Reconstruction project of the central part of Novosibirsk

​The design project of reconstruction of the central part of Novosibirsk by Mikhail Pirogov, 1965 

​In this development, Mikhail Pirogov applied several types of high-rise buildings combined from the simplest geometric shapes (parallelepipeds). The laconic architecture embodies the principles of Soviet post-war modernism and echoes the projects of radical urbanism of Le Corbusier and Hilberseimer. 

Pirogov’s project differs in terms of the greater degree of spontaneity and irregularity, corresponding to the Siberian notions of irregular development of territories. The Л-shaped buildings grouped behind the Opera Theater and larger in size, generate associations with the designs of ‘northern pyramids’ by Alexander Shipkov or are perceived as a free interpretation of the shapes of the Book Buildings of Moscow’s Novy Arbat Street, meaning a turnover and excessive use. The project provided pragmatic solutions, like the relocation of the administrative and business center and a change to the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway and its location in an underground tunnel, as well as a new approach to architecture. The re-planning project may be considered as a basis for the subsequent design and construction of the buildings of the River Station and the region’s Legislative Assembly by Mikhail Pirogov.