Translated material
Like smeared with honey
The Manege building requires new renovation
Moscow builders can use the example of the Manege central exhibition hall building to very clearly confirm the popular wisdom that repairs cannot be completed, but can only be stopped temporarily. The fact that the Manezh, which even after a major fire and complete reconstruction in 2004-2005 retained the status of an architectural monument, is again in need of repair, was reported yesterday by RIA Novosti, citing an informed source in the capital's mayor's office. Moreover, tens of millions of rubles will again need to be spent on repair work in the exhibition hall near the Kremlin walls, where, among other things, a honey fair is regularly held, patronized by the mayor of Moscow.It is noteworthy that only five years after the opening of the Manege, restored after the fire, did officials discover significant shortcomings in the operation of the ventilation system. Allegedly, it was because of this that cracks appeared on the wooden trusses, “copied” from the design of the architect Augustin de Betancourt. As the mayor's office explained, small cracks appeared in the wooden rafters of the floor because during the reconstruction of the monument no one thought about the operating conditions of laminated wood structures. “When the Manezh was being restored after the fire, everyone was concerned about installing ventilation and air conditioning systems, which were supposed to save the monument from constant dampness. At the same time, no one thought that excessively dry air could have a detrimental effect on the condition of wooden structures,” RIA Novosti quotes the official as saying. Let us recall that the rafter design, invented by Betancourt at the beginning of the 19th century, covered the Manege building without internal supports - the trusses rested only on the outer walls. It was this design, which for a long time remained the only one of its kind, that was the architectural calling card of the Manege, and after the fire in the spring of 2004, the capital’s authorities tried to reproduce this architectural solution, but using modern technologies.
True, even then restoration techniques provoked protests. As architect-restorer Dmitry Kulchinsky complained then, the remains of the unique cast-iron components and fastenings that held the trusses before the fire were simply taken to a landfill. Meanwhile, in his opinion, they were also of architectural value, since they made it possible to restore at least one working Betancourt farm to its original form. “Each truss of the Moscow Manege, built by Betancourt, was like a violin that had to be tuned,” Mr. Kulchinsky explained. The architect noted the design features, in which wooden spans were fastened in cast iron sockets. In the summer, when the metal expanded, these nests had to be tightened with bolts, and in winter, on the contrary, they had to be loosened.
Now the capital's officials have to prevent further destruction of the wood of the new floors. The mayor's office notes that so far the cracks are “minor” and do not threaten the safety of the building. However, “to avoid further aggravation of the situation, it is necessary to install a special air humidification system in the Manege.” In addition, city officials recalled that, trying to restore the monument as quickly as possible, the restorers chose “not very high-quality material” for the floor covering. After all, the fire that destroyed the monument occurred on the day of the presidential elections - March 14, 2004. And the exhibition hall opened in April 2005. Now the tiled floor, cracked during use, is planned to be replaced with a porcelain stoneware covering.
Apparently, repair work in Manege can begin in the very near future. At least the mayor's office claims that funds for the reconstruction of this exhibition hall are provided for in the targeted investment program of the department of road, bridge and engineering construction this year. The entire project is scheduled for two years. It is expected that measures to replace floors and ensure standard humidity levels for the operating environment of the Manege’s long-span structures will cost approximately 120 million rubles.
Let us recall that the complete reconstruction of the burned building cost the city, according to various sources, more than $25 million. The total area of the building was increased due to underground floors to approximately 12 thousand square meters. m. The Hall of the Manege is designed in a modern high-tech style. To connect the underground and above-ground exhibition levels, four escalators and two passenger elevators were installed along with the stairs.
The Moscow mayor's office explains the need for new expenses for Manezh by the fact that in the rush for repairs, “it was difficult to foresee all the nuances of operation.” Representatives of the legislative branch of the capital's government also agree with this - after the fire, “it was necessary to very quickly put the building in order and partially mothball it,” noted Mikhail Moskvin-Tarkhanov, chairman of the Moscow City Duma commission on long-term urban planning and development, in a conversation with a Vremya Novostei correspondent. According to him, five years ago more attention was paid to underground work, and finishing and landscaping were “made simpler.” Now, apparently, city planners have decided to make up for lost time. Even in the conditions of current financial instability, the deputy believes, “120 million on a city scale is not money.” In addition, according to Mr. Moskvin-Tarkhanov, during the time that elapsed after the opening of the renovated central exhibition hall, so many people visited the Manege that the floor covering was simply trampled.
However, architect-restorer Dmitry Kulchinsky, in a conversation with a Vremya Novostey correspondent, was surprised that just five years after the start of operation of the new building, they were talking about “such constructive things” as the destruction of supporting structures. “This could have been avoided. Well, the facades were done hastily, in the winter,” noted Mr. Kulchinsky, who recalled that the previous farms had stood for at least 100 years. Mr. Kulchinsky, who restored the Manezh in 1957, when the building, which served as a garage for government cars after the revolution, again became an exhibition hall, notes that for him it is a “sick object.” Because the Manege, according to the architect, was not only destroyed by fire, but also “mutilated” during reconstruction, both inside and outside.