How are developers inspired when they literally revive architectural monuments from ruins? Especially for Sobaka.ru, the head of RBI, developer Eduard Tiktinsky, who breathed new life into the Levashovsky bakery, shared his favorite books on architecture, which help to feel the spirit of the city. And once again make sure that in architecture there has always been a place for bold, extraordinary, innovative ideas. Get ready! A difficult second-hand book search awaits you – there is real vintage in the selection!
Boris Kirikov and Margarita Stieglitz “Architecture of the Leningrad Avant-Garde”
This is one of the main books for me. Soviet constructivism is a unique phenomenon that you will not see anywhere else in the world, only here. Perhaps we realized its true value too late, so many of its best examples today have to be literally rescued from ruins – as was the case with the Levashovsky bakery. At one time, when creating a new residential complex next to this monument of constructivism, together with the architect Evgeny Gerasimov, we traveled around the city a lot – trying to feel the spirit of constructivism. As a result, we can be proud that we have successfully reconstructed and given new life to the monument, which was given an important place in the book by Boris Kirikov and Margarita Stieglitz. And they not only transformed the historical building, but also organically blended it into the surrounding context of the Futurist residential complex, inspired by the art deco style.
Valentin Privalov “Streets of the Petrograd Side”
The book is dedicated to the history of the formation and names of streets. It allows you to immerse yourself in the history and cultural context of the Petrograd side, and in maximum detail, with high detail. For me and our RBI team as a whole, this is important, since it is on the Petrograd side that we work especially hard, and at the same time, the area requires the most careful treatment as a key place in the historical center of St. Petersburg.
David Littlefield and Will Jones, Humanity’s Greatest Creations. Masterpieces of architecture and engineering art of the 20th and 21st centuries”
David Littlefield and Will John’s book features more than 70 bold, ambitious, innovative and stunning modern buildings from around the world, from the work of Antoni Gaudi to Zaha Hadid. Reading is both educational and brings real aesthetic pleasure to the masterpieces of architecture.
“Art Deco 1910-1939”
A real gem in my personal top list is the incredible illustrated essay album “Art Deco 1910-1939”, published in the USA in 2003. Art Deco is a style of the first half of the 20th century, which in its pure form can hardly be found in St. Petersburg, Moscow and in Russia in general. The decision, unexpected at first glance, to create a Futurist house in the spirit of Art Deco did not come by chance. For us, a new understanding of the historical context is always associated with the dialogue of eras and styles. Knowing that simple copying does not enrich the urban environment, we placed Art Deco and Constructivism side by side, playing on both commonalities and contrasts at the same time. The result gives cause for pride: both the Levashovsky Bakery and the Futurist House are already included in the White Book of the World Club of St. Petersburgers as a single complex and an example of a developer’s work in a historical environment.
