The Russia Thing – an architect abroad
Steve Brown, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects
By Henry John, Preconstruct Ltd – http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/henry-john/b/90a/273
Russia has been, and always will be to many in business, an object of wary curiosity.
Visiting in 1992, a traveller would likely be met by some bleak realities – crumbling housing and infrastructure, infuriating beaurocracy attached to the simplest operations and teenage conscripts in over-sized military uniform manning the corridors of the empty, ancient airport.
Nearly twenty years on, Russia is clearly a vastly different place.
An economy of colossal size, vast state investment, growth heading back up towards double-digits and the emergence of a new class of wealthy private capitalists with close government connections means that conditions look, on the face of it, fertile for the built environment industries.
Add to this a football world cup that promises a new wave of opportunity in construction, infrastructure and services, it could be the right time to start making ground.
Everyone will have an opinion on the safety or viability of making an investment in developing business in Russia but few people can point, by traditional measures at least, to quantifiable success in the country.
Still, it’s a great unknown – and unknowable – for most.
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects are one of the few businesses to have arrived, stayed and grown in Russia and continue to beat new paths into the market, building on their successes and uncovering new opportunities of striking scope.
Steve Brown, Design Principal of SHCA in London has spent a lot of time in Moscow and tally of air-miles accrued via the Russian capital shows no sign of abating.
In the first in a series of reports from his business travels, Steve gives us a snapshot of a day on the road in Moscow:
“Arriving in Moscow from a British springtime is always a bit of a jolt: just when you think summer might have arrived you walk out of Domodeovo and yes, it’s still the arctic here… This time there is cause for thought as the route through passport control is different, and the empty customs desks route you round a newly erected hoarding around the recent terrorist atrocity – certainly brings it home.
As always the traffic is bad – I still can’t decide whether the train into town from the airport is quicker – the last time I took a taxi I had to abandon it and finish the trip to the hotel by Metro… and still the new Mayor is pondering how to improve the traffic. His recent embargo on granting construction permits in the downtown area is causing more angst amongst the developers than solving the horrendous traffic.
So, here we are for a final design team meeting – the project has gone surprisingly smoothly thanks to a positive and resourceful client and project management team… we visit regularly for meetings on site for design coordination… the design is liked and we have great landscape architects, lighting consultants and façade engineers also from the UK. Design coordination with the local engineering consultants is working well thanks to strong management by the development manager.
We review the final detailed design drawings and visual presentations, talk about construction details, particularly how to control condensation in the bleak winter months when the outside temperature falls below minus 21 degrees… we review glazing and materials samples with the Turkish contractor and define how to ensure the quality is maintained on site – we visit one of the selected main contractors recent projects and are pleasantly surprised (and comforted) by the achieved quality – you hear so much about shoddy workmanship…
The external lighting of this new commercial development is important to the client – how to give the building a personality and be seen in Moscow’s fast developing urban landscape… We talk about a start on site, the granting of permits…
We have had an office in Moscow for several years and now have a permanent staff there of around 20. Back at the office I review design issues on other current projects and discuss future prospects.
It seems the economy is starting to flex again but it’s slow to emerge. We are looking beyond Moscow to the regions. We regularly meet with a growing number of developer and private clients for the full range of projects: corporate interiors, architecture, master-planning… We’ve had video conference facilities connecting our offices in Europe and North America for some time now so I take the opportunity to review a current design with our team in Istanbul and also connect in one of our Design Directors in London… it’s interesting how technology makes the world a smaller place…”
We would like to uncover more of your experiences of doing business in Russia so please get in touch to make a contribution to the discussion. We will be developing this and other stories from other emerging markets in the next newsletter so email me directly: hjohn@preconstruct.com
A bit about Steve Brown
Steve Brown – European Principal of Architectural Design,
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, London www.shca.com
Steve joined SHCA in 2003 and was made a Principal in 2007. He has led the design on the Open University Faculty of Maths and Computing; City Academy London; Coventry City Academy; Acibadem Hospital Masterplan in Kiev; Gongoren Mixed Use Development and various residential developments in Turkey.
Steve’s signature projects have included Vauxhall Cross for MI6, London; The Peak Tower, British Consulate and Kowloon Station, Hong Kong; Inchon Airport Transport Interchange, South Korea, and the Beijing National Theatre and Opera House.
