Authors

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
«DESIGN ASSIGNMENT» VS «ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAM»: RUSSIAN-AMERICAN OPPOSITIONS

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №4 (60) December, 2017

An analysis of the most influential documents (guidelines and recommendations) preceding the design phase in the professional architectural practice in Russia and the USA suggests that there are two basic approaches to the development of a design brief – "normative-technical" and "social research oriented". Literally translated, the Russian term is "assignment for designing" or "technical assignment", while the English-speaking world uses the term «architectural program» or «design brief». This article is a continuation of the previous discussion that was started in "Architecton" (No.: 54,59) in which the author considered international and national systems of pre-design programming separately from the perspective of history, internal design and problems. Meanwhile, a direct comparison of the domestic strategies with the American ones provides more material for reflection and conclusions concerning the features and possible directions of development of the Russian methodology and techniques of architectural design at the "pre-design" stage.

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
PRE-DESIGN PHASE AND DESIGN BRIEF IN ARCHITECTURE: STATUS AND THE ISSUE OF TERMINOLOGY

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №3 (59) September, 2017

The theme of “Design Brief" directs us towards the foundations of architectural work rooted in which are all preconditions of the future professional and public success or failure of its outcome. Given this, it is surprising how vague are some of the basic concepts relating to the pre-design phase at which the design brief is to be developed, and how ephemeral this phase itself is, considering some of the national regulatory documents. The article supports these statements by an analysis of the notions employed in the regulatory texts and a review of a selection of design agency web-sites describing the structure of the design process and Internet forums where professional designers chat. The author concludes that it would be necessary to revise the legal status of the pre-design phase and legalize its place in the design documentation development procedure, deal with terminological ambiguities, and clarify forms in which design briefs could exist.

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
«POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION»: FROM ARCHITECTURE TO ENVIRONMENT

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №3 (55) September, 2016

The environment is inhabited architecture. Whereas the latter may be productively studied and evaluated, especially before use, by means of professional (and, often, compositional) tools and criteria, the former may be investigated only through perception, sensations, and impressions of the residents, users, and owners. Such attitude arose in international architectura knowledge and mindset in the 1960s. Since then, the theory and practice of «post-occupancy evaluation» (POE) has been developing as analysis of architectural results with the reference to the judgment of end users. In the 1970–1980s, a similar approach was used in the USSR in sociological surveys of mass design products and industrial construction of housing, schools, clubs, etc. However, the ample and continually evolving POE practice in the world was and still is terra incognita for the absolute majority of Russian architects and pedagogues and students of architectural schools. The author aims to fill this gap by studying and describing the emergence and evolution of the concept, types and place in environment design, and the methodological toolkit and prospects for further use of POE.

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMING AS SOCIAL RESEARCH AND PREDESIGN MANAGEMENT

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №2 (54) June, 2016

One of the key design notions, «architectural programming», is commonly used in other countries and is not unknown in Russia to the extent that any analysis of its theoretical premises and challenges should be necessarily preceded by at least a summary of the latter. On the basis of classical texts on this theme, the in article considers the origins and evolution of this concept in transition from traditional society to postindustrial one, and compares different ideas concerning the levels and models of programming, assesses the role of the architect as "programmer", follows possible relationships of programming with design, studies the structure and contents of the programming procedure, and outlines the forms of presentation of its results to the customer and other members of the "programming committee team». Conclusions are made concerning the current importance of theoretical elaboration of programming as a discipline and practical use of its methods in professional domestic practice.

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
PUBLIC HOUSING OF THE MODERNIST PERIOD IN NEW YORK CITY: FROM SLUMIZATION TO REVITALIZATION

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №4 (52) December, 2015

The article considers the neighbourhood of Brownsville built up in the mid-20th century in Brooklyn, New York City, and two of its housing projects, Brownsville Houses and Van Dyke, with the aim of investigating relationships between some influential ideas of public housing architecture and planning, public housing transformation into slums (slumization) and revitalization strategies. A review of literary sources, sociological studies, personal observations and surveys carried out by the author on site has shown the following. The «superblock» and «tower-in-the-park» planning concepts create a socially negative context for low income populations. Dense housing is more comfortable and safer where it is formed from mid-rise buildings with a high land-to-building ratio rather than multi-storeyed buildings with a low ratio. Subsidised public housing developments often prove to be the only remaining shelter economically affordable for low-income households, and it is therefore preferable to revitalize them instead of tearing down. Gentrification ("diluting" low income households among more affluent ones) does not seem to work in this case; there is more promise in their re-planning and social upgrade.

Kiyanenko Konstantin V.
SOCIOLOGY OF SUSTAINABILITY VERSUS ARCHITECTURE OF SEGREGATION

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №1 (49) March, 2015

In the sociology of the city, housing, urban planning and architecture, the question of whether residents with differing income and property levels should be separated is one of the central and debatable issues. Since both strategies are possible in practice, the choice in favour of one of them depends on actual values and criteria of evaluation. The article makes an attempt to consider segregation and integration in the light of the concept of "sustainability" and its axiological toolkit. The concept of "sustainability" is extended to include social meanings. The attitude toward social spatial segregation is examined in the context of international and national sociology, architecture, and modern-day planning practice against the criterion of sustainability of urban communities. Each of these two strategies is evaluated from the opposing standpoints associated with social status and income level and related to urban communities and society as a whole. Planning actions to produce a sustainable integrated city and architectural complex are considered.