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From: "Architexturez." <interface.services@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 11:11:41 +0530
Dream in the Desert
Yury Avvakumov, leader of the so-called "paper architects," is finally
commissioned to design a real building - in the United Arab Emirates.
By Brian Droitcour
Published: February 16, 2007
Yury Avvakumov became a leading figure in Russian architecture by
building communities rather than buildings. In the mid-1980s, he
collected drawings and designs from his peers' studios and curated
exhibitions abroad, reviving the term "paper architecture" to define
their lyrical and imaginative works. More recently, he has led an
initiative to reconstruct and use a languishing gallery at his alma
mater, the Moscow Architectural Institute. His colleagues admire the
intelligent and nuanced interpretations of 1920s Constructivist
architecture in his projects, which, despite having won several
competitions, have never been built.
But now, Avvakumov is finally getting ready for his first stab at
construction. He has been commissioned to build an exhibition pavilion
for a major cultural district in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab
Emirates. The tourist-friendly district -- an attempt to diversify the
economy of a nation highly dependent on oil -- is part of the huge
Saadiyat Island development, which also includes hotels, residences and
office buildings and has a reported price tag of $27 billion.
cont'd....
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/02/16/102.html