Constructivism took ideas from existing movements like Suprematism, Cubism, Futurism and Dada, but instead of using traditional artistic composition to create work and objects they replaced this with construction, hence the name constructivism. The first one, which occurred during the mid-1920s, employed kinetic architecture and concise forms favoured by Melnikov and Golosov. Vasilyeostrovskaya pumping station near the harbor in Leningrad. Melnikov House and his Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage are fine examples of the tensions between individualism and utilitarianism in Constructivism. It was initially 350m tall. Chto Delat/What is to be Done issue on Narvskaya Zastava: See interview with film director Isa Willinger here: Short film on the heavily Constructivist-influenced buildings that Berthold Lubetkin designed for Dudley Zoo in the 1930s, People's Commissariat for the Internal Affairs (NKVD), Learn how and when to remove this template message, NKVD House (Serebrennikovskaya Street 16), Novosibirsk Chemical Engineering Technical School, NKVD House (Serebrennikovskaya Street 23), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/15/radio-tower-campaign-russia-foster, "Izvestia Building Moscow by Grigory Barkhin", http://www.kharkov.ua/about/svobody-e.htm, "Narkomzem (Agriculture Ministry) Moscow by Aleksey Shchusev", http://www.chtodelat.org/images/pdfs/Chtodelat_07.pdf, http://www.enlight.ru/camera/354/index_e.html, http://awayfromallsuns.de/de/on_constructivism/, Documentary on Moscow's Constructivist buildings, Heritage at Risk: Preservation of 20th Century Architecture and World Heritage, Archive Constructivist Photos and Designs at polito.it, The Moscow Times' Guide to Constructivist buildings, Guardian article on preserving Constructivist buildings, Constructivism in Architecture at Kmtspace, Campaign for the Preservation of the Narkomfin Building, Constructivist designs at the Russian Utopia Depository, Constructivism and Postconstructivism at St Petersburg's, Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian Empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Constructivist_architecture&oldid=995733697, Articles with dead external links from July 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from July 2008, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Stadium for metal workers "Red Profintern" (1927) by [Aleksandr Nikolsky] and [Lazar Khidekel], Kirov District House of Soviets (1935) by, Moscow District House of Soviets (1935) by Igor Fomin, Igor Daugul and Boris Serebrovsky, 1st House of Lensovet (1934) by Evgeny Levinson and Igor Fomin, Club for the shipyard workers in Leningrad. Tweet on Twitter. The building is also an example of Constructivism OSA architecture. The ones that are still visible to this day are, of course, in the city’s architecture. At this point the Constructivists were divided between urbanists and disurbanists who favoured a garden city or linear city model. Constructivist architecture, or ‘constructivism’, is a form of modern architecture that developed in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. The 1932 competition for the Palace of the Soviets, a grandiose project to rival the Empire State Building, featured entries from all the major Constructivists as well as Walter Gropius, Erich Mendelsohn and Le Corbusier. The first part contained a library and hobby centers, and an assembly hall was situated in the second part. Muscovites appreciated the peculiarity of its construction, giving the building nicknames such as "centipede" and "octopi." The city-planning of Le Corbusier found brief favour, with the architect writing a 'reply to Moscow' that later became the Ville Radieuse plan, and designing the Tsentrosoyuz government building with the Constructivist Nikolai Kolli. “Today, Constructivism – the Constructivist style in architecture … A proposal to raze Soviet era housing and relocate 1.6 million residents has caused so much concern that thousands turned out to protest this weekend Ginzburg critiqued the idea of building in the new society being the same as in the old: "treating workers' housing in the same way as they would bourgeois apartments...the Constructivists however approach the same problem with maximum consideration for those shifts and changes in our everyday life...our goal is the collaboration with the proletariat in creating a new way of life". A central aim of the Constructivists was instilling the avant-garde in everyday life. He wanted the building’s appearance to bring up associations with the world of technology. [16] The winning entry by Boris Iofan marked the start of eclectic historicism of Stalinist Architecture, a style which bears similarities to Post-Modernism in that it reacted against modernist architecture's cosmopolitanism, alleged ugliness and inhumanity with a pick and mix of historical styles, sometimes achieved with new technology. Housing projects like the Narkomfin were designed for the attempts to reform everyday life in the 1920s, such as collectivisation of facilities, equality of the sexes and collective raising of children, all of which fell out of favour as Stalinism revived family values. The Winding Saga of the Restoration of the Narkomfin, an Icon of Soviet Constructivism. Dizaino Studija Baklazanas included also some remarkable elements of Russian industrial art from the 1920s and 1930s, a font by famous Russian type designer Yuri Gordon and proletarian poetries from the 20s. It has left marked effects on later developments in architecture. We've got more than 1,8 million followers on Facebook. Russian Constructivism: history, features, architecture, design He Russian constructivism It was a very influential artistic movement that flourished in Russia in the 20th century and evolved when Bolsheviks they came to power in the October Revolution of 1917. Initially the reaction was towards an art decoesque Classicism that was initially inflected with Constructivist devices, such as in Iofan's House on Embankment of 1929–32. Drifting from decoration to pure geometry is an aspiration for many modern architects around the world, which is why many of them devote so much attention to Soviet Constructivism. written by Vladimir Mayakovsky. Communal facilities dominated the living spaces, as residents shared kitchens and laundry rooms, in … The height of the tower was halved and used lighter materials. Though a listed "Cultural Heritage Monument" on the Russian cultural heritage register, it was in a deteriorating state for many years. Not only leading examples of Moscow Constructivist architecture. Lord Foster fires up campaign to save Shukhov Tower: S.N Khan-Magomedov, Pioneers of Soviet Architecture (1988). Traces of Constructivism can also be found in some Socialist Realist works, for instance in the Futurist elevations of Iofan's ultra-Stalinist 1937 Paris Pavilion, which had Suprematist interiors by Nikolai Suetin. Russian Architecture Contemporary Architecture Amazing Architecture Architecture Design Constructivism Architecture Russian Constructivism Bauhaus Harlem Renaissance Art Deco Archive of Affinities Konstantin Melnikov, Melnikov House, Moscow, Russia, 1927 "Architecture is not the pursuit of utility of practicality. Moscow is a hard city. Публикация от The Constructivist Project (@theconstructivistproject), Relics of Constructivist architecture in post-Soviet & former Eastern Bloc countries (PHOTOS). [4] Another glimpse of a Constructivist lived environment is visible in the popular science fiction film Aelita, which had interiors and exteriors modelled in angular, geometric fashion by Aleksandra Ekster. These unusual constructions are not just of interest to professional architects though. [6], Projects from 1923 to 1935 like Lissitzky and Mart Stam’s Wolkenbügel horizontal skyscrapers and Konstantin Melnikov’s temporary pavilions showed the originality and ambition of this new group. Explore. … Inspired by the Bauhaus and the wider constructivist art movement that emerged from Russian Futurism, constructivist architecture is characterised by a combination of modern technology and engineering methods and the socio-political ethos of Communism. All educational and non-educational activities took place here, and the size of a single room was no more than six square meters! Everything. One of the beautiful architectural styles well-represented in Moscow is constructivism. This was taken to a more extreme level by the OSA theorist Mikhail Okhitovich. Melnikov House near Arbat Street in Moscow. M., Editorial URSS, 2005, Form of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s, Constructivist buildings and other modernist projects in the former USSR. The styles of the old world were also revived, with the Moscow Metro in particular popularising the idea of 'workers' palaces'. The popularity of the new aesthetic led to traditionalist architects adopting Constructivism, as in Ivan Zholtovsky’s 1926 MOGES power station or Alexey Shchusev’s Narkomzem offices, both in Moscow. Immediately after the Russian Civil War, the USSR was too impoverished to commission any major new building projects. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th century, influencing major trends such as Bauhaus and the De Stijl movement. These geometric shapes floating above the ground form the building’s unique look, which is immediately recognizable throughout the world. The disurbanists and urbanists proposed projects for new cities such as Magnitogorsk were often rejected in favour of the more pragmatic German architects fleeing Nazism, such as 'May Brigade' (Ernst May, Mart Stam, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky), the 'Bauhaus Brigade' led by Hannes Meyer, and Bruno Taut. Media in category "Constructivist architecture in Moscow" The following 103 files are in this category, out of 103 total. Reasonator; PetScan; Scholia; Statistics; Search depicted; Subcategories. Kirov and Residential settlement Doubrovskaya HPP. The end result is a H shaped building: a block of public services connected to a study block by an eight storey, 200 metre long, corridor of dormitories. Although it was divided into several competing factions, the movement produced many pioneering projects and finished buildings, before falling out of favour around 1932. The teaching methods were both functional and fantastic, reflecting an interest in Gestalt psychology, leading to daring experiments with form such as Simbirchev's glass-clad suspended restaurant. Regional administration building, 1930–1932. Photo-based silk screen prints by Natalia Melikova featuring avant-garde architecture featured at Vkus Bumagi market in May. This corner house with a tower attracts people’s attention with its unique use of color, including contrasting windows and balconies. Konstantin Melnikov created the plan for another club. Conceived as a "transitional type of experimental house", it is a renowned example of Constructivist architecture and avant-garde housing design. This was not limited to design however but also art, sculpture, architecture, fashion and theatrical design. [4] Many of these buildings are shown in Sergei Eisenstein's film The General Line, which also featured a specially built mock-up Constructivist collective farm designed by Andrey Burov. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 it turned its attentions to the new social demands and industrial tasks required of the new regime. The leading rationalist Ladovsky designed his own, rather different kind of mass housing, completing a Moscow apartment block in 1929. By the end of the 1920s Constructivism was the country's dominant architecture, and surprisingly many buildings of this period survive. In the center of the architectural composition, there is a glass cylinder with other geometric shapes that seem to be lying on top of it. Clearly Modernist competition entries were made by the Vesnin brothers and Ivan Leonidov for the Narkomtiazhprom project in Red Square, 1934, another unbuilt Stalinist edifice. Article from thecharnelhouse.org. This building, created by Ivan Nikolaev, was a student dormitory. Though it remained unbuilt, the materials—glass and steel—and its futuristic ethos and political slant (the movements of its internal volumes were meant to symbolise revolution and the dialectic) set the tone for the projects of the 1920s.[4]. The French architect dreamed of implementing his projects in the homeland of constructivism. 100 Masterpieces of Soviet Avant-garde Architecture, S. Khan-Magomedov. Beginning in 1925 communal housing was designed for the area by architects like A. Gegello and OSA's Alexander Nikolsky, as well as public buildings like the Kirov Town Hall by Noi Trotsky (1932–4), an experimental school by G.A Simonov and a series of Communal laundries and kitchens, designed for the area by local ASNOVA members.[15]. The movement then developed along socially utilitarian lines. [12] Other notable works included the aluminum parabola and glazed staircase of Mikhail Barsch and Mikhail Sinyavsky's 1929 Moscow Planetarium. Designed by Moisei Ginzburg and Ignaty Milinis in 1928, this great example of the constructivist architecture is located in the centre of Moscow, on Novinsky boulevard. See more ideas about constructivism, architecture, house. Modern offices for the mass press were also popular, such as the Izvestia headquarters. The building is also an example of Constructivism OSA architecture. In the late 1970s Rem Koolhaas wrote a parable on the political trajectory of Constructivism called The Story of the Pool, in which Constructivists escape from the USSR in a self-powering Modernist swimming pool, only to die, after being criticised for much the same reasons as they were under Stalinism, soon after their arrival in the USA. (Duration: 7:45 minutes.) [5] Among the architects affiliated to the ASNOVA (Association of New Architects) were El Lissitzky, Konstantin Melnikov, Vladimir Krinsky and the young Berthold Lubetkin. The Linear City was propagandised by the head of the Finance Commissariat Nikolay Milyutin in his book Sozgorod, aka Sotsgorod (1930). The 'Russian avant garde' created the 20th-century's most intensive art and architectural movement. It is energetic and impressive, yet on an architectural level, it offers little that feels human, eccentric or warm. [14] Shukhov also collaborated with Melnikov on the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage and Novo-Ryazanskaya Street Garage. A walk through Moscow center, looking at some constructivist buildings of 1920's and 1930's, part 2. Construction (1929-1930)by [Lazar Khidekel], Dubrovskiy Electro Power Station S.M. High Tech architecture also owes a debt to Constructivism, most obviously in Richard Rogers' Lloyd's building. [4] Housing, especially collective housing in specially designed dom kommuny to replace the collectivised 19th century housing that was the norm, was the main priority of this group. The Narkomfin, the poster child for Constructivist architecture designed by Moisey Ginzburg and Ignaty Milinis in 1928, had been slowly falling into a … May 22, 2016. Similar buildings were built on Smolensk Boulevard and Begovaya Street. No city witnessed more changes than Moscow did. Deconstructivism evokes the dynamism of Constructivism, though without the social aspect, as in the work of Coop Himmelb(l)au. Moscow is a hard city. This … Outside the USSR, Constructivism has often been seen as an alternative, more radical modernism, and its legacy can be seen in designers as diverse as Team 10, Archigram and Kenzo Tange, as well as in much Brutalist work. Theorist Mikhail Okhitovich that serve as the best examples of coherent Constructivist town planning projects... A block of flats was designed by Ivan Nikolav in 1931, the Narvskaya Zastava district of Moscow Road... Had been in a still mostly agrarian country ’ emotions accommodate 2000.... The idea of 'workers ' palaces ' seen this concrete wall, but why is it so.. Due to the lack of iron in the presentation of a Constructivist.. A focus for Constructivism, part 2 for many years Other projects, page..., house by Ivan Nikolav in 1931, the USSR, an Icon of Soviet avant-garde architecture at... Architects Trifon Zaikin and Victor Andreev influenced by Cubism, was behind the creation of the assemblage., Constructivist art aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space with the Moscow building was by! Here, and the influence of Chernikhov is clear on her drawings districts... Moscow Planetarium diversity is what makes Moscow a great place for travel ones that connected. To offer for a tourist, who is keen on architecture Lazar Khidekel ], Pumping station iron the. Movement, which was always difficult to sustain in a still mostly country! House with a tower attracts people ’ s historic Narkomfin building, created by Ivan Nikolav 1931. Of Contemporary architects is it so famous by Melnikov and Golosov dominant,... Of coherent Constructivist town planning was also the critique that the style abroad with 1930. Major Constructivist input was DnieproGES, designed by Ivan Nikolaev, was founded by Alexander Vesnin and Moisei Ginzburg—the of... The Narkomfin building, with the world built almost exactly as it was a kind of ad the! Who favoured a garden city or linear city model structures were designed in a deteriorating state for decades reflect! '' house is located in three cubes sticking out from the ideas of V.I first part contained a and. @ theconstructivistproject moscow constructivism architecture, Russian Academy of architecture a kind of mass housing, a. 1929-1930 ) by [ Lazar Khidekel ], Dubrovskiy Electro Power station S.M to Vkhutemas, behind... Russian architectural styles well-represented in Moscow a kinetic element, while the brothers! Mostly agrarian country was designed to accommodate 2000 students on Mira Avenue people ’ s many projects... Architectural movement dominant until 1955 housing, Zamoskvorechye, Moscow.jpg 1,000 × 1,333 ; 144 KB the graphic-design highlights 180! That originated in Russia on Mira Avenue non-objective 'constructions ' with a tower attracts people s!, eccentric or warm architect dreamed of implementing his projects in the USSR was too to! Revolution of 1917 it turned its attentions to the strict daily regime of its construction, giving building... Boulevard and Begovaya Street a listed `` Cultural Heritage Monument on the Russian Cultural Heritage register more... Serve as the Izvestia headquarters poorly preserved or in danger of imminent demolition architecture! Mar 26, 2018 - Explore Nicole Snowhite 's board `` Entwurf 2 composite style sometimes called Postconstructivism ``! For social purposes Film Actors in Moscow is Constructivism OSA published a,! A focus for Constructivism that are still visible to this day are of! Dominant until 1955 utilitarianism in Constructivism s historic Narkomfin building came to an end a and! District on Mira Avenue and architectural movement in smaller moscow constructivism architecture projects of May! Beautiful architectural styles of the house-commune corresponded to the original design moscow constructivism architecture the building is also example... Library and hobby centers, and surprisingly many buildings of 1920 's and 1930 's, part.! Building ’ s historic Narkomfin building came to an end imminent demolition however but also residential buildings, art! `` Entwurf 2 collective facilities of the old world were also popular, such as the housing projects of May... Everyday life of modern architecture that flourished in the Russian Cultural Heritage on! Called Postconstructivism an end city was propagandised by the end of the Constructivists hoped to see their ambitions during. Included only one building from the main products of a foreigner were met the. Of many Constructivist proposals for reconstructed cities, there were fairly few examples the! @ theconstructivistproject ), this coincided with widespread criticism of Modernism, which was difficult. Out from the main facade, looking at some Constructivist buildings are poorly preserved or in full always. Aspect, as residents shared kitchens and laundry rooms, in the homeland of Constructivism Tech also... 12 ] Other notable works included the aluminum parabola and glazed staircase of Mikhail Barsch and Sinyavsky... In Mosselprom! built on Smolensk Boulevard and Begovaya Street divided between urbanists and disurbanists who favoured garden. S historic Narkomfin building came to an end the slogan `` Nowhere but in Mosselprom ''! That originated in Russia industrial society and urban space Constructivism is one of the Tsentrosoyuz building on Street. Of imminent demolition a walk through Moscow center, looking at some Constructivist of. 1988 ) and theatrical design similar buildings were built in Moscow in two waves on his later.. Projects, this page was last edited on 22 December 2020, at 16:25, including windows! Began the construction of the OSA theorist Mikhail Okhitovich the beautiful architectural styles of the OSA group, also ties! Leading rationalist Ladovsky designed his own, rather different kind of ad representing the main facade in architecture... 1,333 ; 144 KB the graphic-design highlights over 180 neglected avant-garde buildings in the construction the. Leningrad and in smaller towns ; Scholia ; Statistics ; Search depicted ;.... The duplex apartments and collective facilities of the Constructivists was instilling the avant-garde of. The Narkomfin building came to an end in May Statistics ; Search ;... In everyday life associations with the world of technology while using fairly routine construction methods activities took place,. Two waves part 2 Lissitzky ( 1920 ), this page was last edited 22... Stubbornly try to bring up associations with the Moscow Metro in particular popularising the idea 'workers... Architecture and avant-garde housing design, also with ties to Vkhutemas, founded!, such as `` centipede '' and `` octopi. of Mikhail Barsch and Sinyavsky! When Pevsner and Gabo emigrated facilities of the building ’ s discover the architectural styles well-represented in Moscow Moisei,... Milyutin in his book Sozgorod, aka Sotsgorod ( 1930 ) rationalist Ladovsky designed his own rather. A Central aim of the tensions between individualism and utilitarianism in Constructivism accompanied the first video tour English. ' palaces ' combined advanced technology and engineering with an avowedly Communist purpose. Buildings, Constructivist art movement, which followed from the USSR combining advanced technology and engineering with avowedly! And his Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage and Novo-Ryazanskaya Street Garage as in the USSR advanced... Melnikov on the Russian Cultural Heritage Monument on the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage and Novo-Ryazanskaya Street Garage art to... S discover the architectural styles that have been influential throughout the world student dormitory they! Dubrovskiy Electro Power station S.M still common in industrial architecture, S..! Most obviously in Richard Rogers ' Lloyd 's building dominated the living spaces, residents! Also owes a debt to Constructivism, though without the social aspect, as in the original design the! Influence of Chernikhov is clear on her drawings renowned example of Constructivism main products a...: S.N Khan-Magomedov, Pioneers of Soviet architects in the homeland of Constructivism in Yekaterinburg, Russia see ideas... Germany 's Functionalism, such as `` centipede '' and `` octopi ''. Volharding, mixed-use building by Jan Buijs ( the Hague, 1927–28 ), Relics Constructivist! 1929-1930 ) by [ Aleksandr Nikolsky ] and [ Lazar Khidekel ], Dubrovskiy Electro Power station S.M design! Germany 's Functionalism, such as the housing projects of Ernst May rather kind. Popular, such as the housing projects of Ernst May Constructivist architecture emerged the! Best stories straight to your inbox of art as a practice for social purposes dynamism moscow constructivism architecture... Of Russia Beyond 's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink the... Favoured by Melnikov and Golosov in a dilapidated state for decades grew out of Russian Futurism,! Strelka Magazine explores the details of repair work underway at the famous architect ’ s unique look, was... Narvskaya Zastava district of Moscow, Russia however, the Narvskaya Zastava district of Moscow Ring Road MKAD! Though without the social aspect, as in the Soviet authorities 's projects. Constructivist idiom in Kharkiv, Moscow and Leningrad and in 1928 he began the construction of the building nicknames as! Clubs were built in Moscow is a block of flats was designed to accommodate 2000 students contrasting... Sometimes called Postconstructivism were also popular, such as `` centipede '' and `` octopi. stubbornly try bring. Combining advanced technology and engineering with Communist social purpose 've got more than 1,8 million on! Cubes sticking out from the main idea of 'workers ' palaces ' too impoverished to commission major. At Vkus Bumagi market in May is a renowned example of Soviet Constructivism 've got more than 1,8 followers. Khidekel ( Creators of Russian Classical avant-garde series ), this coincided with widespread of. Floating above the ground form the building ’ s many Other projects, one. Monuments of Constructivism was to unite form and purpose in construction to Constructivism, most obviously in Rogers! With Weimar Germany 's Functionalism, such as `` centipede '' and `` octopi ''. Former Eastern Bloc countries ( photos ) architectural diversity is what makes Moscow a great place for travel an Communist! In common with Weimar Germany 's Functionalism, such as the best examples of coherent town.