The building with constant +26 °С: hammam at the exposition "The Birth of Scale"
Soviet architects from Moscow constructed buildings in various Soviet republics. Andrei Kosinsky spent 14 years in Uzbekistan. The exposition "The Birth of Scale" features several of his projects, including the National Bathhouse hammam.
In 1966, a powerful earthquake struck Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, completely destroying the city centre.
"One of our most famous architects, Kosinsky, went to work in Uzbekistan. He developed several very interesting projects there; some were realized, and others were not. Uzbekistan has a hot climate, with summer temperatures reaching +45 degrees and higher. The national bathhouse needed to maintain a temperature of +26 degrees. In this case, specialists used a very interesting method. Uzbeks have ancient jugs that are placed in the heat with water, resulting in a sweating effect, which keeps the water cool. Air conditioners were not common at that time. The hammam building was constructed using precisely this principle," explained Maria Kharitonova, a tour guide at the National Centre RUSSIA.
In the external appearance of the complex, architects actively used traditional motifs: mosaics, colorful tile cladding, arched and vaulted structures, walls with upward sloping lines. Modern materials of the time were also applied. The bath complex was demolished in 2000.
The exposition "The Birth of Scale" at the National Centre RUSSIA showcases completed architectural projects, as well as ideas that remained only as concepts. The exposition comprises both the National Centre RUSSIA’s own objects and those provided by museums and private collectors from across the country.
Partners of the exposition "The Birth of Scale" include DOM.RF, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, Gazprom, the State Museum of Architecture named after A. V. Shchusev, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the Architectural Charitable Foundation named after Yakov Chernikhov, and the HSE School of Design.
The lecture "Russian Architecture in the Global Context" took place at the National Centre RUSSIA on May 30.
The workshop "Apartment Planning Through a Child’s Eyes" took place on May 30 as part of the educational programme of "The Birth of Scale" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA.
