Vladislav Shlenov: Respecting Architecture and History with a Technological Approach
There are many beautiful places in Moscow. A city with such immense respect for its own rich history, this location often prefers the preservation of its native architecture for repurposing rather than demolition and rebuilding. Among the many notable central places in Moscow is the Trekhgornaya Factory, renovated for the Atlas Architectural Bureau. Vladislav Shlenov oversaw the architectural visualization for this project which allowed the buildings to retain their unique identity with an updated purpose. As manager of the team and 3D artist, his skill and creativity empowered this project to a remarkable conclusion. The imagery, including a VR experience, reinforced the approach which was ideal for a modern concept with a respectful preservation. During the Soviet era, this factory served as a manufactory that dealt with fabrics, and today this place has become a modern center with cafes, restaurants and a venue for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. This latest iteration cements that the main structure will endure for quite some time while retaining its own mythical identity.
The best way to convince someone is to let them see things with their own eyes. To convince the owners of the Trekhgornaya factory, the Atlas Bureau hired Mr. Shlenov to create a 3D visualization that conveyed their concept in the most powerful manner. This visualization would include new paving, landscaping, benches, art objects; in a word, a complete rethinking of the spaces between the buildings. Beyond his skillset in creating 3D imagery, Vladislav leaned into his architectural thesis which, through minimal intervention in the architectural appearance, modernized and improved buildings which had fallen into disrepair. His sensibilities perfectly aligned with that of both parties of this project in that he felt a deep respect and affinity for the history of the structures while perceiving this update’s ability to cultivate a new understanding of the environment, new meeting places, and the formation of new communities.
A curt timetable demanded a furious work pace. Drone pilots shot footage over a period of five days which was processed into Capture Reality. The time of day was limited as only a precise period of day allowed the proper lighting for this process. The models were scanned and optimized in low poly, leading to the 3D construction and visualization within the first week. Shlenov was not only involved in managing the entire project from a technical and artistic point of view, but also did a significant part of the work himself.
This project illustrates how technology and those who master it from a creative standpoint, can literally alter the world around us in a more benevolent manner and with a clearer perspective. Using the virtual world to create an experiential one that mimics it will allow us to see if our ideas match the actual outcome before money and time is invested. Mr. Shlenov notes, “I am convinced that this approach will increasingly become a mandatory part of project presentations because those architectural firms that can present their projects this way will gain a competitive advantage. VR was one of the most important components of this presentation. Even if you watch these angles on a screen rather than on VR glasses, it allows you to correctly assess the scale and all the stylistic features of the environment. You literally find yourself inside the object.” He adds, “I am also pleased with the fact that we were able to try out various new formats such as photogrammetry in visualization on a real project. Photogrammetry is literally the digitization of existing objects (their accurate 3D scan), which allows the transfer of these object into the digital environment without distortion. This approach not only allowed us to more easily create visualizations in a very short time frame at a fairly high level but also to find inconsistencies in the architects’ plans, thereby improving the accuracy of the project from a design point of view.”
The work of Vladislav Shlenov will hopefully point us towards a new era when we will hold the creations of the past in high regard to adopt a more responsible and benign implementation of ideas and materials in our lives.
Writer : Calvin Hooney
