Vol 1, No 3 (2011)

This article is an attempt to crystallize some thoughts about the place of simplicity in contemporary architecture. The article briefly describes the viewpoint of the avant-garde artist K. Malevich and modern architects J. Pawson, K. Sejima and R. Nishizawa with regard to concept of simplicity and its origin. Some possible ways to achieve simplicity in art and architecture, such as economy and “minimum”, are considered in this article.

The article views the topic of organization of pedestrian spaces and forms the typologie of constituent elements of pedestrian spaces, depending on their function, composition, layout and geometrical parameters, as well as walking. This classification reveals the basic principles of pedestrian spaces in the urban environment.

In article are considered problems of organization of small-scale public space by a principle of «city`s living room», which promotes dialogue between townspeople and introduces sensations of heat, cosiness and security of house conditions in the city environment. Characteristics of «city`s living room» are given and receptions of the organization of such spaces are resulted.

The article deals with retrospective of the development of environmental design and modern positions for including the architecture in contact zone environment. The concept of the contact zone is proposed. The principles of harmonization of human and natural environment are formulated, and on this basis, three main planning models of harmonious inclusion of an architectural object in the environment are defined.

The solution of the social-oriented goals of architectural design of a residential group is focused on the creation of the residential environment of group as sustainable sociospatial complex, meet the scale of the human personality and its activities, providing psychological comfort of residents. In the article defined a number of design principles house on the basis of the various indicators of comfort.

With the help of social and functional studies implemented in the region the influence of Samara and Togliatti in the adjacent territories on the basis of attendance of villages by urban residents and and vice versa is studied. Centers of gravity of inter-settlement links are determined. With the help of social and functional studies strong and weak points of the sintering process are found and the decision aimed at improving the agglomeration effect is proposed.

In article the analysis of functional zoning of coastal territories of big cities of the Volga region which shows is carried out that at various planning schemes of cities key positions in a lay-out of coastal zones occupy demanded functions (inhabited, recreational, public, industrial), and also ways of their further development are outlined.

The article deals with the history of international charters and other documents written to give an international framework for the preservation and restoration of the cultural and architectural heritage. The main tendencies of urban development are described in the article, only those that influenced the policies of historic city core preservation.

The author has investigated the usage of information terminology and has made the review of the practical design with the use of interactive information technology in modern and future urban planning. Such concepts as interactivity or grid-technologies aren't perceived separately from the art of architecture, so far as it concerns the creation of the urbanized space answering a technogenic level of community development. The existing examples of digital elements usage in urban planning raise the living standards of urban population. It supports the basic principles of sustainable development. Thus, the interactive urban space conception is current for the architecture of information society.

The results of investigating structural solution and building materials of exhibition pavilions of Great Britain taken at different epochs are presented in this article. Features of architectural formation of exhibition pavilion demonstrate the application of new building materials and constructions. There is presented the development building technology trends, which find the further application in the world architecture. Innovative architectural methods, the unusual thing of setting and forms of pavilions show the achievements of Great Britain in such areas as science, culture, technology and building materials at its best.

In this article the problem of organization the integrity of the object spatial environment is considered on the example of the traditional culture of the peasants of the Russian North. In the organization of the environment we can see a clear correlation between the ethical cultural codex and designed principles. The problem of the modern culture is in using only external aesthetic principles without the ethic ones. The examples of traditional culture present a methodological base for construction the model of the entire approach for the environment designing.

The article dwells on the concept of binary model of professional method of architect to the level of confrontation of the two approaches. The separation method allows the opposition to «rewire» a holistic model of the method, based on the interest of the «golden mean» and the beauty of«natural forms».

Analytical gathering of various techniques in the field of forecasting of clothes, fashion is presented. Methods are based on cyclic law and represent value for economy in the field of clothes manufacture.