The office with dents in “House on the roof” competition

 The participants have to show glued beams potential and compliance with “spirit of the place” in their projects. Besides the projects ought to combine two functions at once – a show-room and an office ( for selling wood houses on the ground floor and for interior bureau –on the first floor). The construction was to be located on the roof of a one-storeyed building in the territory of Artplay. The main prize- contract for 100 thous rubl project implementation- was presented to Maxim Nizov and Marija Surkova from Saint-Petersburg. Their biomorthic, concave with soft dents façade , more characteristic for metallic covers of buildings (the architects were inspired by bionics and pixel diagrams) seemed to attract the competition organizers by its unlikeness to wood architecture in its usual understanding- as out-of-town houses buyers are afraid mostly of “out-of dateness” of wood. «Here architecture should as much as possible come nearer to other arts- sculpture , street-art, installation, the company’s office will serve then as a advertising object which will arouse interest and even stimulate disputes », — the project authors explained their approach to the task. There were other winners ( altogether some 123 projects participated in the competition –from Russia, Latvia. Byelorussia). Two projects were granted special prizes: in the first project half of the roof was covered not by wood but by glass, in the second- there was a house with grass plot on the balcony and roof. Viewers’ liking prize was given to the house-object, formed out of different sticked out planes and cubes reminding of suprematist sculpture. It will be possible to get to know all designs during the 4-th Moscow biannual exhibition of modern art which will be held from September 23 till October 30, where design center Artplay will have one of the sites. (Vedomosty. Friday, 09.09.11)