Art-Kvadrat leisure complex
Year of realization:2019
Glazed area:1 500 m2
Building height:2-4 floors
A place filled with
inspiration
Look at this place: one can find anything here! That’s the first thought that comes to mind when you get to this site. Numerous shops and showrooms, coffee houses and bars, craft workshops and art salons «flooded» the territory of Art-KVADRAT, the educational and leisure complex located in the heart of Ufa. A unique creative cluster is limited by four streets — Lenin, Communist, Mustai Karim and Chernyshevsky, and covers an area of about 2 hectares.
The second life of the historical center
Art-KVADRAT did not appear out of nowhere. In the middle of the XIX- the beginning of the XX century the square was densely built up with industrial and administrative buildings, many of which have survived to these days in a dilapidated state. Old typography and tea-packing plant, garages and warehouses with time-worn walls... It’s hard to imagine, but until recent times these objects were located in the center of Ufa.
However, the owner of one of the largest plots in the complex (buildings of the former shoe factory) began to buy dilapidated houses in order to realize a unique creative space. The development of the complex concept was entrusted to the eminent Dmitry Winckelmann Workshop .
On the one hand, the architects faced the task to preserve the authentic identity of Ufa courtyards, on the other — to form a place that can be a point of attraction for creative people of the city.
The project is very lively: many decisions were made on the spot — in the course of clearing the original buildings from late layers or opening of floor slab panels and roof coating. Having cleared the original masonry or seen a strikingly beautiful crumbling sandy plaster of the Soviet pre-war period, we decided to renounce the majority of ideas to decorate the facades, . And this is the main and priceless advantage of the project: it was made by local Ufa architects and entrepreneurs who know and understand their city and relate to its past, present and future with true love and indifference.
Art-KVADRAT today is a clear example of the so-called «gentrification», which implies restoration of abandoned urban areas for their further use as a center of attraction for small businesses and creative people.
The unique concept of the art space is formed by 5 squares, each with its own purpose.
Creative approach
The first and he main square — is event-related.
The largest area is used for events: exhibitions, concerts, master classes. Numerous buildings located here are given over to shops and cafes, offices of creative and IT-companies. The objects look colorful, because the architects managed to save a distinctive character of historical facades. Buildings of pre-revolutionary and Soviet times are decorated with murals, finished with mirror panels, decorative plaster, porcelain stoneware, textured concrete. Particularly interesting is the solution to use corten steel in the design of the walls. In order to keep the industrial aesthetics of the place and style unity, all windows and doors were made of ALUTECH aluminium profiles in matt anthracite colour.
It was extremely important for the customer to ensure the constancy of the visual perception of all windows and doors, therefore, for each batch of supplied aluminium profiles were given certificates confirming the quality characteristics of the coating.
It was possible to fulfill the most stringent requirements largely due to the fact that at AluminTechno JLLC, where profiles were produced, was installed a high-tech vertical line for powder coating that ensures uniform and high quality finish with high resistance to aggressive environment. AkzoNobel — world-known powder paint — was applied for profiles coating. Moreover, the quality of the coating of aluminium extruded profiles is confirmed by the Swiss Qualicoat certificate.
The task is to create comfortable conditions
Therefore, ALT F50 and ALT W72 aluminium profile systems with high thermal insulation have been chosen. According to the conducted thermophysical tests, the value of the reduced heat transfer resistance RO = is more than 1 m2 0 С/W. This advantage is achieved through the use of foamed PE thermal bridge in constructions in the rebate area of glass unit and high-quality EPDM-gaskets. In addition, the joint area of glass units is glued with lavsan-based butyl rubber tape.
For large areas
Many windows in the administrative buildings of the complex were originally made with arched openings in the top of the structures. In order not to violate the historical appearance of buildings, it was decided to leave this form of openings, replacing obsolete wooden windows with modern aluminum ones. To do this, it was necessary to bend ALT W62 frame profiles (bending radius — is 800mm). Thus, the detail that conveys the historical flavor of the place has been preserved.
High strength characteristics of the ’winged’ metal made it possible to implement panoramic structures of impressive size, thanks to which even on a rainy day the rooms are filled with natural light. At the facility, large glass units weighing 300 kg were applied, the total glazed area was 1.5 thousand sq.m.
The second square — is a public garden
An ideal place for rest and walks, which appeared on the site of old garages. Multilevel amphitheater and concert venue are created in a cozy mini-park. The area surrounding the main scene is separated from the adjacent courtyard of a residential building by green hills, it’s equipped with benches and paths for pedestrians.
The third square is a port
This square is perceived mainly as a transit — it is a pedestrian passage with pizzerias, coffee houses, etc. located on it. Maritime port concept of the complex support cargo containers, themed graffiti and various accessories: anchors, boats, chains, bollards.
In the proccess of Ufa art-cluster arrangement were used techniques borrowed from similar successful projects, for example, ARTPLAY design center in Moscow. So, at Art KVADRAT complex at the level of the second floor of buildings a pedestrian gallery was equipped, along which you can freely walk, watching what is happening below.
Fourth square — is a backyard household
The unusual name of the square is explained by the history of the place — in the middle of the 19th on Mustai Karim Street (then — Beketovskaya) there was the estate of the merchant Khakimov, which included stables, barns and cellars. But at the time of work on the arrangement of the art space, most of the buildings of the estate were in dilapidated state, brick facades were plastered, and a unique vaulted cellar — filled with rubbish. Fortunately, we managed to return the historical facades their original appearance, which made it possible to use the building like a space for events.
The fifth square is a square that doesn’t exist yet
Work on Art-KVADRAT project is still in progress, and the territory, which is the fifth square, yet resembles a wasteland. However, the architects have big plans for it. In particular, it is proposed to build here a trading zone from sea containers, and to place a recreation area with a swimming pool and a cafe on the second level. As a result, one of the sides of this block would form a pedestrian connection with Kommunisticheskaya street, and the other one would allow to preserve the courtyard spaces of historical buildings.
Thus, Art-KVADRAT is a completely independent authentic project, a symbiosis of ancient Ufa architecture and modern building trends. This is the case when the space is simply overflowed with interesting details, which you can study all day long.
