Freedom Quarter in the Symbol Residential District

location
Russia, Moscow
completed
2022-2024
design
2015-2018
site area
6 ha
total area
200 566 m²
number of storeys
5-27
architects
Anton Nadtochiy, Vera Butko, Petr Alimov, Sergey Biryukov, Dmitry Zrazhevsky, Roman Kuzmin, Andrey Sizyuk, Igor Svibovich, Dmitry Khudenkikh, Ilya Zhukov, Nikita Kuchinsky, Vadim Topolev, Alexander Sechenov, Aykaz Papertyan

Construction of the first phase of the Symbol residential district, designed by ATRIUM, began in 2019. This stage became an important point in shaping the architectural language of the entire development. It was in the Freedom quarter that the key principles later developed in subsequent phases were first established: a plastic composition, an expressive silhouette, openness towards the park, and an active public life at ground level.

The first phase comprises five residential buildings of varying heights, located on both sides of the main boulevard — the Green River. This elongated landscaped promenade became the spatial backbone of the quarter, concentrating public areas, amphitheatres, children’s and sports playgrounds, places for recreation and open-air co-working along its length. Thanks to this, from the very first stages of its development the district became a point of attraction for residents of Lefortovo and for the city as a whole.

The planning structure of the Freedom quarter is based on a curvilinear logic. The architecture is constantly changing in perception, revealing itself from different angles and responding both to pedestrian movement and to views from the wider urban perspective. Soft movement trajectories, the absence of rigid orthogonality, and a sequence of unfolding views create a picturesque and emotionally rich environment. Instead of conventional crossroads, small squares emerge, while the residential buildings open out towards the park. At the same time, the courtyards are raised 1–1.5 metres above the level of the public pedestrian paths. This slight change in level works in several ways at once: it creates additional privacy for residents, improves views over the park, and helps establish a more nuanced hierarchy of spaces — from the active public promenade to the more intimate courtyard zones.

The first phase appears stylistically coherent, yet within it a diversity of architectural solutions is embedded. ATRIUM uses two principal building types, ranging from mid-rise buildings to full-fledged 100-metre towers, which step down in height towards the Green River park.

Although this is scarcely felt within the district itself, the territory of the former Serp i Molot plant is partially crossed by the Third Ring Road, which runs through a tunnel in the middle of the site. For the outer perimeter of the quarter, closest to the highway, it was decided to create a brighter and more prominent architectural frontage — this is where the three high-rise towers are located. The original composition of shifted volumes was proposed and realised by WALL bureau, while ATRIUM further developed the project, linking it to the overall design code of the district. One of the defining features became the organically shaped balconies, which continue the dynamic plasticity of the other quarters and help integrate the high-rise volumes into the unified architectural system of Symbol.

drawings