developed a promotional company

• moderated events

Photos and landing page of the programm

Architectural graphic and presentation

In 2015 — 2019 I was a teacher and curator of educational programs in Adobe Photo shop, Illustrator, InDesign, SketchUp, architectural graphic and representation at So Kultura , one of the most in uential Russianspeaking educational projects for architects and interior designers.

My role:

• developed several programs of short-term online- and o ine- courses

• prepared educational materials: texts for educational online-platform, images, ex ercises etc.

• prepared numerous lectures in theory of art, architectural collage, drawings and visualization

• conducted courses (average group ca. 15 attendees), hired and briefed successive tutors

• managed tutors and the overall course production process

• prepared promotional materials: texts and images for landings, social networks, ad vertisements

Example of lecture in architectural collage fully elaborated and designed by me

Research and writing

In 2016 — 2018 I was a teacher in Critical & Contextual Studies, ВА3: Dissertation mod ule (Architecture and Urbanism) at Moscow School of Architecture.

My role:

participated in program design

helped students to formulate their theses, conduct research and write the nal essay

My profle on school’s website

I make collages and illustrations either for my personal projects or by request for other architectural o ces. Please nd more examples on Behance.

Concept of reconstruction of Danilovsky market, Moscow. Illustrations made by order of Dima Barbanel

35 / A. Shlyakhovaya / Additional Illustration made for my diploma project Dvorulitsa (Yardstreet)

/ A. Shlyakhovaya / Additional Concept of Reki village. Illustrations made by order of Dima Barbanel

Thank You