A striking architectural utopia: the model of the New Settlement Element at "The Birth of Scale" exposition

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One of the grand projects presented at "The Birth of Scale" architectural exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA is the New Settlement Element (NER). This was a graduation project by a group of students from the Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI) in the early 1960s, which remained only in the form of blueprints and models.

The idea of a dynamically developing city and the New Settlement Element emerged among a group of architecture students while working on their collective graduation project for the "Kritovo" neighborhood near Krasnoyarsk.

The NER concept envisioned a giant transport corridor — a "channel" through which people, resources, and energy would move. Residential formations — "fruits," or cities of 200,000 residents — were attached to it like branches to a tree trunk. This system was meant to cover the entire territory of the USSR, creating a network of interconnected urban cells.

"I would call it a technological agglomerate. The model represents the projection of the road of the future, where all transportation would take place. This could have been pneumatic transport or electric transport. Alongside it are residential and industrial areas — factories, plants, as well as educational, cultural, and recreational institutions. Of course, the most advanced technologies of 1962 were expected to be used. This project was promising, but it was never brought to life. Hopefully, one day in the future, it will be realized," said Yevgeny Artemenkov, a tour guide at the National Centre RUSSIA.

In 1968, the NER group was invited to present their project at the Milan Triennale of architecture. Later, in 1970, they showcased its updated version — the so-called "Snail" — at the World Exposition in Osaka. This was a city expanding in the form of a growing spiral. Later, at the "City 2100" competition, the group introduced the "Sibstream" project — a settlement system stretching from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok.

"The Birth of Scale" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA presents both completed architectural projects and ideas that remained only as concepts. These include unique building models, blueprints, and layouts preserved in museums and private collections. The exposition is open to all visitors, and registration for a free guided tour is available on the National Centre RUSSIA website at russia.ru.

Partners of "The Birth of Scale" exposition include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Research Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Yakov Chernikhov Architectural Charity Foundation, and the HSE School of Design.