Eric Valeev Biography

Nevertheless, the start was successful. What helped to keep afloat? He received experience in the bureau of various scales, and after graduating from the institute he worked for about a year in a large bureau. This was enough to realize that I want to keep up more and work more efficiently. And in M ​​decided to start his own practice. By that time, there were already many potential customers who wanted to work directly.

The bureau began with a small room, three computers and the only hired employee. In the first three to four years, the bureau expanded to only ten people. The crisis turned out to be useful in a sense-he taught how to work in harsh conditions, optimize costs, and observe a short time. Hence the flexible scheme of the bureau, where, in addition to the main backbone, some specialists on a remote basis.

Actually, this approach is laid in the name of the bureau. IQ is an interSction - “intersection” and Quality - “quality”, that is, architecture as the intersection of the components, such as philosophy, economics, politics, history, ergonomics, economics, engineering, culture and much more. The depth and benefits of architecture depends on how qualitatively the relationship of all factors is found.

The advice is young - to hone the quality in the broadest sense, from ideas and directly crafts to the study of documentation, filing and presentation of the material. It is also important not to drive yourself into the framework of one typology. In order to correctly design an ergonomic house or even a city, you need to be able to make a chair or a book shelf.

The first serious project was the Dominion residential complex, for which about 30 lobby projects and typical floors were completed. We received this order as a result of victory in a closed competition, which at that time became a great achievement for us. In the year, this project was called the “best implemented public interior among Russian and European participants” according to the British Prize.

Now there are several projects in the field of redevelopment. And not only megalopolis. Now we are reconstructing the former industrial zone in Orel. They convinced the customer to preserve existing buildings by adding new elements to them. In the post-Soviet years, there was a transport-repair shop, until recently, the territory remained abandoned. The customer-a large livestock company-wanted to create a headquarters and a small technical area with repair workshops and warehouses.

Together, we significantly expanded the functional filling of the territory. Technical and warehouse buildings, a finished store and the main reconstructed building are connected by an area intended for both tenants and for holding city holidays and festivals. The store, public square and part of the main building are open to visit citizens. In the main building, along with rental areas and the administrative part, a tasting, lecture and sports halls, exhibition space, and a cafe appeared.

That is the meaning of this project - to become the driver of the development of the whole area. In new construction, it would be much more difficult to include part of social functions and create a similar space with the interweaving of scenarios. Therefore, with the right approach, redevelopment can sometimes give the customer, user, city and society as a whole even more than new construction.

The task formulated in the technical task was to develop new facades. But we decided not only to create a new shell of the building, but to rethink how this object functions, try to understand and correct the reasons that have fallen into decay. From the point of view of the design, nothing has changed, but we processed the stylobatic part and opened it to passers -by. The pavilion is located between the park and the lake, and also has a through passage - you can go to the building on the one hand and go out on the other.

We made a circular promenade that allows any pedestrian, without going into the building, bypass it around the perimeter. Thus, the building stylobate is activated, the possibility of installing a cafe and other related functions around the perimeter of the entire building arises, picturesque panoramas are opened, the connection of the park with the pond is visible.

There will be viewing platforms, an open -air cinema. The technical task was also talking about the creation of a modern information complex, which will be associated with nature and the park. We searched for a structure that, on the one hand, is a metaphor for the global network, communication, data streams, and on the other - natural, durable and light, since the design of the building is not designed for heavy loads.

With the help of algorithms and parametric design, we came to a structure very reminiscent of a web. It was she who formed the basis of the image. In fact, this is a light perforated hinged facade, the drawing of which allows you to open views and illuminate the necessary zones of the interior with the sun, with the where the straight light is undesirable, to perform the function of sun protection.

The reconstruction of historical objects is always restrictions, not only legislative, but also ethical.Sometimes an architect can convince the participants in the process that these or other decisions are better to preserve or, on the contrary, abandon them. If the architects had more opportunity to influence the process, it would be better. It is great when the architect, working with the legacy, is so immersed and penetrates the essence and historical layers that it becomes the main expert in the entire process.

An example of this is the restoration of the new museum in Berlin David Chipperfield, who spent years on the study of the building. The consequence was a delicate workshop work. Respectful, at the same time a bold solution: new fragments, coupled with a historical context, form a grandiose space. We probably have no such pure examples, but there is a movement. And I want to believe that this is a matter of time.

They raised a hotel on the picket fence of columns to maintain the connection of the park and the sea coast. Visually, the project greatly reminded that concept. So the approach itself is not something radically new. An interesting experiment on the seal of urban fabric. There are many questions, including norms, engineering, creating a favorable and comfortable environment under buildings in the climatic conditions of Moscow.

It is too early to comment on this project seriously, now there are only a few renders. From the portfolio of the IQ architectural bureau: the shopping center “Good” photo: IQ - you have been working in the Moscow market for ten years - and this is the decade that has been the most noticeable in the whole new history of Russia by the transformation of the construction market.

How do you feel it? How much did customers and architects change during this time? I consider success to work precisely at this time when many things no longer need to be explained. And seven to eight years ago it was necessary to explain absolutely everything. For example, we constantly struggled with capitals and pilasters in each project - in fact, with the desire of the customer to everywhere to reproduce a parody of historical architecture.

Now many have realized that modern architecture can be comfortable and warm, while revealing new opportunities, spaces, scenarios. There are, of course, factors that are not in the best way affecting the profession. Sometimes the customer’s legal apparatus presses too much, penalties are introduced, comparable, for example, with German agreements, while the fees of Russian and German architects are significantly different.

Legal issues for the use and processing of design decisions, etc. have not been resolved. Some developers create architectural departments within companies that draw poetry plans in a pursuit of meters under a copy.

This does not always benefit objects, but ultimately time puts everything in its place. People either love this or that object, or not. A good object is only the synergy of the interests of the customer, the request of society and the city, the views of the architect, where commercial success is in combination with the creation of a comfortable environment and humanity of architecture.

How effective is this way to declare yourself a young bureau? Some of our projects were obtained as a result of victories in competitions, mainly, however, closed. The most famous are the already mentioned LCD “Dominion”, the shopping center “Good! Competitions are important for both architects and the city. They discipline all participants in the process: protecting the project at the competition and promising the city to implement this or that decision, the project participants publicly assume obligations to embody it.

And violation of these obligations is fraught with reputation. Open competitions are an honorary and at the same time costly business, especially for medium -sized bureaus. The cost of well -performed well -thought -out work with the involvement of consultants - from thousand. Participation in paid development competitions justifies the money spent. But there is a vicious circle, because developers usually turn to the same architects - and there are few opportunities to break through the young bureau.

It seems to you, can we talk about the emergence of a new generation of young architects with their agenda, views on the profession, values? And this is a positive vector. There are names that have a chance to declare themselves - and are already beginning to do it. I think they can be defined as a generation. In the modern world, it is difficult to have some kind of special, sharply different view of the development of the profession as a whole.

Architecture is a global phenomenon. Indeed, the vast majority of our architects are in demand only in Russia, less often in the CIS countries. The architect, of course, forms a place, environment, and after he forms them. The more factors you take into account when designing, the more clearly the answer to the question posed. The climate, aspirations and fears of society, mentality, economics, the state of various industries, historical, cultural and political context, and applied art plays the role.

And only by truly realizing all this, you can offer a really useful solution. The architect, getting off the plane of the aircraft in a new context, to feel it all, needs time, sometimes tens of years.But I'm talking about the global of the approach as a whole, the previous identity and identity of the architectural language cannot be returned due to global changes.

It was often dictated not only by self -awareness, but also with information isolation. Now we all have the same news in smartphones, information about scientific breakthroughs, vivid ideas. In my opinion, now a focus is different: how to create dense rich cities with a comfortable environment and a convenient transport message how to reduce the psychological tension of people in a megalopolis, how to create objects that do not lose relevance after 10, 20 years, beautifully aging, which we can learn from nature harmoniously coexisted with nature.