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Architects: Goldakovskiy Group Architects
- Area: 495 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Andrey Michailov
Text description provided by the architects. The soviet modernist building is part of the Alexandrivska Hospital complex. The Octo Tower occupies the communication building which was built but never used by its original function, which was to ensure the movement of patients to the upper levels of the landscape where the main hospital activities are situated from the city downtown level.
Also to ensure the descent of patients and hospital staff to the lower level of the landscape, where the entrance to the Klovskaya metro station is located, which was planned to be used as a potential bomb shelter in the event of a nuclear strike from NATO countries during the Soviet era.
The structure of the building consists of two vertical cores of elevators with pedestrian ramps between the floor levels shifted by half a floor height vertically. The interior space of the 30-meter atrium is closed by brick walls from the sides and back of the building and a glass facade from the main entrance overlooking the square.
The reconstruction process aimed to introduce new features into the unexplored space. The new features are several types of cafes, a bakery, a coffee shop, a coworking space, a photo studio, two coffee schools, offices, a lecture hall, summer terraces, and a roof area.
All the necessary engineering systems were re-installed: ventilation, heating, water supply and sewerage, video surveillance and alarm systems. Partially reinforced and re-insulated structures. Roofs and terraces have been constructed. The facades were updated, the glass facade was completely replaced, with full preservation of the original style of the building.
The interiors of the building were designed to preserve the spirit of the place and the original state of the walls, surfaces, and textures. The emphasis was on restoration and preservation, not on bringing something new. In the elevator shafts, engineering systems were placed, as well as bathrooms with a transparent ceiling, opening a futuristic view into the elevator shaft.
Metal bridges were added between the floors to ensure the autonomous functioning of individual zones. An exit was made to the roof, which is used for events. At the same time, young artists working in the modernist tradition were involved to paint the elevator shafts and facades of the building, linking the landscape, city square, building interiors into one whole artistic statement.
The interiors used furniture of Ukrainian manufacturers, created specifically for OCTO TOWER, as well as original Soviet pieces of furniture.
