Railway station «Novosibirsk – central station».

 

 

The year of 1932 – the turning point in the development of Soviet architecture – drastically affected the two biggest construction projects in Novosibirsk – the buildings of the railway station and the theatre of opera and ballet. Their construction was protracted for many years. Novosibirsk Railway Station is one of the biggest in the country and the biggest in Siberia. 45 conceptual designs of Novosibirsk Railway Station were submitted to the 1929 national competition organized by MAO (Moscow Architectural Society). 12 of them won prizes. Architect Nikolay G. Voloshinov won the first prize, but his design was subjected to harsh criticism at an exhibition in Novosibirsk in july 1930. The municipal layout committee voiced dissatisfaction with the building's architecture and stated that the construction in project is more like a box construction for industrial buildings, than a railway station for passengers. Further work on the project was entrusted to Kiev division of Giprotrans (Kogiprotrans), which introduced substantial changes in the volume layout structure, but preserved the stylistics of Constructivism. The building's foundations were laid in accordance with Kogiprotrans project. However, very soon monolithic, reinforced concrete frame construction, flat roofs and the building's architectural look itself raised doubts among the technical administration of the «Sibstroiput» trust that was commissioned to construct the railway station. Project revision started again, and then «Sibstroiput» passed on to Boris A.Gordeev a corrective preliminary design for the railroad station. The Vesnins, the renowned brothers-architects, wrote in their review of Boris A.Gordeev and Sergei P.Turgenev's project of Novosibirsk railway station that «the difficult task of finding the architectural form of a new Soviet station is happily resolved». But Boris A.Gordeev and Sergei P.Turgenev's project was also reconsidered and changed again and again. A competition was also held for the external architecture of the building. As a result, the building received eclectic decoration. A monumental decoration with half columns of an exaggerated Tuscan order and an arched window plays a leading role in the façade. Apart from the symbolic meaning of «the city gate», the arch also reflects the constructive lay-out solution to the building: the ticket office is covered with a vault-shell of monolithic reinforced concrete. Engineer Nikolay V. Nikitin designed the unique cylindrical shell with an internal caisson finishing. Under Nikolai G. Voloshinov's original concept, the building was to be one of the first railroad stations in the world built according to a scheme for a coordinated layout of an elongated railroad station with a transverse upper portion. Cincinnati Railway Station in the USA is based on a similar scheme. This design approach allowed passengers to descend to the platforms only once upon boarding, which is not only convenient, but also meets station maintenance requirements. But, unfortunately, the novel scheme was not realized. Spacious waiting rooms, ticket offices, a restaurant, roomy luggage offices, as well as the system of staircases, tunnels, passages and viaducts contribute to passengers' convenience.

 

 

In the 1990s the Chinese construction company «Tsitsikarsky Dorstroitrest» reconstructed and repaired the building to the project by architects Alexander Z. Gaidukov, E. Pochivalov and engineer A. Rosumenko.

Vocabulary

 

turning point – поворотный момент

drastically – решительно

to protract – тянуть, затягивать, медлить

harsh –грубый, жесткий

to entrust – поручать, уполномочивать

substantial – существенный

preliminary – предварительный

exaggerated – увеличивать

vault-shell – сводчатая оболочка

elongated – растянутый

transverse – поперечный

roomy – вместительный

Exercises

 

I. Try to translate the following words without using a dictionary:

Conceptual, criticism, municipal, project, industrial, monolithic, administration, symbolic, cylindrical, tunnel, viaduct.

 

II. Define the part of speech of the following words:

Drastically, construction, biggest, conceptual, architectural, industrial, monolithic, technical, corrective, external, symbolic, requirement.

III. Answer the following questions:

1.What year is considered to be the turning point in the development of Soviet architecture?

2. Is Novosibirsk Railway Station one of the biggest in the country?

3. When was national competition organized by MAO?

4. Who won the first prize?

5. Why didn't the municipal layout committee adopt the Voloshinov's design?

6. Where was further work on the project entrusted to?

7. Was the Kogiprotrans design adopted?

8. What kind of decoration did the building of Novosibirsk Railway Station

receive as a result?

9. What kind of order was used in the façade?

10. What is the ticket office covered with?

11. What American city has a similar scheme of a railway station?

12. What company reconstructed the building in 1990s?

IV. Complete the following sentences:

1. The year of 1932 … affected the two biggest construction projects in Novosibirsk.

2. Their construction was … for many years.

3. The municipal layout committee voiced …with the building's architecture.

4. Kogiprotrans introduced …changes in the volume layout structure.

5. A competition was also held for the … architecture of the building.

6. A …decoration with half columns of an …Tuscan order and an …window plays a leading role in the façade.

7. The ticket office is covered with a …of monolithic reinforced concrete.

8. Engineer Nikolay V. Nikitin designed the unique …shell with an …caisson finishing.

9. This design approach allowed passengers to …to the platforms only once upon boarding.

 

V. Find the false sentences and correct them:

1. The year of 1942 is the turning point in the development of Soviet architecture.

2. Novosibirsk Railway Station is the biggest one in the country.

3. Voloshinov's design was adopted at an exhibition in Novosibirsk in july 1930.

4. Further work on the project was entrusted to Kiev division of Giprotrans (Kogiprotrans).

5. As a result, the building received eclectic decoration.

6. A monumental decoration with half columns of an exaggerated Composite order and an arched window plays a leading role in the façade.

7. Engineer Nikolay V. Nikitin designed the unique spherical shell with an internal caisson finishing.

8. The design approach allowed passengers to descend to the platforms twice upon boarding.

9. This novel scheme was successfully realized.

10. In the 1990s the Turkish construction company reconstructed and repaired the building.

VI. Translate the following expressions from Russian into English:

§ железнодорожный вокзал

§ первая премия

§ промышленные здания

§ в соответствии с

§ рамная конструкция

§ плоская кровля

§ в результате

§ ворота города

§ зал ожидания

§ камера хранения

 

VII. Find in the text the synonyms to the following words:

crucial moment; contest; site plan; displeasure; devolve; survey; besides; go down; spacious.

VIII. Retell the text.