British Architect Unveils Plan
By Kevin O'Flynn
Staff Writer
British architect Sir Norman Foster presented a design Wednesday to fill the space where the Rossiya hotel once stood with a cultural center in the shape of an ellipsis, a 2,000-room hotel and a museum.Moscow's architectural council, led by Mayor Yury Luzhkov, backed the overall proposal but sent Foster back to the drawing board after a three-hour debate.
"Everyone liked it because it was not only hotels but museum space, which was unexpected, and concert halls," said Alexei Klimenko, a member of the council and an adviser to the city.
"In principle it was accepted, but with some serious changes that need to be made."
Foster's design envisions 10 to 11 buildings, with the cultural center at its heart. The other buildings would include the hotel and museum as well as offices, apartments and parking for 2,000 cars.
The buildings would cover 456,630 square meters, of which 35,600 square meters would be underground.
Nearly one-quarter of the complex would be devoted to space for cultural activities.
The main criticism Wednesday was directed at the height of the buildings, some of which would stand 10 stories high and block views of the river, the city's chief architect, Alexander Kuzmin, told reporters after the meeting.
Luzhkov took a particular dislike to the cultural center in the shape of an ellipsis.
"Maybe I am getting old," said the mayor, who turned 70 last month, "but that is not Moscow."
Luzhkov spent a good part of the meeting expounding on what he viewed as the design's shortcomings, Klimenko said.
"It was horrible because Luzhkov was telling Foster how to be an architect," he said.
Foster is one of the most famous architects in the world, having designed a pyramid for the Kazakh capital, a "gherkin" for London and a 600-meter-tall building to tower over the Moskva City business district.
After 2 1/2 hours of debate, patience was beginning to wear thin with some people in the audience. Singer Alla Pugachyova walked out early, snarling the word "bored" as she got up.
As she walked out, she showed her exasperation by muttering "rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb" to herself.
Foster will have a month or two to adjust his design, Kuzmin said.
The Rossiya hotel, which is in the process of being knocked down, was once the largest hotel in Europe. The company ST Development won a tender for the site in 2004, bidding $800 million with a plan to build a copy of old Moscow streets.
No completion date was given Wednesday, and no mention was made of the estimated final cost of Foster's project.
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