Architecture without Frontiers

One of the planned projects of your company is the first Hilton Hotel in Russia. How did it happen that architects from Slovakia were given such an assignment?
More than eighteen years ago, I (ĽB) started to work with the renowned Austrian architect’s office Pfaffenbichler. After the foundation of our office, ABJ, we were fully implementing large projects, particularly hospitals, in co-operation with our Austrian contract partners in Austria the result of which were references of our ability to reliably adjust even the most complicated foreign projects. The Austrian developer invited us directly to adjust the Hilton Hotel investment project, from the concept to the implementation documents. Things are running smoothly so far, the European central office of Hilton, in London, approved the entire design and the first piles under the room wing have been driven into the ground already.

The Russian Hilton Hotel will be constructed in the city of Astrakhan. Why there?
It is related to the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the city and related to the state support of construction projects. Sports grounds with a just completed central hall „Zvezdnyj“ for 6,000 spectators is also there and the entire complex is being constructed by our Austrian partners. Hilton Hotel as a private investment is also situated on these sports grounds. A great importance is attributed to this complex, in which Prime Minister Putin visited it just prior to the opening of the hall „Zvezdnyj“.

When we are talking about hotel construction projects that are implemented abroad, there is another large hotel that „passed“ through your hands.
Yes, that was the Intercontinental Hotel situated in the largest Austrian thermal resort Loipersdorf. It was the result of an excellent international co-operation of the renowned London architects Pringle, Brandon and Botchi, the Vienna architect Rossbacher and our ABJ office. The hotel was later renamed „Hotel Loipersdorf Spa & Conference“.

From what countries do your clients and architects, with whom you co-operate, originate? Are the cultural differences noticeable?
We basically come into contact with two language groups – English and German. We both speak English and German, which is important in written communication as well as during negotiations that can last many hours, in the contracts in their language version, etc. Our foreign partners welcome it. Naturally, we can also handle Russian texts. Most of our German speaking partners are Austrians and Germans (arch. Pfaffenbichler, arch. Rossbacher, arch. Schöfl, developer UBM, companies Glöckel, Photonic, Banner, Viessmann, networks Billa and Kaufland), but also Belgians (Massive) or Italians. 
The English speaking partners are London architects such as Pringle & Brandon, Jestico & Whiles, and most recently the progressive Serie Architects and Yashar Architects from Israel. We also entertain working contacts with Czech investors and architects.
We do not perceive the cultural differences too much. We rather see the differences in their views of certain conditions of the creative process. For example, the partners from the southern countries such as Israel, Spain, but also Italy, regard a sunlit room as a negative, and in view of their home country it is more natural for them to prefer having their apartments situated in a shadow. However, in our country we have rules requiring that a part of the dwelling area of each apartment should be sunlit for some time of the day. The same holds for thermal insulation, noise and fire protection. With German speaking partners, these rules are fully clear, in which we evidently operate in one region with mutual influences and conditions.  

;reklama;

You have mentioned large projects in Austria, particularly hospitals. What are their specifics?
They involved the construction of large hospitals characterised by a rather complicated part of building maintenance, layout plans, statics, medicine facilities, etc. Starting from the number of theatres with sterile operation through demanding cardiological intervention rooms, radiological operations – stable and radiation resistant structures, nuclear medicine operations where contaminated waste must be treated separately, etc.  
It is challenging and pleasant work with professionals, among which was a professor from the University of Vienna, a nuclear medicine specialist from England, and of course, managers of hospital wards and professional contractors. 
Hospitals are some of the most demanding construction projects and are often used as a political argument, so that the Austrian Government will investment in these facilities for the public good and the subsequent result is adequate for this effort.

What construction projects do you design in co-operation with foreign partners in the territory of Slovakia?
From the past, we can mention the building of the Czech company Global express, the largest importer of toys and leisure sports equipment, in Bratislava. For the Italians, we designed the military cemetery of the Italian First World War soldiers in Šamorín. From the important implemented projects, we must mention the complex of 10 luxury apartment houses Parkville in Bratislava – Koliba under the development of ORCO and with the architect’s office Jestico & Whiles.
The building of the German company Viessmann won the award “The Building of the Year 2008” for the optimal use of progressive construction materials, products and techniques in the building.  
At present, we are working on a large project of the dwelling zone “Pod vŕškami” in Záhorská Bystrica, which is based on an urban concept from Yashar Architects. With the Serie Architects, we are starting another housing development under the baton of the important Slovak developer Penta Investments, and with the Austrian developer UBM we are preparing further exclusive apartments in Bratislava – Koliba. With the world leading car battery producer Banner, from Austria, we are preparing a factory in Slovakia, and when talking about bricks, we designed the central store in Senec for the Austrian network Billa some time ago.   
We also have good relations with commercial networks wherein we designed many shopping centres for Kaufland, Tesco, Billa, but also for the domestic network Nay elektrodom and Jednota. These projects are also being implemented these days.

The construction of shopping centres is sometimes contemptuously called ephemeral architecture. Do these strictly utility buildings also provide room for creativity?
It is true that the form, layout and expression of these buildings are predetermined and controlled from the central offices of these networks in Germany, Austria or England. These buildings require the dexterity and experience of civil engineers and specialised professions. The architect only co-ordinates the assignment and is active in the communications with authorities and the client. It does happen – not very often – that local authorities require a change or adaptation of a determined scheme, which provides some room for creativity. 
 
The architect’s pa­radises such as in Dubai, where money was wasted and the construction projects were implemented with the sole aim to impress, now have serious economic problems today. What type of architecture is resistant to crisis?
Artificial islands, halls with artificial ski slopes in the subtropics, the highest or other buildings decorated with superlatives have nothing in common with sustainable solutions that are probably the most suitable answer to the challenges of our current period. The first swallows in this sense also appear in our community in the form of the use, or infiltration, of storm-water, the application of green roofs, cooling of buildings by groundwater or heating via heat pumps and the consistent application of the external insulation of buildings. The architects will certainly not solve the current crisis, but they are able, and should help, to enforce these positive trends.    

Architects Bobek Jávorka
Photo: Architects Bobek Jávorka
More info: office@abj.sk, www.abj.sk

Audio/Video

Photogallery