TATLIN Mono #3/21/87 Сергей Скуратов 2005–2010

not the only profession in our society that suffers from shortage of confidence, respect and gen- eral culture. Yet I anticipate converging outlooks with optimism. – Have your clients changed after all these years? Can you still cooperate with like-mind- ed partners? – Five years ago, we had a different city and different set of problems to deal with. Develop- ers are changing now – with a new generation arriving who are more sensible and pragmatic. In their European sophistication, professional awareness, their will and skill to work with all kind of architects, including foreign ones, these newcomers greatly differ from developers of our generation that started in the business of archi- tecture during the 1990s. All my clients are business profes- sionals. I couldn’t have build a thing without their passion, energy, ardor and economic base to experiment. I always enjoy watching and helping them submerge in the universe of architecture with all of its humani- tarian and engineering intricacies. Unfortunately, people don’t get trained to en- ter the architectural business with ease. Lack of time, self-righteousness and obnoxious propen- sity to make things simple where a correct solu- tion calls for professional teamwork rather than a simple calculation, all of the above frequently compromises both the process and the result of joint efforts. It is a paradox that many clients to very much like architecture. And they do try to make an absolutely informed choice in architec- ture. They realize that cooperation with a good architect will eventually help them win both in terms of image and financing. They are not to blame that crazy sales results turned their heads and sometimes made them take their amateur- ish élan for true architectural professionalism. God willing, all accumulated knowledge and ex- periences can help them – and us, therefore –

вычка к упрощению там, где правильное ре- шение может быть обеспечено не простой калькуляцией, а успешным профессиональ- ным взаимодействием, часто серьезно пор- тят и процесс, и результат общих усилий. Па- радокс в том, что многие заказчики очень лю- бят архитектуру. И свой выбор архитектуры стараются сделать абсолютно сознательно. Они понимают, что работа с хорошим архи- тектором принесет им не только имиджевый, но и финансовый выигрыш. Не их вина в том, что безумные цифры продаж кружили голо- вы и иногда позволяли им принимать свою любительскую увлеченность архитектурой за подлинный профессионализм. Дай бог, что- бы накопленный опыт и знания помогли им, а значит, и нам, преодолеть трудные для архи- тектуры времена. – Изменения внешних обстоятельств могут как-то существенно повлиять на творческий процесс? – Конечно, архитектура не может суще- ствовать в стенах мастерских. Мы пережили два тяжелых кризисных года. Многие строй- ки остановились, проекты заморозились или совсем «умерли». Некоторые мастерские со- всем остались без работы. Понятно, что эти годы характерны и уси- лением профессиональной конкуренции. По- явились иностранные игроки, и в большом количестве. Правда, результат иностранного проектирования в России оказался разоча- ровывающим. Видимо, архитектура не вы- держивает пересадки из благожелательной и просвещенной среды в атмосферу свирепой битвы за участки и метры. Однако увеличение числа конкурсов – очень важный позитивный фактор. Конкурсы, тендеры стали практикой даже для неболь- ших, но привлекательных проектов. Эта си- туация может значительно оздоровить весь цех, поднять профессиональный уровень ар- хитекторов. – Это уже начало происходить? – Да. Я за последние два года сделал не- сколько конкурсных проектов, и это очень хорошо для меня лично и для моей мастер-

overcome these times that have been so hard for architecture. – Can changes in the environment impact the creative process palpably? – Sure, architecture cannot exist in the ivory tower of studios. We have two hard years of cri- sis now behind us. Lots of projects are suspend- ed, frozen or totally abandoned. Some studios are now out of a job. And of course, these years also featured stronger professional competition. Numerous foreign players popped up. Sadly, the results of foreign project design in Russia proved dis- appointing. Apparently, if transplanted from a friendly and enlightened environment to where people fiercely fight for lots and meters, archi- tecture does not survive. Still, more contests around is a highly impor- tant and positive factor. Contests and tenders are now practiced for small but attractive proj- ects. This situation may greatly improve the pro- fession and boost architects’ skills. – Is this already happening? – It is. For the recent two years, I have done several tender projects, and they were good for me in person and for my studio. I did the tender project for Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, and it was great to compete with foreigners. I found that we are not inferior – in fact, we are even superior in some aspects. We have also just fin- ished and submitted our tender bid for the resi- dential estate on Savvinskaya Naberezhnaya by Gardtex Co. It took our studio six weeks to com- plete a very serious and competitive product that does not make us blush on the pages of a professional publication. They have not named the winner yet, and so we still hope that inter- esting implementation may follow. In fact, com- petition always makes you mobilize all your or- ganizational resources and muster your intellec- tual efforts. –What have the hard times changed in your creative principles? – For a workaholic and perfec- tionist like myself, the crisis is a se-

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