Steve Almond - thesis work

the irony of fate: Tbilisi's soviet catalyst

As a result of industrial and housing policies from 1921-1991, the Soviet Union achieved extremely high population densities in urban areas. However, by the late stages of the Soviet Era, the aesthetic quality and organizational ethos of Soviet cities revealed themselves to be inadequate for providing high-quality, usable spaces for their inhabitants.

Soviet urban sites like Gldani District suffer from a lack of formal density, appropriate scale, and diverse programs. In order to activate the population that lives on-site and increase its traffic volume, density should be fostered to expedite living and working. The adapted district emphasizes human scale and activity by altering the land use, deriving form and scale from Georgian vernacular, and cultivating a greater sense of temporal opportunity.

For lack of a better characterization, housing from the Soviet era is the most prolific typology in existence. Yet, there are few comprehensive resources and authorities that cover Soviet construction in a manner that is appropriate for such an issue. While the “mythology” of Soviet housing has generated interest in the typology, it lacks the specificity of the origin, technical development, and construction technology both in the 20th century and after. Soviet construction is an almost incomprehensibly gargantuan movement in world history. Yet, exceptionally little information about it and its effects on the populations it was forced upon, could be considered common knowledge, even amongst architects.

This work was selected by UC DAAP faculty to receive the 2023 Orville Simpson Futures Award and was later chosen by conference organizers to be presented at the University of Groningen, the University of Sarajevo, and the Ohio State University as part of research on socialist architectural heritage.

project data:
site area: 1.1 sqm / 3.1 sqkm
gross development (area): ~3 sqm / ~7.75 sqkm
number of levels: 1min. / 17 Max.

use / function:
urban development / revitalization
residential: ~50%
productive and Commercial: ~25%
greenspace: ~10%
cultural: ~10%
academic: ~5%