Development strategy for State Museum Arkhangelskoye estate

In the near future, the load on the park will increase: two large neighborhoods are being built near Arkhangelskoye and a subway is planned. Therefore, it was important for us to think about the territory in advance so that the flow of people would be evenly distributed throughout it. Two years of research and design work resulted in a comprehensive strategy for the development of the territory with a description of scenarios for its use, including a specially protected natural area.

 

All new pavilions are designed in compliance with a single design code and are intended to complement, but not overload the existing architectural and landscape ensemble. The main principles of the design code are symmetry, light permeability, and proportionality. The facades of new buildings are to be rhythmic and the colors are to be moderate.

 

The need for a new entrance group emerged due to an increase in the number of visitors. The new entrance group is compatible with the nature and with the historical architecture of the estate, its light open galleries and passages.

 

 

The special protective status of the Museum Estate imposes many restrictions. In particular, capital buildings cannot be erected on the territory of the cultural heritage site. Therefore, the cafe is located in the already existing historical building of the Herzen House. The kitchen and the cafe are equipped inside the house, and next to it there is a snow-white summer terrace made in the best traditions of the Russian dacha: with light wicker furniture and supports reminiscent of china cabinets.

 

 

One of the main problems of the estate park was the long-unused old Imperial Alley, completely abandoned and forgotten. To restore interest to this part of the park we proposed to indtall a summer reading room with wooden benches with steps, a lecture hall with wooden benches, a dry pond with swings and a view bridge.

 

 

One of the stops on the route along Imperial Alley is an art object - a landscape labyrinth made of tree trunks, framed by a ramp with an observation platform and mirror steles that reflect the park in an unusual way. Like all other objects on the route, the labyrinth is integrated into the existing landscape, almost merging with it.

For many years the estate in Arkhangelskoye was the site of the large-scale jazz festival, but there was not a single open summer stage here. The new amphitheater is perfectly suited to the format of chamber concerts, lectures and other events.

 

The Lokhin Island, a specially protected natural area, is a separate task in the work on the mutual integration of nature and culture. It is home to red-listed plants and rare birds. This natural enclave is rapidly surrounded by residential development, and a busy highway runs nearby. For Lokhin Island, zoning solutions with different levels of access are proposed.