CHURCH COMPLEX CONCEPT DESIGN IN KURKINO, MOSCOW
Project: Church complex concept design
Site location: Kurkino, Moscow
Project Supervisor: Dmitry Ostroumov
Architects: Polina Askarova, Dmitry Lysyj, Anastasia Koshevaya, Dmitry Ostroumov
3D Artist: Georgiy Goncharov
Year: 2025
Site location: Kurkino, Moscow
Project Supervisor: Dmitry Ostroumov
Architects: Polina Askarova, Dmitry Lysyj, Anastasia Koshevaya, Dmitry Ostroumov
3D Artist: Georgiy Goncharov
Year: 2025
Brief Description of the Site
The church complex site in honour ofSaint Michael the Archangel is located in the Kurkino municipal district within the North-Western Administrative Okrug of Moscow. Physical address is at Sokolovo-Meshcherskaya street, Vladeniye (premise) 8 and 10. Total land area stands at 0,37 ha and 0,39 ha respectively. Vladeniye 8 features an active church of Saint Alexander Nevsky.
Site Boundaries:
—The southern boundary is adjacent to Rodionovskaya street.
—The western side borders the Sokolovo-Meshcherskaya street.
—The eastern and northern sides face the intra-block driveway.
The terrain of the site is flat and level, with no significant elevation differences.
Site Boundaries:
—The southern boundary is adjacent to Rodionovskaya street.
—The western side borders the Sokolovo-Meshcherskaya street.
—The eastern and northern sides face the intra-block driveway.
The terrain of the site is flat and level, with no significant elevation differences.
The site plan scale, 1:2000
The Site Layout Plan
According to the project, the main church, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, is connected to a basilica-style church by a passage-café. The planning axis of the basilica is oriented west-east with an 18° deviation to the south, determined by the site’s distinctive geometrical features.
Vehicle access is provided from the western side, at the Sokolovo-Meshcherskaya and Rodionovskaya streets intersection. The main parking areas, including spaces for people with limited mobility, are located at the site’s southern side. The urban area adjacent to the western border also includes a parking space.
A circular driveway (4.2 meters wide) is located around the site’s perimeter and is organised for processions and emergency vehicle access. Land improvement includes planting lawns and flower beds.
Vehicle access is provided from the western side, at the Sokolovo-Meshcherskaya and Rodionovskaya streets intersection. The main parking areas, including spaces for people with limited mobility, are located at the site’s southern side. The urban area adjacent to the western border also includes a parking space.
A circular driveway (4.2 meters wide) is located around the site’s perimeter and is organised for processions and emergency vehicle access. Land improvement includes planting lawns and flower beds.
Architectural Solutions
The space-planning composition of the church complex is formed of structures of various heights and functional purposes. The architecture is based on a synthesis of Romanesque and Byzantine traditions, reinterpreted and modernised.
The architecture of the main church is designed in the Romanesque style. It is distinctive in its massiveness, simple forms, and minimal ornamentation, thus emphasising shapes and materials. The load-bearing material is brick; natural stone lines the facework, and slate tiles are used for the roof cladding. The church plan is based on a traditional layout, highlighting expressive horizontal and vertical lines on the facades. The windows are narrow and elongated. Arched niches, half a brick deep, add a sense of volume and flow to the facades.
The basilica-style church is built in the Byzantine tradition with a longitudinal layout. It is a frame building with Corten steel and natural stone -clad facades. The tiered arrangement of windows creates a distinct rhythm: the lowest windows are the longest, gradually decreasing in size with each ascending tier.
The load-bearing material of the café-passage is brick; facework includes plaster and steel elements.
The architecture of the main church is designed in the Romanesque style. It is distinctive in its massiveness, simple forms, and minimal ornamentation, thus emphasising shapes and materials. The load-bearing material is brick; natural stone lines the facework, and slate tiles are used for the roof cladding. The church plan is based on a traditional layout, highlighting expressive horizontal and vertical lines on the facades. The windows are narrow and elongated. Arched niches, half a brick deep, add a sense of volume and flow to the facades.
The basilica-style church is built in the Byzantine tradition with a longitudinal layout. It is a frame building with Corten steel and natural stone -clad facades. The tiered arrangement of windows creates a distinct rhythm: the lowest windows are the longest, gradually decreasing in size with each ascending tier.
The load-bearing material of the café-passage is brick; facework includes plaster and steel elements.
Design Solutions
The complex has a three-part planning structure.
The main church has a traditional layout and includes a spacious sacristy in the altar area. A designated area along the path of the communicants is provided for table placement and brief stops. The crucifix and a place for confession are located in the southern chapel. The western side consists of benches and a bookstore.
The basilica is supplemented with auxiliary rooms, including a multifunctional hall with transformable partitions. This hall serves both as a refectory and a space for various events.
The café, equipped with a kitchen that serves both the refectory and the café, acts as a connecting element between the main and temporary churches. Like the other rooms, it has an exit to the inner courtyard.
Thus, the architecture of the complex serves not only as a functional space for worship and parish life, but also as a visual embodiment of the two powerful traditions unified: Romanesque, characterised by its simplicity and authenticity of materials, conveying an upward aspiration despite its grounded massiveness, and Neo-Byzantine, which emphasises development along the horizontal temporal axis.
The main church has a traditional layout and includes a spacious sacristy in the altar area. A designated area along the path of the communicants is provided for table placement and brief stops. The crucifix and a place for confession are located in the southern chapel. The western side consists of benches and a bookstore.
The basilica is supplemented with auxiliary rooms, including a multifunctional hall with transformable partitions. This hall serves both as a refectory and a space for various events.
The café, equipped with a kitchen that serves both the refectory and the café, acts as a connecting element between the main and temporary churches. Like the other rooms, it has an exit to the inner courtyard.
Thus, the architecture of the complex serves not only as a functional space for worship and parish life, but also as a visual embodiment of the two powerful traditions unified: Romanesque, characterised by its simplicity and authenticity of materials, conveying an upward aspiration despite its grounded massiveness, and Neo-Byzantine, which emphasises development along the horizontal temporal axis.
Project Rendering
