"I don't need any partners" How Sergey Tchoban became the most successful Russian architect. Architectural bureau SPEECH: close-up of Speech architectural bureau

Thanks to the experience accumulated by leading partners in the design of buildings and complexes for various purposes and varying degrees of complexity, the development of urban planning concepts, knowledge of the latest Western materials and building technologies, as well as the specifics of project implementation in Russian conditions, the rational organization of the design process and the high level of presentations, the professionalism of employees and office equipment, SPEECH Choban/Kuznetsov is today one of the leading Moscow architectural firms. Currently, more than 80 architects work here, who develop dozens of projects for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia and the CIS countries.

Many joint works were presented at prestigious exhibition venues, including Arch Moscow, the Aedes Gallery in Berlin, the State Museum of Architecture. A.V. Shchusev in Moscow (MUAR), the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, the International Exhibition of Investment Projects MIPIM in Cannes, the XII Architectural Biennale in Venice, etc.

For the customer, the merger of companies means, first of all, high-quality design of complex expensive facilities according to international standards, optimization of their deadlines, the use of modern Western technologies, and strict author's control over the implementation of projects. These principles of companies' work have already been reflected in the work with partners, investors and developers on large-scale projects.

In August 2012, Sergei Kuznetsov, Managing Partner of SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov, was appointed Chief Architect and First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning of Moscow. In accordance with the Federal Law “On the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation” (dated July 27, 2004 No. 79-FZ), according to which civil servants should not carry out entrepreneurial activities, Sergey Kuznetsov initiated the procedure for transferring his duties as a managing partner to other partners and top - company managers. To prevent a conflict of interest, he also resigned from the founders and owners of the company.

In the meeting room of the spacious office of the architectural bureau Speech (full name - "Speech Choban & Kuznetsov") on "Novoslobodskaya" it is cold in a museum way. High white walls are covered with architectural graphics - old Venetian palazzos, Gothic cathedrals, clocks on city halls. “My works are hung on one wall, and Sergey Kuznetsov’s on the opposite wall. Before he became the chief architect, we often traveled together and drew a lot,” explains Sergey Tchoban, co-founder of the bureau, perhaps the most famous Russian architect in the West today. There are no modern buildings in the paintings, only conditional images of cars and pedestrians indicate that the drawings were made now, and not in the 19th century. “Modern architecture doesn’t inspire you as an artist?” “I also have drawings of modern architecture – for example, last year I drew Brasilia by Oscar Niemeyer. But it is clear that modern architecture is less photogenic. It ages worse, the elaboration of details, complex relief and patina in modern architecture are absent - there is nowhere to catch a pencil or a brush.

It was the passion for architectural graphics that played a decisive role in the bizarre development of Tchoban's career. After studying at the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and working for a short time with the architect Fabritsky, one of the creators of the Orlyonok children's camp, Choban decided to leave the country at the age of thirty. It was 1991 - a hungry time for Russian architects and, on the contrary, an era of a construction boom in Germany, so Choban purposefully began to look for ways to move to where he would have the opportunity to grow professionally. By that time, he had almost no practical architectural experience, but he organized an exhibition of his drawings and paper architecture in Hamburg. He was settled to live with the chairman of the Hamburg Union of Architects, who later hired Tchoban to work at the NPS bureau - to make graphic presentations of the company's projects. Having energetically set to work, the architect, who at first barely spoke German, three years later headed the Berlin branch of the bureau and began to design city objects (for example, the famous Berlin attraction - the Aquare House business center with a 16-meter aquarium, through which you can ride the elevator, and the nine-screen Cubix cinema at Alexanderplatz). Soon the company, in the house of the chief of which Tchoban had once huddled, was already called NPS Tchoban Voss.

“If you order the building of Zaha Hadid, the yield of rentable space will be 50%. And Choban has 75%"

In the early 2000s, when the construction boom finally began in Russia, Tchoban returned as the designer of the most ambitious Moscow project of the time, Europe's tallest Federation Tower. “Since 2000, I have been in Russia, watching what is being built here, the impressions were difficult. The objects that were being built here at that time were, let's say, specific - Tchoban speaks of Luzhkov's style extremely cautiously and politically correct. “But looking at the idea of ​​the Federation Tower, I realized that this was my chance – it was very tempting to return to Russia with such a project.”

Initially, the head of one of the workshops of the Mosproekt-2 Institute, Alexander Asadov, planned to build the tower, but Sergei Polonsky, the owner of the project, who was already distinguished by an eccentric character, certainly wanted a Western architect. Then Asadov advised me to meet Choban in Germany. “I met Sergei in Berlin - from time to time he received groups of Russian architects and showed us all the novelties of architectural Berlin, told us how everything works. It was then very interesting, fresh and unusual information for us,” says Asadov. “When Polonsky’s colleagues said that in any case they would have a foreign architect working for them and that they went to America in search of him, and now they are going to Singapore, I said: “You don’t have to go so far, there is much closer, in Berlin , an architect who will do everything and satisfy you.”

That was the time when Western architectural stars were just beginning to be invited to Russia - Eric van Egerath, Dominique Perrault and Norman Foster. It was customary to believe that they would save Moscow from the hateful Luzhkov architecture, although in the end they really failed to build anything. The return of Tchoban in this context looked especially colorful. “Everyone discussed how he would come now and how he would show everyone here!” - recalls the architect and architectural critic Kirill Ass. But contrary to expectations, Tchoban did not begin to offer flashy ultra-modern projects in the spirit of Western stars, but began to build more than restrainedly, with transparent historical allusions - using Western quality, expensive materials and the latest technologies in a conservative way.

Both colleagues and customers appreciated it. “I work with Choban because I think that I should leave some positive mark on the image of the city, and not build ugly boxes, which are mainly produced by construction companies in St. Petersburg,” says developer Igor Vodopyanov, managing partner of Teorema Management Company, by order of which Tchoban built, in particular, the witty Benois House, covered with reproductions of the costumes of the great theater artist. - Basically, all local architects are adults and therefore very conservative - they are rejected by global architectural trends. And Tchoban designs in a very modern way - and at the same time, rational architecture can be obtained from him. If you order the building of Zaha Hadid, the yield of rentable space will be 50 percent. And Choban has 75.

Choban himself is sure that the main problem of Western stars is that they do not live here, which means that they cannot influence the design and construction process on a daily basis: “In Europe, the constant presence of an architect at a construction site is not necessary. But in Russia, customers and urban planning authorities periodically have doubts, a desire to change something, up to the architect, and therefore control and the undiminished power of persuasion that your ideas are correct are absolutely necessary here. When you look in Moscow and St. Petersburg at the building masterpieces of the past, created by Western architects, you understand that they were not stars at all, but simply people who devoted themselves to Russia.”

Work on the "Federation" not only returned Choban to his homeland, but also gave him a partner. On the project, he began to collaborate with Sergey Kuznetsov, whose bureau specialized in the development of three-dimensional architectural computer graphics - together they soon organized Speech. From that moment on, all projects of the bureau (for example, one of the most expensive and sophisticated residential complexes of recent years at Granatny, 6, or the Novatek office, the first Russian house that meets European energy-efficient design standards) are signed by two names. And now they went out to receive all the numerous prizes together: the long, round-shouldered St. Petersburg intellectual Sergei Tchoban and the strong and short Sergei Kuznetsov, who looked more like a young, ambitious manager than an artist.

However, a year ago, Kuznetsov actually turned into a manager - but already a state one: as part of Sobyanin's rejuvenation of personnel, he was appointed chief architect of Moscow. First of all, he proclaimed his goal to return architectural competitions for city objects to Moscow. “Yuri Mikhailovich held several competitions in the 90s, but the results did not satisfy him, so he rather quickly completely reoriented to the practice of direct orders to Moscow State Unitary Enterprises - large design institutes that we inherited from the Stalin era,” explains Alexei Muratov, Chief editor of the architectural magazine "Project Russia". “Now one of Kuznetsov’s ideas is to return to the city the practice of competitive procedures accepted throughout the world.”

The practice is really back. And in new competitions, the Speech bureau began to win with enviable frequency: for example, Tchoban won the right to design a new building for the Polytechnic Museum and a facade for the new building of the Tretyakov Gallery. Formally, there is no conflict of interest in these victories: although the name of Kuznetsov still appears in the full name of the bureau, according to its founders, since Kuznetsov became the chief architect, he no longer has a share in the company, and he does not take any part in its life .

“If competitions for city objects were held before, I’m sure we would win about the same amount. We are one of the leading offices in Russia, for us this is a completely natural result, as well as for other bureaus that honestly win in today's competitions organized by the new chief architect of Moscow,” Choban explains. - The fact that architecture is a thing tied to connections is a delusion! I came to Germany and managed to work successfully there. What connections did I have? None. Take my work in Russia: I organized my own office with Sergey, and after seven years it became one of the most prominent architectural firms in the country - where are the connections? Probably, it is easier for someone to say that it was blat. In fact, if a person has abilities in some business, he achieves success. If not, then no. And that's it." Most of Tchoban's and Kuznetsov's colleagues admit that if you put aside past connections and look at the bureau's projects themselves, Speech's victories do not seem forced.

The second frequent complaint of colleagues is that Kuznetsov not only organizes architectural competitions for city objects, but also heads the jury for some reason: the chief architect who orders the competitions, leads them himself, and then also wins himself, can ruin his work on the rehabilitation of architectural competitions . Sergei Kuznetsov himself refused to make any comments related to the Speech bureau.

Having lost a partner, Tchoban not only found himself in a position of having to make excuses for victories, but also had to limit the work of the bureau on part of the projects. However, when asked whether he will look for a new partner, he answers unequivocally: “I don’t need any partners. I have three partners in Berlin, there are excellent workshop leaders. It was just that with Sergey it was a creative union of the highest level - it was the greatest luck that we coincided so for some time. I have partners, but the partner is no more.”

Having taken on half a dozen city construction projects single-handedly, Choban now mostly looks out of Moscow. From now on, his goal is to create the first Russian architectural brand that is successful in the West, and, more broadly, to raise the level of all Russian architecture. To do this, he has been publishing the architectural magazine Speech in Russian and English for five years now, and since the new academic year, Choban has been taking a diploma course at Evgeny Assa's architectural school "March" for the first time in his practice. For this, he decided to promote his Russian bureau in Germany - and he has to compete with his own German bureau: recently, under the Speech brand, Tchoban built his own private museum of architectural graphics in Berlin, which instantly earned the Iconic Awards and caused a fair amount of noise in the press. This is indeed a missionary story in many respects: Tchoban separates purely functional architecture from architecture as high art, and Speech, according to his plan, should only deal with the latter in the West. “If there is a task in Berlin to make just an office building at a high level, I will do it at NPS Tchoban Voss. And the Speech company, I hope, will receive iconic objects in the field of culture. To be honest, I am a great patriot of our country. I was born and raised here, she raised me, - Choban speaks about his most important task with particular inspiration. - In Russia, the quality of architecture is very low. Throughout the country, we can count about thirty relatively strong and interesting bureaus - for example, in Berlin there are about fifty such offices that compete with each other every day. This is despite the fact that in Berlin the population is three million against our one hundred and seventy. How can a country with such a density of architectural thought enter the world market? No way. Now I want to create an architectural brand that would be known not only in Russia.”

And this, of course, in a certain sense is very in our opinion - that Russian culture is raised by a person who, a few years ago, was considered here to be a German.

- one of the leading architectural bureaus in Russia. Now more than 200 employees work in the workshop - architects, designers, engineers, managers who develop dozens of projects for Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, the CIS countries and the world. And ARCHiPEOPLE tried to find out in detail what it's like to work in SPEECH?

Sergey Choban, Head and Chief Architect of SPEECH

How is the SPEECH bureau organized and how is its current structure formed?

Sergey Kuznetsov and I created the bureau in 2006 by merging our two companies ( "SP-project" and "Choban and partners" - ed.), and since the SPEECH staff was initially quite large, it immediately took on a vertical structure. In other words, there is the head of the bureau, there are heads of workshops, and there are chief architects and architects of these workshops. I would be happy to work directly with all employees, but you can manage an office in “manual mode” only if its staff does not exceed 25-30 people. I know this for sure from the experience of managing my Berlin office ( Sergey Tchoban is also the head of the Berlin office of the well-known German bureaunps tchoban voss- ed.), which in its development at a certain point also overcame the mark of 30 people, and for effective management it was necessary to create a system of workshops, headed by experienced employees who share my views on creativity and profession, and whom I trust. In SPEECH, the structure is the same: today, when working on a particular project, I discuss it, first of all, with the leaders of the workshops, who then broadcast our general vision of the process to their employees.

Does each workshop have its own specialization?

Of course, in the process of work, each team develops certain predilections - including to certain typologies - but we always set the task for the workshops to move towards multifunctionality. Narrow specialization in our profession is simply dangerous: market conditions are constantly changing, as well as the functional saturation of individual projects. Therefore, we strongly encourage the desire of employees to master new areas of the profession.

And did the heads of the workshops and the GAPs for the most part come to the bureau in this capacity or were they, as they say, grown up in the team?

Usually the second one. This, of course, is a very lengthy and somewhat risky process, since not every smart employee can grow into a chief executive officer or a good workshop leader. But we were lucky, in the ranks of SPEECH, several very responsible, and most importantly, talented - not only from the point of view of architecture, but also from the point of view of team management - GAPs matured, who at the next stage of office development headed the workshops.

Does the bureau have branches in other cities?

We did not try to create branches, because managing them makes office logistics extremely difficult. Again, I can say from the experience of managing my German office: branches are necessary and justified only if the company's activities are evenly distributed over different cities of the country. For the sake of one or two projects, constantly being in a particular city from an economic point of view is simply pointless. We are always glad to have the opportunity to work in some new city for us, but in this case the project management is carried out centrally from Moscow. In addition, we have a permanent partner in St. Petersburg - Evgeny Gerasimov, with whom all projects in this city are carried out. Now most of them are already in the final stage of implementation.

Does SPEECH interact how is it with your german office?

In the early days of SPEECH, this collaboration was very close. Sergey and I have always staked on the highest quality of design and implementation of objects, so we used cooperation with German architects, first of all, as an opportunity to train their Moscow colleagues. And I must say, this model turned out to be very successful: today SPEECH employees themselves often suggest some interesting solutions to the Germans. So today the contact between offices takes place at the level of an equal exchange of information. Since I do projects both there and here, I often say to my architects: “Look how this detail is solved there,” meaning both Germany and Russia equally often. The level of design in the Moscow office has reached the German level, especially with regard to the design of facades and details. And by the way, some new materials appear and are used in Moscow sometimes even faster than it happens in Germany.

And now, three years after Sergey Kuznetsov became the chief architect of Moscow and left the company, how would you assess the changes that have taken place in the structure of SPEECH after the departure of one of the leading partners?

The most important thing in our joint work with Sergey was our constant creative dialogue, very rich and fruitful. After his departure, the very structure of the creative dialogue changed: before, we discussed all new projects primarily with Sergey, while now the heads of the workshops have become my main interlocutors and co-authors. I am deeply convinced that any project is born in a dialogue, a joint brainstorm.

That is, you are very much involved in the design of any object at the initial stage? And how closely do you monitor all subsequent stages of design?

It was not in vain that I said at the beginning that our bureau was very lucky with talented and responsible chief executive officers: we absolutely agree with the heads of the workshops in understanding what is important in the project and which particular moments need to be monitored. No unnecessary reminders and no unnecessary questions on my part. In the initial stages of work - both in Moscow and in Berlin - I made endless lists of questions for the project for myself and my employees and constantly tugged at project managers. And thus gradually taught them, as they say, "to think around the corner", to think in the material, to see any detail in a three-dimensional image. Once I literally ran around construction sites and asked endlessly: “Did you decide this moment? Didn't decide? Let's decide together!" Now the heads of the workshops themselves track all the controversial issues and come to me to discuss them. And I no longer wonder if their list of questions on the project is exhaustive - from the implementations that are obtained, it is quite obvious to me that they do not lose sight of anything.

Anton Pavlov, bureau manager

What are your responsibilities?

An architect cannot exist on his own. He needs some kind of service that will create favorable conditions for architecture. I am the manager of an architectural bureau, and my task is communication with customers, personnel management, planning and distribution of tasks, control over document flow and finances. In other words, everything that is not related to creativity is in my charge.

What is your role in recruitment?

I need to determine who the bureau needs at any given moment. After all, I look at the architectural workshop not as a place for creativity, but as a business. SPEECH is a commercial organization, we want to create beauty around us, but at the same time earn money. It is important for me that the number of architects is optimal. If there are not enough people in a workshop, we conduct a selection through the personnel department. I do not interview anyone directly, this is done by the main architects of the projects and the heads of the workshops.

What brought you to the bureau?

I have a technical background. I graduated from the Aviation Technology University. The celestial element even now means a lot to me, and when I have free time, I partially give it to aviation. After graduation, I worked in a field far from architecture, at that time I already knew the founders of SPEECH, they invited me. At first I refused, the architecture seemed like a different planet, and then I thought - why not?

You work closely with customers. Which one is easier to work with?

To say that all customers are simple and pleasant people in communication, probably, will be a little cunning. But we were lucky, our customers are very purposeful people with amazing outlook and deep knowledge. They choose us because of a certain set of inherent professional qualities. Plus, I hope they like our architecture. It's nice when the customer "breathes the same air with us", and for him, not so much budget savings is at the forefront, but a healthy compromise between costs and aesthetics, functionality of the future object. In such cases, the difficulties associated with contractual and managerial issues fade into the background.

How do you feel about the participation of the bureau in architectural competitions?

It's nice when people come to us without an alternative: here's a project - do it. The number of projects for which you need to compete, however, dominates. Their attitude is twofold. On the one hand, it's great when you can win a small victory at the initial stage. On the other hand, from a business point of view, this is not the most efficient stage of the project process. The requirements for the volume of materials submitted for the competition are very serious. Not much time is given. We do not know how to work not for a 100% result, so competitions take up a lot of bureau resources.

Can you make concessions for the sake of an individual project?

We try not to bombard customers with ultimatums. The position is very simple - we do not say why something cannot be done, we say what is needed to obtain the desired result. I repeatwe are lucky to have customers who want to build up interesting buildings in Moscow, they love the city and treat it and themselves with respect. And in our portfolio there are no faceless buildings. There is one customer who has his own plant for the production of reinforced concrete panels and is building mass budget housing. But he is guided by the rule: panel houses should not look like panel houses.He expects the same from us, and we answer him with stylish facades and thoughtful layouts. Moreover, the search for options continues until both parties are completely confident in the correctness of the final decision.

How did the crisis affect the bureau?

Our bureau is one of the largest in Russia, specializing only in architecture. We do not have our own designers or engineers, they are subcontracted. Until the end of 2014, about 300 people worked in the bureau. Now we have lost part of the contracts: somewhere investors decided to postpone the project, somewhere they are negotiating with the city authorities to change the functionality. Our main task in such a situation is to save the team. I really want not to break down under the winds of change, but to survive and keep the staff, the best people who believe in us and in the common cause. Everything SPEECH has done has been done by them. Therefore, we are looking for new projects, creating conditions for the customer to choose us, so that we can provide the team with work.

What makes architects from different bureaus create joint projects? Before my eyes is the project of the Garden Quarters complex.

Alexey Ilyin, head of workshop No. 1

How did you become an architect?

I studied at an art school where my main teacher was an architect. And even then it seemed to me that this profession combines well both the artistic component and the possibilities for the implementation of buildings, that it allows you to make things that will remain for centuries. The choice was simple for me.

What projects are you currently working on?

We are completing the second stage of the microcity "In the Forest". This is a large residential area on Pyatnitskoye Highway, which will include schools, kindergartens, offices and even a theater. Other interesting projects are the Lotos multifunctional complexes on Odesskaya Street and the Heart of the Capital on Shelepikhinskaya Embankment.

What are the limits on your creativity?

We are a commercial organization, despite the fact that we do author's design. We do not simply perform the artistic function of drawing beautiful facades, but we are attentive to the wishes of the customer, layouts, and technical aspects. This imposes certain restrictions, but within the limits of the norm.

"Heart of the Capital". Illustrations - SPEECH.

Microcity "In the forest". Photos - SPEECH.

Is it hard to run a workshop?

With a reasonable organization - and I hope that we have just such - everything works fine. There are three main architects in my workshop, who are assigned a certain number of projects.

Has the bureau's life changed since Sergey Kuznetsov's transition to a new job?

For me, it hasn't changed much. Kuznetsov has built a good structure that continues to work smoothly. The management system is now handled by Anton Pavlov. He is not an architect, and this is a positive moment, because he abstracts from creative issues and solves only managerial ones. Architecture, of course, remains a priority in any case.

How has the architectural world of Moscow changed over the past 20 years?

I remember what happened back in the 90s, when I worked at the ABV Group. Since then, there has been a giant leap forward in architecture, and the situation is getting better every year. It became easier and clearer to work. Work can also serve as an indicator« Architectural Council of the City of Moscow» in which good specialists solve problems.

What is your attitude to competitions?

Thanks to them, a variety of architects have the opportunity to implement their projects. There have always been competitions, but now they are more transparent. Of course, from an economic point of view, most of them are more profitable for young bureaus, which is still good.

Igor Chlenov, head of workshop No. 2

What is your workshop doing?

We design mainly housing of different classes: from economy to premium class. Although, there are also office projects, hotels, cultural facilities in the work. Among the economy housing projects, I can single out the Novy Zelenograd complex and the development of a microdistrict in Solntsevo on the territory of the Rise plant. From the business class - a very interesting project on the territory of the ZIL plant. From housing of a higher class, one can recall the Wine House residential complex on Sadovnicheskaya Street, designed jointly with TPO "Reserve".

Was your specialization in residential architecture a conscious choice?

Rather, it was a natural demand of the market. Until 2008, there was almost a 100% load on the part of customers for office development, and we only built offices. After this turning point, office construction began to freeze, but the theme of apartments and housing began to develop. Over time, it so happened that residential buildings became the main objects. Subsequently, it turned out that one workshop concentrated on sports facilities, while the rest, in principle, were “omnivores”.

What principles guide you in project development?

They are the same for all architects. On the one hand, we must meet the requirements of customers. On the other hand, we must make high-quality architecture. The combination of these two components is the most complex and interesting task in the design of any object.

What are the new requirements for housing? How to create an atypical option in economy class?

The main requirements have been smoothly evolving along with the market for the past twenty years. Everything goes to the fact that the customer asks to make the most effective projects from all points of view: the output of areas, engineering, constructive and, of course, architectural solutions. Everything should be balanced, but rather tough in terms of “non-overspending” of funds, let's say so. Now almost all customers check projects for the optimality of the solutions used, the correctness of the choice of one or another design algorithm. At the same time, they began to think more about people. If earlier they were selling just space, and it didn’t matter what and who would be placed there, now they are asking for high-quality layouts. Buyers have learned to immediately see how comfortable or uncomfortable it will be for them to live or work in this room.

wine house. Illustrations - SPEECH.

"New Zelenograd". Illustrations - SPEECH.

What project do you like the most?

This is a provocative question. All architects answer him that they love all their projects. On the one hand, this is banal, on the other hand, so it and eat. But the project that you are currently working on is always more interesting. Because what has already been done remains by itself, and you do not stand still, develop, move forward, having both positive and negative experience. And the earlier the new project is, the more in love with it. You give up all your efforts to make a concept, but when the fundamental story is invented, then the technical development goes on, and you want new feelings and sensations. And we need a new project.

How do you organize your work so that you can effectively follow all projects?

Our structure is traditional, vertical. Inside the workshop there are several main architects, each of them has his own team, dealing with one or two projects. They work mostly autonomously. At the start of the project, we all agree on the concept, directions, then the development goes on, at key time points we discuss the progress of the project, make changes, if necessary.

Do architects move from one workshop to another?

This is not welcome. Every leader recruits people"under yourself" . There is no Brownian movement here, and it is not useful, because everyone has certain abilities. It is always more convenient to work in a system of built relationships, and not to adapt each time anew to a certain style or rhythm of work.

How did you become an architect?

After school, where the education system is quite rigid, it seemed to me that there is an incredible scope for self-realization in an architectural university: you can draw, come up with something new. First, I entered the architectural college, and then - at the Moscow Architectural Institute. He started working at the beginning of his studies at the technical school. Then I ran to different offices, looking for where it would be better.

And how did you end up inSPEECH?

I was here before SPEECH even existed. I met Sergey Kuznetsov at the institute, after, since 2001, we worked with him in a small studio.

So you are also a founding fatherSPEECH?

This is loudly said, but I was nearby, I saw everything.

Marina Kuznetskaya, Chief Project Architect of Workshop No. 1

Marina, how did your path in architecture begin?

Since childhood, I have formed the opinion that a person is shaped by the environment, so I decided to deal with it. And I studied at the Moscow Institute of Architecture.

How did you come toSPEECH?

I started working early, while still at the institute. At some point, I realized that I had to go to the workshop, where you can get a good experience. Choban had recently opened his own bureau. I came, it seemed, for a short time and stayed ... I myself did not expect that I would stay.

Why did you decide to stay?

When you go to a big company for experience, you don’t know how everything will turn out. There are several leading architectural bureaus in Russia. They do about the same level of significance projects, they employ a lot of experienced people. At the same time, each company has its own principle of forming the architectural image of the project, its own system of work. It depends, first of all, on the leadership. Contact with the authors of ideas greatly affects the desire to work in the company. I have a good understanding with Sergey Choban. This is a person who develops all the time in his work and “infects” with the development of all those around him. Therefore, I don’t get the feeling that I sit and work in one place for many years, it never gets boring. In the workshop of Alexey Ilyin, we constantly bring something new to our workflow. This movement is greatly facilitated by new people who come to work with us.

And what are you working on now?

We are designing the Heart of the Capital complex, plot 17-18 in Moscow City. In early May, a pavilion was opened in Milan for EXPO 2015.

Russian pavilion at EXPO 2015. Photos - SPEECH.

How was the opening?

The effect we wanted to achieve was a success. It is important for us to create a bright, memorable image that will be reacted to and remembered. The pavilion has a thirty-meter mirror console where everyone reflexively looks. The concept that we conceived was confirmed in practice. This is great.

What will happen to the pavilion then?

The exhibition will last until October 31, after which all pavilions, except for the Italian one, will be dismantled. As far as I know, Sergey Kuznetsov has an idea to bring our pavilion to Moscow and place it at VDNKh. How feasible this idea is is not yet clear.Here, for example, we recreated one of the pavilions designed for the XIII Venice Biennale (2012): a domed hall with a surface of QR codes containing up-to-date information on the progress of the projectZaryadye Park. Now it is located on a temporary site, next to the future Zaryadye Park, and is open to everyone.

What projects are more interesting to work on?

Over the most different! It is interesting to work on exhibition projects, because you know that you will achieve results in a short time, while large projects often stretch over several years. On the other hand, these same big projects will remain forever, while the exhibition ones are temporary. I love to diversify my work.

How is your relationship with competitions?

This is an opportunity to come up with something spectacular. When placing a direct order, we take into account the needs of customers, and you can get out of the competition" beyond " .

Official site of the architectural bureau SPEECH.

Photos: Alexandra Golikova, Alexander Plakhin.

The SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau was formed as a result of a long-term cooperation of several design companies: the Berlin office of NPS TCHOBAN VOSS headed by Sergey Choban and its Moscow representative office "Choban and Partners" with the workshop "S.P.Proekt", headed by Sergey Kuznetsov and his partner Pavel Shaburov.

Sergei Tchoban and Sergei Kuznetsov. Photo: Natalya Kovalenko.
For S. Choban, who left for Germany in 1992 and made a successful career there, having gone from an nps employee (Nietz, Prasch, Sigl Architekten BDA, Hamburg) in three years to a partner and head of the branch office of the NPS TCHOBAN VOSS bureau in Berlin, a return to work in Russia was inevitable.

Residential building "Granatny, 6", Moscow. Photo: Alexey Naroditsky.
The volume of construction in our country, unlike in Europe, beat all records in the new millennium. An architect who knows Russian specifics and has experience in Western design practice could not but be in demand here. The beginning of the "expansion to the east" was the victory in the competition for the design of the Federation complex in Moscow City in 2003. The proposal of the architects Sergei Tchoban and Peter Schweiger - two towers, in the form of sails - was and remains perhaps the most spectacular building designed for the City. On the wave of interest in this project, new prospects for expanding activities in Russia opened up for Sergey, for which he needed not just a branch of the Berlin bureau, but something more - a full-fledged company, the leadership of which S. Tchoban could share with a partner whose principles and vision of the strategy development of the project business would coincide with his own.

View of the residential building from the opposite side of Granatny Lane.
Photo: Alexey Naroditsky.
Residential building "Granatny, 6",
Address: Russia, Moscow, Granatny lane, 6.
Ch. project architects: A.Perlich, Y.Kotlyar,
V. Kazul, S. Arutyunov.
Ch. eng. project: L. Makukhina.
Archite. V. Shalyavsky, T. Stolyarov, A. Kozyreva,
A. Sokolnikov.
Customer: Scanklin-invest LLC.
Total area: 15,431 sq. m.
Design: 2004–2007
Construction: 2007–2011

Situational plan.
Residential building "Granatny, 6", the concept of which was inspired by the works of the famous Soviet architect A.K. Burov, is not accidentally compared with a carved jewelry box. A rather laconic three-dimensional composition of three buildings of different heights, connected by glass inserts-transitions, is more than compensated by the richness of the external and internal decoration. Lined with natural stone (granite and limestone), the facades of the house are almost entirely covered with a carved pattern, specially developed for this project based on research into the traditions of Byzantine, Old Russian and Old Moscow stone carving.
Each prototype was used to decorate one of the three buildings. For each element of the facade (pilasters, pier, window sills and lintels), a pattern has been created that matches the chosen style. The same motifs are used in the design of the glass and wrought iron screens covering the lower part of the French balconies. Such filigree work with durable materials guarantees, according to the authors, a special aesthetic expressiveness of the facades of the building, which will only intensify with the passage of time and the impact of adverse urban conditions. The interior decoration of the public areas of the residential complex is also designed in an ornamental spirit and using natural materials. Metal, glass, stone and precious woods, decorated with patterns, create an atmosphere of luxury inside the complex. It is not surprising that the apartments in this building were sold out at the first stage of construction.

The young architect Sergei Kuznetsov became such a like-minded person for S. Tchoban, since the age of 23 he has been leading his own design practice, and since 2003 he has been acting as the head of the S.P. Project company. The latter, which started, like many others in the 2000s, with interiors and country houses, has been actively developing, including urban real estate in its sphere of interest. In parallel with the architectural activity, S.P.Proekt specialized in the creation of three-dimensional visualizations, the technical and artistic quality of which in a short time made the bureau one of the leaders in this market. Initially, cooperation between S. Tchoban and S. Kuznetsov was concentrated in this area, but gradually it began to spread to the field of joint design.

Intense joint work over several years in the early 2000s demonstrated that there is mutual understanding between S. Choban and S. Kuznetsov on many levels, and their tandem is not only viable, but extremely promising.
The merger gave the new company a number of advantages: an increase in the volume and scale of work, the introduction of modern Western methods and design standards, the absence of the need to gain credibility and create a company image from scratch, a combination of dynamism and energy of a young Russian team with the methodicalness and ability to work in market conditions of German partners, as well as the opportunity to develop simultaneously in Russia and in the West.

Situational plan.

Office building on Leninsky Prospekt
Project authors: S. Choban, S. Kuznetsov.
Ch. project architect: S. Kuznetsov.
Ch. eng. project: L. Makukhina.
Archite. A Perlich, T. Varyukhina, A. Kozyreva,
T. Lokteva, E. Murinets.
General contractors: MNR Bau und Bauberatungs
Ges.mbH (Austria),
RD Construction Management (Russia).
Total area: 16,253 sq.m.
Design: 2005–2009
Situational plan. Construction: 2008–2011

An essential and, at the same time, non-standard plus was the rejection of a rigid division of functions and responsibilities between partners. All functions of the head of the workshop (both administrative and creative) were equally divided between S. Tchoban and S. Kuznetsov. But where, at first glance, the source of problems could be hiding, in fact, the opposite effect worked. Two architects, two distinct leaders, differing in age and life experience, were able to build a system of relationships and management of their company in such a way that their difference works for results and serves as an incentive for continuous development. And a single system of values ​​and priorities in the profession acts as a common denominator, as the basis for interchangeability in all aspects of the company's activities.
This system is based on several principles that the heads of the SPEECH bureau Choban & Kuznetsov sincerely and consistently profess themselves and actively instill in their employees. They can be formulated as complexity, quality and durability.
The first principle is the method of project management by one team “from and to”. That is, from urban planning studies, through scrupulous study of all stages of design and control over its implementation, to the development of original interior details that continue and develop the main expressive idea of ​​the building.
The second principle is the constant pursuit of the highest possible quality: the quality of the project, the quality of materials, the quality of workmanship. Moreover, this principle of the bureau is equally applicable both to expensive projects and to objects with a limited budget. It's all about the initial installation, determined together with the customer, and the correct allocation of funds. S. Tchoban and S. Kuznetsov, "suffering", each in their own way, from the extreme stage of perfectionism, manage to infect with this "virus" even customers who are very far from an economically unmotivated striving for perfection.
The third principle is the refusal to create a temporary architecture, or, as the heads of the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau call it, “pavilion architecture”. For them, the specificity of its interaction with time is of key importance in determining the quality of architecture, which means the aesthetics of the aging process of a building that does not destroy or compromise the original design, but on the contrary, brings into it a special quality, the spirit of truth, which forms the cultural layer of the material world that surrounds a person. . The passage of time can give a building a new value and beauty, or it can lead to its complete degradation, when unreasonable savings at the design and construction stage turn into a sudden dilapidation of the building, especially catastrophically noticeable on the facades.
In addition to material aging, stylistic and artistic obsolescence is of great importance, in which architecture, which until recently seemed sharp and relevant, after a short period of time is already perceived as comical and out of place. The only way to create a durable architecture, which the leaders of the SPEECH bureau Choban & Kuznetsov have come up with for themselves, is careful work to understand the environment and create objects that meet its needs, and perhaps even treat some of its problems. To this is added the development of original details and forms, dictated by unfashionable trends, but by the image of the building and the spirit of the place, as well as the maximum use of materials that can withstand the destructive effects of time and climate.
All these principles, at first glance, have nothing to do with the realities of the modern architectural and construction market in Russia, where the ideology of reducing costs and terms for project development has long supplanted the terms “quality” and “culture of detail” from everyday life. Under these conditions, the declaration of the principles of the work of the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau may seem like a utopia, smacking of architectural snobbery, fraught with squeezing the bureau, at best, into a narrow segment of elite architecture. This position, with all its prestige, could hardly allow the bureau to develop so actively in the Russian and international markets. But reality has refuted these skeptical predictions.
Since 2006, not only the principles, but also the projects developed on their basis by the architects of the SPEECH bureau Choban & Kuznetsov, have been extremely in demand.
Since the first days of the bureau's functioning, the range, scale and number of projects have steadily increased, as well as their geography. Already in 2009, i.e. 2.5 years after its creation, the portfolio of the bureau consisted of more than 30 projects completed for Moscow, St. Petersburg, cities of Russia and the CIS, including suburban villages, sports and cultural facilities, hotel, residential and office complexes, as well as urban planning concepts.
The starting dynamics of the bureau's development was such that it made it possible to overcome the crisis of 2008, almost without losses. Of course, some of the projects were frozen, and the number of employees decreased for a short time, but the bureau leaders themselves assess the changes that have taken place as positive. The composition of the project portfolio has become more realistic, and the reduction in the number of projects running simultaneously has made it possible to maintain and even improve the “branded” quality of design.
Its level, set and persistently implemented by S. Tchoban and S. Kuznetsov, provided for a thorough study of all elements of the future building. Even in a situation where it was only at the “Project” stage, specialists were involved in the process, who are usually involved only at the detailed design stage: consultants for facades, for climatic characteristics, unique roofs, etc. And all decisions were developed as carefully as if it were a question of a “worker”. This rather tough way of professional initiation for young architects allowed the founders of the bureau to assemble a team of like-minded people in a short time, form a standard for the work of the bureau, instill in employees the skills of real design, accumulate and constantly expand the base of used parts, assemblies, technologies and materials.
This approach has already resulted in several implemented projects, each of which has set new standards in its segment for design and construction solutions that are not inferior to the level of modern European architecture. These are three complexes that differ in style, but are similar in quality of work with high-quality materials and modern technologies: an office building on Leninsky Prospekt,
residential building "Granatny, 6" in the eponymous lane of Moscow and a multifunctional business complex with the head office of JSC "Bank Saint Petersburg" in St. Petersburg.
Simultaneously with the development and implementation of individual objects, the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau in its urban planning and large-scale projects began to introduce an unusual team work system and invite several design companies to participate in the work on large-scale, multi-element complexes. So that each would make a project of a separate building, and together they would form a single ensemble. It is important to note here that the resources of the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau are more than enough to cope with any, even a very large-scale task. But the positive experience of consolidation and the priority of architectural quality have put the quality of the final result of the work in the forefront for SPEEC leaders, the harmony of the created environment depends on the variability within the framework of a single concept. Bureau SPEECH Choban&Kuznetsov is actively inviting leading architectural teams from Russia and the world to work together. Therefore, the Grunwald residential complex has already been built in the Moscow region (concept - jointly with the Ostozhenka bureau, projects of houses - Ostozhenka, Project-Meganom and Mossinepartners, Assmann&Salomon and NPSTchobanVoss).
Now, by order of RGI International, a mini-city “In the Forest” is being designed (other project participants are Assmann & Salomon, LANGHOF (Germany), LLC TPO Reserve, negotiations are underway with William Alsop and Mossinepartners).
In St. Petersburg, work is in full swing on the Embankment of Europe project, developed by a team led by Evgeny Gerasimov (Bureau Evgeny Gerasimov and Partners) and Sergey Tchoban and won a representative international competition. At the initiative of the authors, 10 European architectural bureaus were invited to participate in the development of the project, which, together with the authors of the concept, are working on projects of individual buildings within the framework of a single master plan. They are: Paolo Desideri, ABDR Architetti Associati; Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht; Rob Krier & Christoph Kohl Architekten; Christoph Langhof; Johanne Nalbach, Nalbach + Nalbach Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH; Ortner & Ortner; Patzschke Planungsgesellschaft mbH; Erick van Egeraat; Cino Zucchi Architetti; Kahlfeldt Architekten Ges. Von Architekten mbH.
For SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov, the Factory Russia project, created in 2010 for the Russian pavilion at the XII Architectural Biennale in Venice, became an interesting and, of course, successful experiment in collective design. This is the concept of the revival of small towns in Russia on the example of the city of Vyshny Volochek, developed by the exposition curators Sergey Tchoban, Pavel Khoroshilov and Grigory Revzin. The project involved the reconstruction of several dilapidated plants and factories in the central part of the city, in order to create new jobs and attract tourists. Individual projects were developed by one of five teams: TPO Reserve, Skuratov architects, Studio 44, Evgeniy Gerasimov and Partners, and SPEECH Choban&Kuznetsov.
Each of them had the right to solve the task of reconstruction in their own ways and in their own way. As a result, a polyphonic picture of the transformation of the city emerged, in which the plurality of solutions only emphasizes their relevance.
Exhibition activity, and the “Factory Russia” project was not the only experience of the SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov bureau in this area (in 2009, the project “(Not) touchable reserve” was shown at the Architecture, in the Berlin gallery “Aedes Land” the exhibition “The New Life of Sretenka”,
Prepared together with Elena Nikulina with the support of RGI), as well as publishing (the heads of the bureau created an architectural journal - the almanac speech) and lecture activities naturally continue the design practice of the bureau. Their philosophy allows introducing a wide range of issues and topics into the range of professional interests: from historical and urban planning studies to the art of architectural graphics. S. Kuznetsov is passionate about the last S. Chobani, so much so that with enviable regularity they make joint forays into the open air, personally “breaking” the encrypted codes of harmony of the most beautiful cities and buildings in the world and decorating the walls of the meeting room in the Moscow office with the extracted “trophies”.
S. Chobani and S. Kuznetsov share their ideology, their trademark “Speech” triad “complexity-quality-durability”, every time they give a lecture or give an interview. They are trying to captivate as many professionals as possible with it, seeing this as the key to raising the general level of architecture in Russia and a chance for a qualitative transformation from the editorial board.
But this "know-how" is not a secret formula for success, but a recipe for hard work, without discounts for yourself and your employees. Their method of work, in which the traditions of architecture, dating back to the Romanesque masters, who sharpened stone patterns that come to life under the sun and rain, are fused with modern requirements and skills of architects, who, willy-nilly, are obliged to possess the skills and knowledge of an artist, manager, engineer and psychologist . And all in order to be able to do the most important thing in the profession - to build beautiful, high-quality and durable buildings. And this practical philosophy is relevant and in demand not only in Russia, but also in the West. It is not surprising that after only five years, SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov is confidently operating both in the Russian and international markets, having proven its worth in practice as a highly professional full-cycle project team.

Interview with the leading partners of the bureau SPEECH Choban&Kuznetsov Sergey Choban and Sergey Kuznetsov

— What problems do you think are the most relevant in modern Russian architecture?
Sergei Tchoban: Since the 1950s, the tradition of detailing characteristic of Russian architecture has been interrupted - rich, rich, warm. Due to Khrushchev's policy of combating "excesses", we today have come to an absolute forgetfulness of the culture of working with a detail,
as well as the lack of understanding of durable and aging well, not only constructively, but also in appearance, architecture.
In combination with the ideas of modernist architecture, understood solely through forms, but lacking the necessary detailing and high-quality elaboration that it eventually acquired in the West, and most importantly, in the absence of technologies and budgets, this situation led to the degradation of the urban environment. The old fund was collapsing, and the new substance, filling in the emerging gaps, was more of a pavilion, temporary character, not differing either in the quality of details, or the quality of materials, or execution. As a result, people in Russia have fundamentally lost confidence in what modern architects and builders are doing. To our shame, the most mediocre environment, created 100 years ago, today looks better, ages better, is more respected by the townsfolk, people settle and work in it with a greater desire than in buildings built over the past 20-30 years.
Understanding this fact and the inability to come to terms with it, it seems to me, led Sergey Kuznetsov and me to the conclusion that it is necessary to revive traditions in relation to the surface of the building, to the unity of the building from the facade to the interior and the door handle, to the culture of working with materials that can withstand more than 5, 10, 20 years. This is the only way to start re-forming the environment, the architectural layer, which will not be temporary, pavilion. Confidence in the necessity of this mission rallied us and made it possible. Because the implementation of such projects is extremely costly, not only for developers, but also for us, architects. It is one thing to make some kind of design stage of a “cardboard” shopping center, hand it over and earn money. And it’s quite another thing to develop such projects as an office building on Leninsky Prospekt, Granatny or the Aquatics Stadium in Kazan, where every detail is given with a fight, every element costs us a lot of money, because it is four times more difficult to develop and longer than using an ordinary typical part, even if it looks quite modern. We consciously sacrifice here both our time and, in the end, our commercial interests, because we believe that these goals are much more important.

— Do you think the market here is ready to accept such principles? How popular are your ideas?
Sergey Kuznetsov: Our customers, for the most part, grew up on the same “international” and typical architecture that Sergey spoke about. As a result, they have practically no understanding of the quality of architecture, the quality of the urban environment. Recently, people are increasingly feeling the need for a harmonious, ensemble architecture. But it is too early to talk about mass adoption of such principles by the market. It takes time and serious work of a large number of members of the entire professional community involved in real estate. In my experience, both the market and the consumer respond positively to quality proposals, but all this has to be literally pushed through the most difficult stage of negotiations, persuasion and discussion, proving to the customer the benefits of solutions that require certain budgetary and time resources. For example, the construction of an office building on Leninsky Prospekt was preceded by months of debate. Today all these conversations are forgotten. The customer is very pleased with the building and says that he agrees with everything that we proposed. But to achieve, to insist on our own, we managed only at the cost of colossal nervous tension. However, there is no other way but through hard work.

Is such educational activity included in the professional duties of an architect? Or is it an integral part of work in Russia, and here it is necessary to fight with the customer, to convince, to preach?
S. Ch.: To fight - no, to convince - yes. The customer initially, as a rule, does not understand by what means and forces the modern building that he liked was created, for example, somewhere abroad - in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris. He may think that it is not much more difficult than building those "kiosks" that we see everywhere here. But the quality seen there is directly related to the size of the budget, design time, quality of materials, qualifications of workers, thoughtfulness of all steps of planning, design and construction. And the architect has to explain to the customer what exactly needs to be done, how much it costs and how long it will take. Moreover, not only in its own, architectural, part. After all, the quality of work is ensured not only by what and how we design, but also by those whom we attract as builders, whom we recommend as suppliers. It takes a lot of effort and all our experience, including international, to plan and organize the whole process.

— What are the distinctive features of the architecture of SPEECH Choban & Kuznetsov?
S.K.: For us, there is no question of what to draw in the project, so that it is immediately clear that it was done by us. We have prioritized the quality of the facility and the quality of the created environment. That's what our customers come to us for. As part of this approach, we strive to achieve in each specific architectural element the level that we consider correct, interesting and beautiful.
When you do what you yourself like and are consistent with your principles, then, without even thinking about how and by whom it will be identified, your work will still be recognized. It doesn't matter what criteria. If all our completed projects are put in a row and compared with a random set of some other projects, it will be obvious that this selection has some distinctive features. But not recurring clichés, but a unity of approach to work.
S. Ch.: Our approach - in terms of the depth of study, the accumulated experience in working with various materials and technologies - is quite rare on the market today. And if on this path we begin to repeat ourselves at the level of the simplest external features, then we will turn the process of architectural design into a process of mass production of a model once brought to perfection. If in 10-15 years we would have 20 very high-quality objects in their development in Moscow, then I would consider it tragic that they are similar to each other. The process of creating architecture is very dependent on the functions and on the place for which the building is being designed, so it cannot be of the same type. The general approach and quality level of solutions should always be recognizable, and the answer to the tasks set should always be absolutely individual.
— Do you think that a similar approach to working with customers and facilities can be adopted by other Russian design companies?
S.K.: If we succeed in spreading our approach to the widest possible circle - for a start, at least professionals - then we will be able to consider that we have made a feasible contribution to the global process of forming a high-quality habitat. It is necessary to change people's perceptions, to demonstrate that there is a different understanding of the fabric of the city, other tools for working with it. Of course, changes will not come tomorrow, but it would be great to take a couple of steps in this direction. And if someone picks it up and develops it further, even better.
S. Ch.: We would be happy if in 10 years not 3-4 offices across Russia would work in this vein, but 20-30. And all this is quite achievable. The speed with which the quality of construction penetrates mass development can be colossal. It is enough to look at the buildings of Paris in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. or Russian architecture of the 1930s-1950s. I believe that it is the mass introduction of work with durable, high-quality materials that will ultimately lead to a reduction in the cost of them, to an improvement in work with them. And this, in turn, will lead to the fact that more people will be able to use them in construction, which means that the level of the environment being formed will change.

The exhibition, which will be held from May 17 to June 19 at the Multimedia Art Museum, is dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the architectural bureau SPEECH. Founded in 2006 by Sergey Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov, it has become one of the most successful in Russia, having implemented notable projects in Russia and abroad. Entrance for participants is free.

Among them are large-scale urban complexes, and elegant buildings with filigree facades, and extraordinary projects in the field of exhibition design. However, the principle of a multifaceted attitude to the profession is implemented not only in architecture: "Project SPEECH" is also participation in charitable programs, publishing activities, and the creation of one's own architectural media.

MFK Lotus. Alexey Naroditsky

The exposition will be located on two floors of MAMM and will present the most famous buildings and projects of the company, as well as art installations and drawings of its founders. Architectural photography will be the main means of presenting the works - SPEECH objects were shot by the best Russian and foreign masters of this genre. Expressive photographic canvases and original drawings will be complemented by a video interview with Sergey Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov, a library of media projects of the bureau, as well as selected models of buildings already completed and under construction, made specifically for the exhibition.

SPEECH is an architectural bureau, one of the largest and most successful design organizations in Russia. Founded in 2006 by architects Sergey Choban and Sergey Kuznetsov. Specializes in the design of buildings and complexes for various functional purposes, the development of urban planning concepts, as well as the creation of interior solutions. SPEECH projects have been implemented in many Russian cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.), as well as abroad (Berlin, Milan, Venice, Minsk, etc.). At the moment, the company employs about 200 people, including not only architects, but also designers, engineers, project managers: combining various specialists in one team allows SPEECH to develop integrated solutions and participate in all stages of work on a project of any complexity.

Among the projects implemented by the bureau are the Grunwald residential complex in the village of Zarechye (Moscow region), an office building on Leninsky Prospekt and the Granatny residential building, 6, the Aquamarine multifunctional complex on Ozerkovskaya Embankment and an office building on Kulneva Street in Moscow, the Palace of Water sports in Kazan, V Lesus Microcity, Five Seas Class A business center in Rostov-on-Don, Main Media Center of the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russian Pavilion at the EXPO-2015 World Exhibition in Milan. Currently, SPEECH projects are used to implement such large-scale projects as the multifunctional complexes VTB Arena-Park, Fili-Grad and Etalon City, the stadiums of FC Krasnodar (together with gmp international) and Luzhniki ( reconstruction), the New Museum Complex of the State Tretyakov Gallery and the residential complex "Heart of the Capital".