Архитектор Уборевич-Боровский

ARCHITECTURE PARLAMENTARY CENTER IN MOSCOW 23

The Parliamentary Centre where two main state legislative bodies will be able to work, including deputies of the State Duma and senators of the Fed- eration Council, was designed by UB.DESIGN studio for the competition announced with the aim to determine the future of the area in the flood- plain of the Moscow River near Khoroshevo-Mnevniki. When working on the project, its developers were inspired by European examples, in par- ticular, the buildings in Berlin where the architects succeeded in expressing the ideas of democracy and parliamentarism using contemporary tools. According to Boris Uborevich-Borovski, the absence of any historic build- ings on the land under review calls for innovative solutions, rather than for engaging in a game with historic styles. That is why the Parliamentary Centre design by UB.DESIGN Studio is highly functional and «looks» into the future, rather than into the past. When seen from above, the complex

resembles a computer chip, and the building facade looks a barcode that might very well contain encrypted data on the history of Russian statehood. The studio achieved the effect where a completely modern building gives the impression of a classical one by adding a giant enfilade of rectangular arches. The framework, “skel- eton” of the building is visible thanks to the use of continuous glazing. Such anatomical comparison is most ap- propriate: the key shaping elements of the design, the quadrangular arches, are aligned with each other, their «ribs» face the river and the interiors of the buildings can be seen through the glass. The idea behind the solu- tion is that of openness of the authorities. In general, this modern appearance of the building symbolizes one of the greatest challenges facing parliamentarians who are mandated to take care of the future of the country.