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#Інтерв'ю 25.03.2019

Yuri Belikov about an ideal city

The famous Ukrainian architect of the Belyazh design bureau, Yuriy Belikov, talks about the inner walls, the ideal city and working life in Odessa.

About the Beletazh design studio

Our design studio is twenty years old. We were founded in November-December 1993 – we celebrated our anniversary last year.

When we started, we had only a few people in the team. But over time, the studio grew, expanded, expanded. We got new orders, and with them new complexity of work.

Our bureau has always been and is engaged in architecture and design. We have never made a big difference between these directions – both refer to the space in which a person lives, therefore, they are completely and completely interconnected.

We have always been “omnivorous” in terms of the work we do: interiors, urban planning, village planning, construction of public buildings, schools, medical and sports facilities, restaurants, and so on.

Workflows

My usual day looks like this: in the morning, a mandatory sport – cycling or running, after the planning meeting, field supervision and construction control, then work in the studio with architects and colleagues, and only after all of the above – rest.

But if you return to work again, then you need to understand the main stages of the development of the object. First, we discuss with the customer what we can do and work only with space.

Next, we work out our idea in detail. It is at this stage that you can always find a piece of pleasant and tasty moments for creativity. But the largest part of an architect’s work is a careful study of the building material – glass, materials for finishing walls, floors, facades, pieces of furniture, decor – all this needs to be thoroughly worked out and checked.

About architecture and cities

Architect is an international and international profession. The dialogue of form, color, space, structure is understandable without knowledge of the language and culture of a particular country.

In terms of architecture, the most typical Ukrainian city is Kiev, Odessa is imperial, Lviv is Polish-Austrian, and Crimea is generally a tourist colonial resort.

About inspiration

I am always inspired by travel and acquaintance with the architecture of other countries. Traveling, I always gain inspiration and desire to work with even greater strength and dedication. For example, I permanently want to return to Italy for its atmosphere.

If we talk about books, then I advise you to read the books of Le Corbusier or the lectures of Walter Gropius. This is a very useful literature for both beginners and architects with experience.

Meters of architecture and design are very close to me – Norman Foster, Frank Lloyd Rike. From modern – Richard Rogers, Zaha Hadid. But one of the most beloved architects is the greatest Frank Gehry.

About interior walls

Most often, we are not affected by the interior or any other external space, but by the internal walls that we build ourselves.

For eight hours we sleep in our bedroom, for another eight we are at work, then friends or family circle and so on all over again. We are not affected by cities, everything depends only on the architecture that we construct inside ourselves.

When I’m tense, I listen to music – classical or jazz. I love Sergei Prokofiev, Ludwig van Beethoven, Edward Grieg and Modest Mussorgsky.

On cooperation with Manezh

This company helps us perfectly in terms of solving certain problems that modern architecture faces – creating a comfortable environment, decorating a demi-season space, protecting from sunlight, wind, rain.

Manezh.ua has very effective sun protection systems for terraces, gazebos or other outdoor recreation areas – we were repeatedly rescued by awnings, reflexoles and pergolas. I want to say a big thank you to the company for high-quality designs, comfort and their help in complementing home or restaurant furnishings.

About your favorite city

An architect always has a critical mindset that does not allow choosing a favorite city or country. Every working architect dreams of building his own city.

Naturally, I would create a city by the sea – it is extremely important for me that from one side I can see the horizon line. When the field-forest-hills around me, I immediately start to get lost. And when I see the horizon, I immediately feel where we have a real horizontal and the starting point of the top and bottom.

The ideal city for me is five hundred thousand people, well-thought-out urbanism, theaters, no traffic jams and no pollution of the environment. Architecture in building a city is a secondary matter, with which one person cannot cope – a team is needed here.

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