Chekhov APi - Infopavilion 55°09'02.3N 37°23'38.8E
Architects: Askar Ramazanov in collaboration with Archiproba Studios
Location: Chekhov, Russian Federation
Lead Architects: Askar Ramazanov (The New Practice), Tamara Muradova
(Archiproba Studios)
Area: 380 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Ilya Ivanov
The Chekhov APi science and creative residence has recently opened its new gates. The residence is hidden in a forest and is not easy to find without having geo-location coordinates. An information pavilion with a terrace is situated at the entrance to the residence and provides shelter from the rain for newly arrived residents and acts as a bus stop between the past and the present, man-made and natural. Next to the pavilion lies the entrance courtyard turned into a Robotic Sculpture Garden by using multiple digital art-objects and installations. The entrance area immerses guests and residents into a special environment of this countryside place.
The information pavilion includes several functions: it is a meeting point and a place to learn about the residence, a summer reception, a place to receive all the necessary information regarding events and the opportunities at the residence, a sports equipment rental, a workshop and a storage, a security checkpoint and living headquarters for staff.
The architecture of the info pavilion follows the branding identity of the residence, the main graphic element of which is a digital grid. The architecture of the pavilion seems as if to drape the natural environment with its elements. The plan of the building is built around tree trunks. The black colour contrasts with the leafy surroundings of the environment cutting it with clear geometric forms. The even grid of the 4x4 meters pavilion's frame overlays on the existing trees and in the places of their absence forms spaces according to the info pavilion's programme. The info pavilion embodies the openness of the residence to people and to nature. The glass surfaces of the pavilion's facade are mirrored reflecting the natural environment and incorporating it into the body of architecture. The columns supporting the roof of the pavilion dissolve in the black colour of the facade, while the roof seems to float over the terrace.
The info pavilion is designed as a gadget where details and functional elements can be installed in the course of its use and the development of the residence. One of the pavilion's walls consists of a metal grid filled with frames with letters which are attached by magnets and can be configured in the desired order. The letters form the facade of the inner garden of the pavilion and also carry the principal message of the residence expressed in four words - Healthier, Wiser, Closier, Happier - which zone the entire territory of Chekhov Api.
The pavilion's lighting allows changing the appearance of the terrace, both automatically during nightfall and manually by adjusting any light scenarios including movement tracking. Each lamp has four LEDs, two warm and two cold shades so the info pavilion can change not only the brightness but also the shade of colour reflecting from the wooden terrace made from larch.
