"The Birth of Scale" in record time: triumph of the architectural exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA
On July 30, the National Centre RUSSIA held the official closing of the large-scale architectural exposition "The Birth of Scale." During the exposition's run, tens of thousands of visitors were able to trace the evolution of domestic architecture — from traditional wooden construction to contemporary urban planning solutions. A distinctive feature of the exposition was 70 unique scale models created specifically for this project.
The exposition's chief curator, architect Andrei Chernikhov, shared the story of the exposition's creation with particular emotion:
"I want to thank so many people, and to some I would even bow low. An incredible number of wonderful people worked on this exposition. The entire team created this exposition in two months. Outstanding builders worked here, remarkable prop makers, magnificent curators, several wonderful teams, including that of the National Centre RUSSIA, my young assistants — students. I would particularly like to bow to the Director General of the National Centre, Natalia Virtuozova. She believed in us from the first time and throughout all the days of work we didn't hear a single criticism. For two months, the capital's model-making workshops worked exclusively on 'The Birth of Scale' exposition."
The A. V. Shchusev Museum of Architecture made a significant contribution to creating the exposition. The museum's director, Natalia Shashkova, emphasised architecture's special role in contemporary society:
"Architecture is the only art form whose encounter we cannot avoid. That's why it's so important for each of us and for the state as a whole. It objectively and uncompromisingly reflects the condition of our society, our culture, ideology and spiritual values, influencing the formation of future generations. At 'The Birth of Scale' exposition, I accompanied the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. We in the professional community consider this a very good sign — attention to architecture in our country will be at the high level it deserves."
International architects participated in the business and educational programme of "The Birth of Scale" exposition's final day, including:
- Walid Arafa, founder of Dar Arafa Architecture bureau (Egypt);
- Rajendra Kumar, director of the School of Architecture at Lovely Professional University (India);
- Nadia Tromp, founder-director of Ntsika Architects (South Africa);
- Alireza Taghaboni, founder of Next Office bureau (Iran).
The foreign guests attended a concluding tour of the exposition, which chief curator Andrei Chernikhov conducted for them. The scale models of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers made a particular impression on the foreign guests, many of whom expressed a desire to see these architectural masterpieces in person. As Walid Arafa noted, the National Centre RUSSIA exposition proved especially educational for him:
"Today at the event we spoke about how the road to the future passes through understanding traditions. In this context, the exposition proved very educational, especially for me as a resident of another country. It tells of the rich cultural diversity of traditions within the Russian Federation — and does so concisely, vividly, in an engaging form. This is one of the visual and interactive ways to tell people about their own traditions, so they can consciously move forward, drawing on their unique roots."
First Vice-President of the Union of Architects of Russia Vladimir Bakeyev noted the exposition's significance for the entire industry:
"I assess this phenomenon as the birth of a new attitude, a new interaction between the state and the architect. It's no coincidence that this year saw the celebration of an official holiday — Architect's Day. We need to create a Russian architectural style, but for this we need to be at the pinnacle of architectural art. This exposition's contribution is the first step towards bringing together the state and those engaged in architecture."
Anton Finogenov, Director of Urban Environment Development at DOM.RF JSC, emphasised the particular importance of the young generation's participation in creating the exposition:
"The young generation needs to learn from you, from this focus on results and energy. Despite the timeframes, you provided the depth that is so often lacking in the field of architecture. The authorities' attention to 'The Birth of Scale' exposition was significant. This is a great opportunity, but most importantly — scale in public understanding. The exposition is the beginning of a journey, an important step in the process of returning society's and the state's attention to settlements. It's important that 'The Birth of Scale' continues further into the regions."
At the closing ceremony, key partners and co-curators were presented with commemorative books marking the exposition's results. The National Centre RUSSIA, together with the Yakov Chernikhov Architectural Charitable Foundation, also announced the winners of the all-Russian online competition for young architects "Creative Hub", which took place as part of "The Birth of Scale" exposition.
In the "Public Space of Large Cities" category, the competition winner was the project "V. P. Astafyev Garden — A Monument Can Be a Place" in Krasnoyarsk. The project was created by the DK-COMMUNITY team.
In the "Public Space of Medium Cities" category, victory went to the development project for "Valley of Cosiness" park in Murmansk. Authors: the to:be architects team.
In the "Public Space of Small Cities" category, the best project was recognised as the wooden Smidovich Street in Naryan-Mar. The project authors were the DO buro team.
The winners shared a prize fund of 990,000 roubles, which provided additional support for their professional development.
"The Birth of Scale" exposition became a landmark event that united leading architects, designers, planners, students and all admirers of Russia's architectural art, demonstrating a new level of attention to the architectural industry in the country.
Event photobank
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