— Borovskoe shosse – Shopping Center
This complex is designed as part of the more global project of creating a transportation hub around the existing Solnechnaya train station, which serves the Solncovo district, located just outside the MKAD ring road. There are also future plans for a new metro station which will be built 500m from the plot.
Borovskoe Schosse is the main artery that crosses the region, leading from the MKAD ring road to the Vnukovo airport and is a six-lane road which is slated to be modernized. The shopping center will be located along this road.
Borovskoe Schosse –
The main Artery
that crosses the Region
To satisfy the functional requirements of the transportation hub we were obliged to incorporate public parking places in our building, which would serve transit passengers. Also we worked closely with the road designers to guarantee convenient car access to the building from the neighborhood, but mostly by city bus, by foot and by bike.
There are two underground passages planned to cross the Borovskoe schosse, both of them equipped with passenger and bicycle lifts. One of the passages gives direct access to the underground parking with bike storage and than to the shopping gallery.
Concept design –
A very accessible building
GBA 150 000m2 GLA 75 000m2
The building layout is simple – one line gallery with two atriums, at both ends. Three entrances are provided, one of which serves the second level directly, accommodating the flow from the railway station.
The main entrance faces the intersection of Borovskoe Schosse and Poputna street which connects the train station with the surrounding neighborhoods. It also opens out the building onto the park with "Big Solncevo Lake" and a Sergeev Ortodox Church, and welcomes the customers coming from the direction of Moscow's City Center.
Conversation —
One of the top eight design entries
Could you tell me a little bit about the project you submitted for the World Architecture Festival in 2015.
With pleasure! That was a very successful project for us as it was shortlisted as one of the top eight design entries.
That’s wonderful! What made BLANK Architects’ design so successful?
First of all, you have to understand that the entire complex is designed as part of a more global project to create a transportation hub around the existing Solnechnaya train station, which serves the Solncovo district, and is located just outside the MKAD ring road. There are also future plans for a new metro station which will be built 500m from the plot.
That sounds like a major undertaking.
Yes, Borovskoe Schosse is the main artery there, leading from the MKAD ring road to the Vnukovo airport and is a six-lane road which is slated for modernization. The shopping center will be located along this road.
Did the proximity to the six-lane road lead to any constraints on the concept design?
Some. But at BLANK Architects we find that constraints only bolster our creativity. In order to satisfy the functional requirements of the transportation hub we were obliged to incorporate public parking places in our building, which would serve transit passengers. Also we worked closely with the road designers to guarantee convenient car access to the building from the neighborhood, but most access is by way of city bus, on foot or by bike.
But what kind of solution did you come up with for crossing such a large highway?
We came up with the idea of putting two underground passages that cross Borovskoe schosse, both of them are equipped with passenger and bicycle lifts. One of the passages provides direct access to the underground parking garage with bike storage. From there you can enter the shopping gallery.
Clever!
Thank you!
Judging from these blueprints the building layout seems quite simple – a one lane gallery with two atriums, at both ends. And it looks as if you’ve got three entrances.
That’s right, one of them serves the second level directly, accommodating the flow from the railway station. The main entrance faces the intersection of Borovskoe Schosse and Poputna street which connects the train station with the neighborhoods. It also opens the building out onto the park with "Big Solncevo Lake" and a Sergeev Ortodox Church, and welcomes the customers coming from Moscow's City Center.
What design elements went into designing the exterior of the building?
This corner of the building where the main entrance is located is the starting point for the whole facade composition, the cantilevered stripes start there going out from the building’s interior, penetrate the glazed entrance facade and continue along the facade, hiding around the corner. The shifts of the facade follow the geometrical shifts of the atriums in the building’s interior, the atriums increase in size as they ascend, pushing out the facade behind the ground floor’s contour. The bottoms of the cantilevers are marked with colors during the day and dynamic multimedia projections during the evening.