Bionic-Constructivist Architectural Symbiosis Part 2: cooperation across two generations

The Lviv Hotel is a characteristic representative of Soviet constructivism in architecture and at the same time a bright phenomenon among other buildings of this era, despite the fact that at the time of its construction the main task of local architects was to adapt the standard project to the existing situation, and the creation of exclusive architectural elements, to put it mildly, was not welcomed (especially if they had a purely aesthetic function). The architects of the project Konsulov Anatoly Dmitrievich and Nivina Ludmila Denisovna nevertheless managed to circumvent these rigid restrictions within the limits of the possible. Konsulov, "responsible" for the aesthetics of the building, created a partly romantic, partly progressive-futuristic image of the complex, primarily due to the many author's details, which turned the standard "Khrushchovka" into a piece of art.
Having thoroughly studied not only the project itself, but also a huge number of sketches created by Konsulov, we come to the obvious conclusion that the pragmatic environment still thoroughly clipped the wings of the author, and most of the ideas either did not pass the approval of the party organs, or crashed into the realities of the Soviet reality, the human factor of performers, the shortage of materials, etc. And the ideas, by the way, not only carried great aesthetic value, rational design and ingenuity, but were frankly prophetic, and not only for functionalism, minimalism, etc., but also for other more romantic and bionic architectural trends. This is especially clear after 65 years.
The first part of this architectural dilogy - the development of the roof of the Lviv Hotel for a respectable segment of hotel apartments (penthouses) - served as a base for the main part of the hotel reconstruction - a large-scale architectural solution for the organization of the courtyard area of the complex (still partially used for chaotic car parking, and for the most part carelessly vacant), the transformation of a huge ownerless space into a luxurious recreational and entertainment zone, taking into account all the needs of hotel visitors, neglected by the hotel's visitors. With the study of these needs and analysis of similar establishments in Lviv and the region (local trends, trends in the hotel business), as well as in the world practice, and began work on the project, as there was no detailed design task with a list of required premises. Thus, a list of mandatory areas was formed, a brief description of which it is logical to start with the entrance group.
So, not having a precise planning concept of the yard, the author starts the zoning process with a logical arrangement of those elements that are technologically necessary and have quite clear dimensions described by the design norms, or due to existing buildings, passages and other factors. Thus, it was necessary to take into account the building of art workshops of the Opera Theater and residential building No. 6B on Kulisha Street, cutting into our plot, fire access to them and other nuances. Since a considerable part of the courtyard currently belongs to the aforementioned house, it is proposed to annex it to the atrium territory, and in return to give the residents free access to the complex, or in general, taking into account the large scale of our object, to buy out the apartments from the residents and to resettle the hotel employees. A small technical courtyard is left for the art workshops and direct access to the second level of the recreation area for the theater staff. The current entrance to the courtyard remains in the same place and is equipped with a guard booth, but now it leads to the underground level located under the entire territory of the complex. The existing technical annexes of the workshops have been moved there. The main purpose of the underground level is car parking, which is so necessary nowadays. At the time of the hotel's construction - 1960. - There was much less traffic and the parking lot was located in the right one-storey wing on Vagova Street, which then belonged to the hotel. The layout of the underground garage is not developed by this project, as it is standard for such premises and is regulated by a grid of reinforced concrete columns 6 x 6 m, which in turn is set by the existing structural system of the hotel building itself and serves as the basis for the structural scheme of the entire atrium. In general, part of the metal structures of the complex rests on the bearing walls, but still the main volume is supported by metal and sometimes wooden columns. The glass covering itself is attached to a system of rafters made of rolled metal of different cross-sections so that the iron framework does not protrude beyond the glazing and from the outside the plastic shape of the glass dune can be read unobstructed, like a single giant sculpture.