Pulkovo Airport Terminal in Leningrad is a Masterpiece of Domestic Modernism

Lebedeva Natalia Ivanovna ORCID: 0000-0001-9095-9060 PhD in History Chief Specialist, Art Critic, LLC "NIiPI" Special Restoration " 195299, Russia, 890770 region, 890770, ul. Kirishskaya, 2A, of. ch. room 4H 38.2. stephania_l@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Zhuk Aleksandr Evgen'evich ORCID: 0000-0003-1496-2836 Associate Professor, Higher School of Design and Architecture, Civil Engineering Institute of St. Petersburg State University 195251, Russia, Saint Petersburg region, Saint Petersburg, Politechnicheskaya str., 29, of. auditorium 301 zhuk_ae@spbstu.ru Other publications by this author

The Pulkovo Airport Terminal complex in Leningrad – St. Petersburg is one of the symbols of the Hero City and its main air gates. This object is a communication hub of the city and the world transport system, showing the world the level of development of the country and the culture of the city. The airport, which was part of the Leningrad subaglomeration, became one of its most important parts in the process of spatial formation and unique structuring of the metropolitan St. Petersburg agglomeration.

The study of the history of the design, construction and existence of a remarkable object of cultural heritage of the Soviet era was caused by the threat of its demolition during the expansion of the modern terminal at Pulkovo airport.

The purpose of this study is to trace the dynamics of improving the functional and figurative characteristics of the architecture of the building on the basis of historical, cultural, visual and functional analysis.

The research methodology is based on historical-chronological, structural-functional and semiotic approaches. Due to a certain limited limitation of sources, our research assumes a detailed historiographical review with quoting the most significant and competent opinions of specialists in this field of knowledge.

The research was conducted in the archives, libraries and museums of St. Petersburg. The main source of information were articles published in the journal "Construction and Architecture of Leningrad" for the years 1966-1975, documents and photographs from published publications and collections of TSGANTD St. Petersburg, TSGAKFFD St. Petersburg, the Aviation Museum, the Museum of the History of the city of St. Petersburg. The project of the facade of the Pulkovo airport terminal and three graphic sheets by M. Verzhbitsky with sketches of interiors were found by us in the funds of the St. Petersburg State Medical Museum^[5]. The drawings of the building structures and other materials stored in the TSANTD of St. Petersburg give an idea of the complexity of the implementation of the architects' idea ^[26-29].

The description and drawings of the terminal and satellite in Leningrad are given in the fundamental monographs of E.B. Novikova "Interior of public buildings. Artistic Problems" ^[18] and "Modern Soviet Architecture 1955-1980" edited by N.P. Bylinkin and A.V. Ryabushkin ^{[23, pp. 148-150]}.

The terminal is also mentioned in books on the history of aviation, where its photographs are also given ^[13-16].

Of particular value are the memories of architect Evgeny Alexandrovich Zhuk about the design and construction of the airport, graphic sheets and photographic materials from his personal collection.

The planning solution contained many innovations aimed at improving passenger service. The construction was based on the concept of a single central space of the operating room, which is based on five reinforced concrete mushroom-shaped supports ending with light lanterns. They became the main architectural theme of the entire structure, forming the interior of the main hall, the volumetric space and the characteristic silhouette of the entire building.

The architectural community considers this building to be one of the best projects carried out in the USSR in the 1970s, and perhaps the most outstanding representative of late modernism that has survived to this day.

CHRONICLE OF THE CREATION OF THE AIRPORT

1. Leningrad airport terminal from the side of the airfield. Published: Speransky S. B., Pribulsky A. I. The airport terminal is a unique structure. Features of its architectural and design solutions. // Construction and architecture of Leningrad. - 1973. No. 8 August. - p. 6.

The construction of the airfield, and then the main airport of Leningrad, was provided for by the development of the city in the southern direction. This trend is most clearly reflected in the first version of the General Plan of the city of the early 1930s. According to the General Plan, the territory was supposed to be built up to the Pulkovo Observatory. But the concept of the development of Leningrad in the mid-30s has changed, so the construction of the Pulkovo Mountain is carried out only at the moment.

In February 1931, near the village of Kamenka, the construction of the Civil Air Fleet Institute (GVF), an air city and an airfield was started. The airport received the name "Highway" from the nearby railway platform (now the "Airport" platform). The airport's birthday is officially considered June 24, 1932 ^[7].

In the mid-1960s, the design began in the workshop of A.V. Zhuk LenNIIproekt, and since 1969 the construction of a new airport. The author of the concept of the structure is A.V. Zhuk, an artist-architect, a full member of the Academy of Arts and the International Academy of Architecture, an Honorary member of the Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences, People's Architect of the USSR, professor.

On February 8, 1971, Leningrad Airport was awarded the Order of the October Revolution ^[15]. In this and the following years, a new runway (now 10L/28R) with a length of about 3,400 meters was created, the terminal of the future Pulkovo Airport is being built ^[14].

The passengers of the night flight from April 24 to April 25, 1973 heard for the first time the new name of the Leningrad airport — Pulkovo. And a few days later, in May, a new terminal-1 of Pulkovo Airport was opened.

In the mid-1960s - early 1970s, dozens of air terminals were put into operation in the country. But the new Leningrad Airport was the largest and had unique features. The planning solution provided for a complete separation of arriving and departing passengers. All functional areas were located in three levels of a single central space of the operating room with a width of 50 m and a length of 135 m, open in both directions - to the entrance area and to the airfield. The basis of this single space are five reinforced concrete mushroom-shaped supports, ending with light lanterns. They became the main architectural theme of the entire structure, forming the interior of the main hall, the volumetric space and the characteristic silhouette of the entire building. The access overpass framing the station square, strongly extended canopies over the entrances, a clear rhythm of the hinged panels and inclined slabs-cornices above them give a parade to the whole structure ^[23]. 

The departure hall was located on the second floor of the building. The overpass, along which buses, taxis and cars drove in, led just to the doors of this hall. The hall was both an operating room (there were reception desks in it) and a waiting room. On the ground floor there was an arrival hall with baggage collection.

Later, satellites appeared on the airfield: structures that were used as storage devices. They were connected to the main terminal by underground passages, which were equipped with travelators. The tunnel from the terminal to the satellites was built by an open method - the builders had to dig up the airfield in front of the terminal.

The control tower was also located on the airfield.

In the late 1970s, construction of a new runway (now 10R/28L) with a length of 3780 meters will begin, which will enter service in 1983.

On February 3, 2015, the legendary Pulkovo-1 building was opened after reconstruction. It is connected to the main building of the centralized passenger terminal by a transitional gallery and is intended for servicing domestic flights on departure and arrival. Currently, the interior of the main hall has been greatly changed: it is divided into separate rooms for registration and inspection.

Since we only had access to published design drawings and technical documentation from TSGANTD SPb, we will refer to the publications of leading domestic architectural journals.

Initial draft

2. Leningrad Airport terminal. Layout from the platform side. Published by: Yavein I. G. Leningrad, airport terminal. // Construction and architecture of Leningrad. - 1966. No. 5. - S.

The project was developed in workshop No. 13 of the Lenproject Institute. The authors are architects A.V. Zhuk, G. M. Vlanin and J. M. Verzhbitsky with the participation of architect V. N. Semenovskaya. The engineering sections of the project were developed under the guidance of engineers N. V. Maksimov and Zh. Ya. Leiv.

The new terminal was supposed to be southwest of the existing one. It is planned to lay a wide access road to it. At the junction of this road to the highway, a traffic interchange is being designed in two levels.

The first response to the design materials of the new Leningrad airport was a review by the Head of the Northern Civil Aviation Department of the USSR N. G. Porfirov ^[21].

The aviator noted that this building should be modern in the best sense of the word and at the same time carry features that connect it with the architectural traditions of the "wonderful city on the Neva".

N. G. Porfirov stated that "the building of the new airport terminal will really be a ceremonial structure at the city's air gates, very individual in its architectural and compositional solution, at the same time it does not contradict the general architectural style of Leningrad, the terminal is beautiful, spacious, everything in it is expedient. There is a clear technical calculation, which, however, does not suppress the artistic thought of the authors. They managed, despite the large length (227 m) and relatively small height (12 m) of the building, to give it elegance and lightness."

They highlighted the main innovation: "The planning solution of the building allows for the first time in world practice to implement a universal triple system for delivering passengers to airplanes and from the airfield to the train station. It will be possible to get on the plane in one of the following ways: either by a double-decker bus-salon directly from the gallery of the second floor, or by motor transport plying the platform, or by going down the escalator into the tunnel leading to the landing place.

In addition, from the gallery on the second floor it will be possible to descend the stairs to the avanperron and enter the plane here."

A professional analysis of the project was carried out by a leading specialist in the field of railway station construction I. G. Yavein in the article "Leningrad, airport terminal" ^[31]. Recall that Igor Yavein is the author of a remarkable avant-garde project of the Leningrad airport terminal, which participated in the 1936 competition (II prize at the All-Union Competition). Professor Yavein conducts a comparative analysis with the experience of building the largest airports in the world and on this basis gives advice to designers.

The author pointed out that simultaneously with the construction of the airport terminal, the composition of the forecourt with the buildings of a 500-seat hotel and a dispensary for flight personnel is being formed in general terms. In the first version of the master plan, these buildings were planned to be placed at a short distance from each other on both sides of the road, in order to create a kind of propylaea at the entrance to the square. In the second variant, the high buildings of the hotel and dispensary are placed so widely that the entire facade of the new terminal will be revealed from the road leading to the airport.

At a distance of about 600 m from the station, the road splits, goes, covering the buildings of the hotel and dispensary, and flows into the square not along its axis, as in the original version, but in one of the corners, from where the entire front of the facade of the passenger building with entrance ramps and an overpass will be perceived in the most advantageous angle.

Entrances were planned in two levels. In the upper level — on the overpass for transport with departing passengers. In the lower level there is an arrival platform and numerous parking lots for vehicles.

Such a system of distribution of entrances to the station allows you to clearly dissect the passenger flows of arrival and departure and clearly organize the movement of transport on the square. This technique gives the whole composition a parade. It is recommended in the literature on the construction of railway stations and was found in the projects of Yavein himself. In domestic practice, this technique was planned to be implemented on such a scale for the first time.

The departure ramp running along the entire facade of the building allows you to organize an extensive covered arrival platform in the lower level.

The reviewer noted that the location of taxi and bus stands on the square opposite the exits from the station is the best and most convenient. The main thing from the point of view of I. Yavein, the project laid the right foundation for the organization of the square, designed to create a bright, memorable impression.

Two aprons were provided in the airport complex; the near one, located along the facade facing the field, and the far one, spaced at a considerable distance.

"... the new Leningrad airport will differ favorably from others in that it will be able to use three types of passenger delivery to aircraft: at the second floor level — salon-buses; at the level of the airfield — micro-trains, as well as through underground tunnels — to satellite pavilions. Despite some difficulties caused by the organization of three ways of delivering passengers to and from airplanes, the designers managed to achieve a clear separation of passenger flows of departure and arrival in the building. The routes of individual groups of passengers between the square and the platform are laid along the shortest distance" ^[31].

The layout composition of the terminal is based on the scheme of symmetrical grouping of premises.

The center of the building is reserved for the complex of departure premises.

On both sides of it there are groups of arrival rooms, and behind them — the international communications sector, a restaurant, transit passenger rooms, front rooms, service and service rooms.

The compositional center of the terminal's interior becomes the departure operating room, which is adjacent to and into the space of which waiting rooms, halls, buffets and transit passenger rooms located at different levels are opened, connected by picturesquely arranged open staircases and passages. Thus, a rich spatial composition is created in the interior, which, among other things, contributes to the good orientation of passengers in the building.

Unlike the operating rooms of the three new Moscow air terminals, oriented towards the forecourt, the operating room in the proposed project will be opened towards both the square and the airfield.

Due to the large depth of the room, it is planned to install round light rings-drums with a diameter of 12 m in the covering of the hall, which will provide uniform illumination and enrich the interior.

The other two compositional centers of the terminal interior are the arrival lobbies. Spatially, they are combined with the volume of the main operating room. This is due to the large round openings in the ceilings.

The arrival halls thus receive an expressive architectural solution, in which centric light lanterns play an important role.

An important remark is the attention to the reaction of passengers to the appearance of the station: "The spectacular composition of these halls has psychological significance, since first-time visitors to Leningrad are very interested in how they will be greeted by the new city. But, as it seems to us, the authors should ensure that the spaces of the arrival halls are more open to the main operating room" ^[31].

As we can see, the scheme of the symmetrical composition of the building was justified both in the grouping of premises, in the organization of traffic schedules, and in the composition of interiors.

Igor Georgievich points out as a disadvantage the impossibility of further painless expansion of the building. The main reason is that with this composition, the central group of departure rooms is squeezed on both sides by arrival lobbies, and the latter by groups of other rooms adjacent to them. But, in our opinion, the architects were somewhat limited by the technical task, besides, the project included a twofold increase in passenger traffic – up to 5 million people. It should be noted that only in 1990 the number of passengers approached the planned (4838,000 people ^{[15, pp. 105-161]}, 8.8 million [Pulkovo Airport Development Project]), then, a sharp reduction in flights followed, and only in 2006 the airport received and sent 5,100,000 people [Pulkovo Airport Development Project].

The departure sector has been successfully solved in the project. Using the height difference between the level of the forecourt and the airfield, the authors rationally distributed the main premises vertically. Departing passengers enter from the departure ramp directly into the main operating room and see in front of them the front of baggage handling and check-in, designed for 22 workplaces.

The operating room is located on the same level with the overpass, but is at the same time on an intermediate level between the two waiting rooms. Thanks to this, it will be enough for departure passengers to descend half a floor to go to the lower waiting room, located at the level of the airfield and exits to it, or to climb half a floor to go to the upper waiting room, located at the floor level of the saloon buses (3.5 m above the level of the airfield).

The distribution of passengers by levels for boarding ground and, relatively speaking, aboveground transport will be easy.

The lower waiting room is designed to serve passengers departing from the near platform. Adjacent to the hall are two "accumulators", from where passengers board, and descents into tunnels connecting the terminal building with satellite boarding pavilions.

The upper hall with a larger area is designed to serve passengers on the far platform, to which they are delivered by salon buses.

Taking into account the desire of passengers to be closer to the places of departure, it should be considered expedient to organize waiting rooms on two levels. But the authors should seriously justify the calculation of the ratio of the areas of these halls, completely exclude the possibility of their uneven filling.

At the new airport terminal, baggage check-in and reception will be carried out according to an impersonal system, in which you can check luggage for any flight at any counter.

Unusually, it is planned to organize the delivery of luggage to arrivals. Transporters moving along the ring must be installed between the baggage sorting and picking room and the arrival halls. In the sorting hall, the arrived luggage is placed on a ring conveyor, the so-called "carousel", which takes the luggage to the arrival hall, where passengers disassemble it.

In the project of the Leningrad Airport terminal, much attention is paid to the solution of individual complexes of service rooms.

If transit passengers transferring to another flight are forced to stay in the terminal building, then they will find good conditions for rest in the area reserved for them.

The main restaurant is successfully oriented to the airfield. For the entire complex of restaurants and numerous buffets, a single food hall is provided, which has its own utility yard.

Galleries are arranged for mourners and greeters from the side of the airfield, from where it will be possible to observe the landing platforms and the airfield from different levels. The premises for ceremonial meetings and wires are successfully designed, having a well-solved separate side entrance and a front entrance from the courtyard.

A relatively small group of international airlines' premises has been solved as a separate complex. According to the expert, the complexity of various services for this category of passengers has led to a number of relatively small rooms located at different levels, the composition of which does not correspond to their significance…

 The main architectural motif that gives the building an architectural sound, creates a peculiar, memorable image, is five golden cylinder rings on the roof of the building. "In our opinion," writes I.G. Yavein, "an architectural fragment highlighted with gilding (the use of glass smalt is planned) becomes the leading element of the composition and therefore needs particularly careful drawing. Meanwhile, the interpretation of the golden cylinder rings is such that if the impression of lightness and modernity is created, it is only due to the fact that the rings seem to hover over translucent strips of glass at their base. In nature, these narrow glazed "undercuts" will be hidden by the cornice of the building, and they can only be seen when moving hundreds of meters away from the station, that is, outside the station square and the boarding platform" ^[31].

The use of an overpass structure adjacent to the building from the square side to create an extensive covered arrival platform, as well as the development of visors necessary for the Leningrad climate at the places of disembarkation and boarding of passengers on transport would contribute to solving this problem. I.G. Yavein cites as an example of such structures the terminals in Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo near Moscow, in Orly near Paris and the Pan-American company near New York.

The terminal building in the form of a clear rectangle with a characteristic curve of the entrance ramp and five gilded rings on the roof will leave the impression of a peculiar structure, it will be well read from the air against the background of greenery, dark landing pad and asphalt of the forecourt.

"By the way," the reviewer notes, "a well-drawn fifth facade, that is, an aerial view, is becoming increasingly important in modern architecture. For air terminals, an expressive view from above has generally become one of the important features. In this project, the character of the fifth facade as a whole has been found, it will only be necessary to pay special attention to the color, texture and material of the flat roof" ^[31].

3. Sections of the Leningrad airport terminal. Published by: Yavein I. G. Leningrad, airport terminal. // Construction and architecture of Leningrad. - 1966. No. 5. - pp. 8-9.

The following publications appear after the adjustment of the project and the start of construction in 1969.

In the article by architect O. V. Shcherbin "Leningrad. Airport terminal. A new version of the project" also provides a detailed description of the project in relation to technical and aesthetic problems, as well as illustrative material – photographs of tablets, layout, floor plans ^[30].

O. V. Shcherbin pays special attention to the psychological impact of the structure on passengers: "As a result of subsequent work, the project was improved by the authors, and its final version differs markedly from the original proposal. In this regard, it seems appropriate to continue on the pages of the magazine the consideration of the architectural design of this significant public complex, the construction of which has already begun.

Nowadays, air terminals are increasingly becoming a kind of symbol of modern architecture. This is due to the rapid development of aviation. Moreover, its further progress depends not only on the introduction of electronic equipment, on the development of new aircraft designs, but also on the perfection of ground structures, on the organization of passenger service at the airport. As one expert put it, "the future of air transport is on the ground, not in the air" ^[30].

In addition, aviation also has an emotional impact on a person, affects the formation of his aesthetic views. The feeling of the miracle from the first flights is still alive in people's memory, and even today, when looking at the earth from a height, many people feel a festive feeling and pride in the creative power of man.

The author points out that the "architecture" of airplanes, dictated by the laws of aerodynamics, unexpected, but full of logic, seems to be an aesthetic standard, a model of merging beauty and expediency, form and function.

All this makes the work of airport terminal designers doubly interesting and doubly difficult. After all, we would like to achieve the same merger in the ground facilities of Aeroflot. The bright, festive atmosphere in them should not contradict the simplicity, logic, expediency of the internal and external device.

The composition of the terminal is largely determined by the choice of the method of delivery of passengers to the aircraft. The size of modern aircraft, their number at the airport, the need to organize maintenance before the flight — all this requires significant apron space. The new project of the Leningrad Airport terminal provides for the possibility of using three types of passenger delivery to aircraft.

Leaving the administration of the future airport with a certain freedom in the organization of transportation, largely dependent on operational equipment, the authors outlined with the utmost clarity and simplicity the timetable for the movement of passengers inside the terminal building.

First of all, passengers waiting for departure are clearly separated from arrivals, Transport from the city along the ramp gets to the second floor overpass, where the rooms for departing are concentrated. Passengers are directed to the bridges of ticket registration and baggage acceptance, located along the entire width of the operating room, and then to the waiting rooms with an ascent or descent of half a march, depending on the method of delivery to the aircraft: down — to get into the tunnel or minibuses, up — to board a double-decker bus.

Passengers of the landed planes go through the ground floor to the square to numerous taxi stands and bus stops. Inside the building, the streams do not touch.

It should be recalled that the check-in weighing and baggage collection, as well as ticket registration before the flight, is provided according to the most progressive, free system. The accepted baggage is lowered along the conveyor into the luggage compartment located under the operating room, where it is sorted and packed according to flights.

The operating room occupies the middle of the building in its entire width, including waiting rooms divided into two levels. This technique is used for the first time. The post office, telegraph office, telephone, savings bank are adjacent to the operating room. It is connected to the rest of the terminal by a system of open stairs and elevators.

The arrival halls are located on the ground floor on both sides of the operating room. The arrival halls turned out to be interconnected and turned into ceremonial rooms welcoming guests of the city.

The project of the Leningrad Airport Terminal provides for the inclusion of the international sector in the total volume. The entire right side of the station from the square is allocated to him. Entrances and entrances to it are organized at the end of the building. An additional ramp has been designed. Bus parking is provided at the level of the overpass. The sector has received a fairly functionally free and ceremonial solution.

The halls for receiving delegations are located on the side opposite to the international sector. They are arranged around the courtyard, from which the departure of guests to the city is organized.

The restaurant complex, rooms for transit passengers, including a cinema hall, are located on the third floor, that is, they are removed from the passenger movement zone to the aircraft and at the same time are conveniently connected to it by a system of stairs and elevators.

Thus, the clear functional idea underlying the composition made it possible to successfully overcome a number of shortcomings that were pointed out during the discussion of the first version of the project, and it is hoped that the building in all its parts will be convenient to operate.

The design and architecture of the buildings underwent particularly significant changes in the final project. In the final project, the theme of the upper light merged with the design of the building and turned into a leading one.

We see 5 pillars with mushroom-shaped coverings rarely placed (at a step of 27 m), to the powerful structures of which the overlap of the central part of the building is suspended on strings. Beautifully designed halls for arrivals, surrounded by rings of ceilings and opened into the volume of the central hall.

The authors also worked a lot on the architecture of the facades. They sought to overcome the feeling of pavilion. In this project, the weight of the main building is opposed to the light suspended structures of the coating. The solid glazing of the facades has disappeared. This made it possible to reflect in the architecture of the facades the purpose of the interior of the terminal and give great unity to the building.

The rooms of the operating room remained glazed both from the side of the platform and from the side of the station square. And this is very important for the passenger, as it will allow him to see the airfield and wait for the exit to the apron in a calm atmosphere, easily navigating the building. At the same time, the rooms for transit passengers, as well as utility rooms, have a large visual isolation.

According to the author of the article, "The appearance of the building, which has a somewhat closed, "northern" character, in our opinion, will be well combined with the architecture of Leningrad" ^[30].

Since the view from above creates the first impression of the building for those arriving in the city by plane, the authors note that a large and simple rectangle of the terminal building with a plastic ramp system, with mushroom-shaped gilded supports-coverings and internal square courtyards will be bright and memorable.

A lot of attention is paid by the authors to the interior decoration of the building. A restrained color scheme was assumed, using natural and modern materials, as well as greenery.

They noted the peculiar, memorable appearance of the object, solid, simple, where functional tasks are solved at the most modern level, taking into account world achievements in this field.

O. V. Shcherbin stated: "Comparing the project under construction with the project assignment, you can see how much deeper and more interesting it has become. At the same time, you feel consistency in the implementation of the plan. This method of work is typical for this team of authors. It is no secret that very often interesting applications contained in project proposals fade away at the stage of further elaboration, and in kind we get a building devoid of expressiveness and freshness of initial solutions... Such a method of consistently saturating the project, enriching it and improving it as it is developed on a correctly found functional basis seems difficult, but very fruitful" ^[30].

The author's team of the airport terminal project managed to create buildings filled with nobility and significance as a result.

Drawings of building structures, explanatory note, technical specification of steel, load sheet, cross section, column plans, sections, terminal coverings, stored in the TSGANTD SPb, give an idea of the complexity of the implementation of the architects' idea. ^[26-29]. 4. Leningrad Airport terminal.

Departure hall. The 1970s - The collection of E. A. Zhuk

In this regard, important comments are made in the article of the candidate of architecture Yu.I. Kurbatov "Construction in the service of architecture. Towards the evolution of the rack-and-beam system". The author notes: "More should be said about the mushroom-shaped structures in the new building of the Leningrad Airport terminal ... The support is made here of a metal pipe with a diameter of 800 mm and a wall thickness of 50 mm. According to fire protection requirements, the metal pipe is covered with plaster. However, the authors significantly increase the functions of the facing layer.

Wishing to provide a stronger compositional relationship of the mushroom support with its hat-covering, the authors expand the facing case of the support upwards. The treatment of plaster by the stripping method inspires an idea of possible power lines acting in the support. Thus, the architectural form is created here due to some additions to the structure. These additions enhance the feeling of strength and integrity of the support and coating, meet our static feelings and aesthetic ideas" ^{[17, p. 27]}.

After the commissioning of the Leningrad Airport Terminal, analytical materials on design and construction were published.

The most detailed report on the creation of the new airport was the August 1973 issue of the Leningrad Construction and Architecture magazine. It published four articles from different positions covering this grandiose project.

First of all, this is the title article of the Honored Architect of the RSFSR Alexander Vladimirovich Zhuk "The Air Gates of Leningrad. From conception to implementation", written in bright, imaginative language, tells about the creative search in the process of creating a project, reflects the participation of various organizations in construction.

The authors of the project considered the creation of a comfortable atmosphere for passengers to be the main task. "At the same time, the idea was relentlessly pursued, obliging to create such a structure that would bring it closer to the high value of the Leningrad Airport Terminal — the air gate of the hero city, which has earned worldwide fame for its monuments of national culture, glorious revolutionary traditions and the unparalleled courage of its inhabitants.

Both of these tasks, inseparable in their unity, were both a "launching pad" and "signal lights" throughout the entire path of design and construction. For their implementation, they required particularly strict self-control in the selection of solutions that bring them closer to their intended goals.

Providing comfort for passengers was understood primarily from the perspective of finding optimal solutions to the entire complex of functional and technological tasks of the terminal. Hence, special attention was paid to the creation of the most convenient working conditions for service personnel, the improvement of numerous processes of their versatile activities.

For these purposes, the entire relevant and accessible arsenal of architectural tools and modern technology was involved with a constant striving for organic unity and integrity of structures, materials, forms and functions. The whole complex of selected means in its harmonious totality had to be expressive, memorable and able to form the perception of a person who is in the sphere of influence of the external structure and internal spaces.

However, if the organization of a proper environment depends primarily on the capabilities of architects, then in the matter of creating the necessary atmosphere of comfort, we remain dependent on the level of the culture of exploitation, on the psychological and technical preparedness of the service personnel. After all, it is in communication with him — directly or indirectly — that the passenger enters, meeting the appropriate attitude to himself" ^[6].

Extensive material is presented in the article of the People's Architect of the USSR S.B. Speransky and architect A.I. Pribulsky "The airport terminal is a unique structure. Features of its architectural and structural solutions" ^[24], which gives a detailed description of the building in relation to technical characteristics, as well as illustrative material - numerous photographs of the terminal, the master plan, sections.

5.     5. Leningrad airport terminal. Incisions. Published: Speransky S. B., Pribulsky A. I. The airport terminal is a unique structure. Features of its architectural and constructive solutions. // Construction and architecture of Leningrad. - 1973. No. 8 August. - p. 2.

SECTIONS OF THE MAIN BUILDING

I Cross section by arrival halls

II Cross section across the operating rooms

III Longitudinal section

1 — operating room; 2 — baggage operations room; 3 — operating room gallery; 4 — intra—Union airlines restaurant; 5 — international airlines restaurant; 6 — cinema hall; 7 — arrival halls; 8 — reception hall; 9 — flight crew canteen; 10 - service rooms; 11 — international airlines operating room airlines

Let's turn to the text: "We can safely talk about a major creative success of the author's team. In our opinion, the new Leningrad Air Terminal can be ranked among the best domestic achievements in this field by its merits. Its creation became a notable event in Soviet architectural practice" ^[24].

Attention is focused on the technical side of the project: "Checked baggage is immediately transported to the lower room, where semi-automatic sorting and picking lines are installed. To ensure the efficiency and reliability of all mechanisms, an electronic system for collecting and processing official information during passenger registration is provided — SIRP. Baggage collection is carried out from five carousels, also in many ways originally solved. These complex systems were developed by engineers of the Lenproject Institute under the leadership of V. G. Alperovich. They have a number of nodes made at the level of inventions" ^[24].

We will not dwell on the details of the layout and interiors, they are clearly visible in the published photos.

The conclusion of S.B. Speransky and A.I. Pribulsky is important for us: "The fine drawing of all elements, the elegance of the smallest details, the nobility of color solutions distinguish all the interiors of the new terminal. This is a characteristic feature of the work of the author's team. The new terminal is quite consistent with the fact that its entire structure creates maximum comfort for air travelers, favorably affects their feelings with its memorable, expressive structure. The Leningrad Airport complex, it seems to us, bears the features inherent in a large architectural structure. In this we see the indisputable luck of the authors" ^[24].

The third material of the issue is devoted to the functioning of the airport "The new complex is in operation. Modern technology in the air passenger service system", it was written by the head of the Leningrad Airline P. T. Krivoshchapov ^[15].

The author draws attention to a significant reduction in costs for the new airport complex, which "In a word, turned out to be a structure whose functional advantages can be briefly defined as follows: maximum amenities with minimum costs."

P. T. Krivoshchapov cites statistics emphasizing the leadership of Leningraders in functioning: "... in the operating room of the intra—union sector, it is possible to arrange departure for 1920 passengers during peak hours — 24 flights, and in the international — another 250 - 3 flights. Thus, the total capacity of the Leningrad Airport Terminal for arrival and departure is designed for 4,340 passengers during peak hours. In Domodedovo port, the corresponding figure is 3000, and in Sheremetyevo—1500 people" ^[15].

The fourth article is by L. V. Yakhontova "Creative contribution of builders. Based on progressive technology" describes the process of building construction, focusing on what previously had no analogues in the domestic airport construction. The author specifies suppliers of materials and equipment ^[32].

"... The introduction of a special technology required the installation of a steel frame of the central zone of the terminal, a frame developed by the Leningrad branch of PI Promstalkonstruktsiya. The projected coating, measuring 135x51 m in plan, is supported by external columns located along the perimeter of the zone in increments of 9 m and on five internal 25-meter racks in increments of 27 m. Along the longitudinal axis of the building there are five round light lanterns with a diameter of 16 m and a height of about 10 m. To assemble these elements, the SKG-30 crawler crane was used with the simultaneous use of MSK-5-35 tower cranes.

The structures were mounted by the Leningrad Department of the Sevzapstalconstruction Trust in the following sequence: first, all the perimeter columns and the lower parts of the central pillars were installed from pipes with a diameter of 700 mm; then, on the first gripper with a length of 27 m, ring beams were laid on a movable inventory steel support tower with a height of 12 m, framing holes in the coating. After that, the upper parts of the racks with consoles and suspensions were installed and the rest of the coating elements were mounted. At the same time with the assembly of metal structures, floor panels were laid. They did the same on the other four grippers, moving the mounting towers along the axis along special rail tracks.

The coated frame structures were assembled in 6 months. At the same time, the installation work was strictly linked to the general construction work, which was carried out in parallel.

The tight deadlines of the works, the desire to reduce their labor intensity, increase labor productivity determined the technical policy of the organizations involved in the construction. Hence, as already mentioned, the persistent search for ways to ensure the industrial performance of these works. Together with the designer E. G. Krishyan, the production workers decided to replace the monolithic elements of the frame of zone "A" with prefabricated ones.

Most of the atypical cross-sections of columns and crossbars were manufactured in the factory way. At the same time, a "dry" joint was adopted everywhere for columns. It was possible to find solutions for the execution in the prefabricated version of the jamming chambers located under the coating of zone "B" at around 12 m, reinforced concrete slabs covering "mushrooms" at around 21.6 m, retaining walls and a number of other structures" ^[32].

We will omit the details of the construction of the object. It should be noted that the construction was carried out under the close supervision of A.V. Zhuk, who almost daily walked several kilometers from the highway to the construction site, conflicted in cases of deviation from the project with the builders, but achieved an almost perfect implementation of the project.

State Prize of the USSR

Due to the fact that the work of the creative team was highly appreciated by the country's leadership, who awarded him the USSR State Prize in 1974, O. V. Kalinin's article "Beauty and Expediency" was published in the journal "Construction and Architecture of Leningrad". Architectural advantages of the Pulkovo airport station" ^[12]. Six people were awarded the prize: Honored Architect of the RSFSR A.V. Zhuk — project manager, architects G. M. Vlanin, Zh. M. Verzhbitsky, design engineer S. M. Kuzmenko, civil engineers E. A. Gogolev, N. Ya. Zaikin.

O. V. Kalinin vividly and figuratively characterized the work of colleagues: "The architectonics of airliners, full of aerodynamic logic, their comfortable passenger cabins, voluntarily or involuntarily, place increased demands on ground structures. It is not surprising that the design and construction of airfield complexes has now become the touchstone on which the true skill of their creators is tested…

Directly in front of the square, the terminal widely covers the entire space with an inviting spread of its ramps. They are like arms outstretched for an embrace, turned towards the arrivals…

It is really difficult to tell about all the advantages of the new Leningrad airport terminal. Thousands and thousands of our countrymen and guests of the city have already been able to see them, they were noticed by everyone who loves modern architecture. It is she who deserves such a high assessment of the party and the government" ^[12].

THE HISTORY OF EXISTENCE

At that time (before the completion of Sheremetyevo in 1980), the Pulkovo-1 terminal was the largest in the USSR. Every day, more than 120 planes took to the sky from the airport runways. In total, more than 2 million passengers were sent in 1973.

Indeed, the author of the project himself noted with pride that his new terminal is capable of passing 3.4 thousand passengers per day.

Forced alterations (reconstruction of 1986 and completion of new buildings in 2007-2014) greatly distorted the original project of Alexander Zhuk. But in 2015, many of the original plans were implemented anew.

In 2007, the St. Petersburg authorities had the idea to turn Pulkovo into a large transit hub on the model of Milan or Frankfurt am Main, and such a change in function requires the expansion of the airport. Satellite towers on the airfield were demolished, and the underground tunnel to the terminal building was filled in. Having removed the registration counters and other "excesses", the "reenactors" returned its volume and light content to the main hall, but now it has lost a lot of functions.

ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Pulkovo Airport building is described in many publications on the history of architecture ^{[23, pp. 148-150]} and aviation ^{[10, 11, 14-16]}.

The most imaginative characteristic of the building's appearance is given by E.B. Novikova in the monograph "Interior of public buildings. Artistic problems": "The visual perception of breakthroughs into the sky created by lanterns, supports growing out of the ground and mysteriously going up, and, finally, essentially floating aluminum coating create an amazing sense of weight loss.

The skillfully created contrast and the clear ratio of the scale of the significant large rhythm of the pillars and the low galleries stretching along the perimeter determine the humanity of the architecture and at the same time the significance of the terminal space.

The clarity of the basic structure and at the same time the strange incomprehensibility of the supports extending beyond the coverage is striking. The authors' intention is revealed in the ratio of the familiar techniques worked out and large innovative proposals" ^{[18, 359-360]}.

The most authoritative researcher of architecture of the XX century Ikonnikov states about the Pulkovo airport that "The rationalism of the period under consideration ... focuses, unlike the technologism of Khrushchev's time, on the artistically meaningful meaning of technology and its methods of shaping" ^{[8, p. 80]}.

The terminal is also presented in the guide to late Soviet Leningrad by Anna Bronovitskaya, Nikolai Malinin and Yuri Palmin, who note that modernism was not a rejection of tradition here, but a reflection on it and affirm the dialogical nature of Leningrad architecture ^[3].

Gary Berkovich (Gary Berkovich) in the 4th volume of the "Modernized Socialist Realism: 1955-1991" monograph "Restoration of History. Jewish architects in Imperial Russia and the USSR" highly appreciates the airport terminal project ^{[1, p. 95]}. 

Architect Sergey Oreshkin believes that the Pulkovo airport terminal building is unique, in no way inferior to Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece of 1939 – the building of the Johnson company headquarters in Racine, USA, thoughts about the demolition of which have not yet occurred to anyone ^[19].

Grigory Revzin gave the most accurate description of Pulkovo Airport: "Pulkovo Airport (the first terminal) is a cult object of Soviet modernism. It was designed by one of the most authoritative St. Petersburg architects of the older generation — Alexander Zhuk. The hall with five glass cup-domes really makes a very strong impression. Socialist modernism knew two periods: the romance of the 60s with their discovery of space was replaced in the 70s by the heavy pathos of a stupid statehood, and we have practically no structures where one would connect with the other. With the exception of Pulkovo, here the space theme (five glass glasses give the building the image of some kind of spaceport from science fiction) is connected to such a scale that one involuntarily feels proud of a country that was once able to build such a thing (in terms of complexity, no post—Soviet era structure has been able to surpass this hall yet)" ^[22].

conclusion

Comparing the earliest project with the final version, we see that the figurative solution of the Pulkovo airport terminal was found in the mid-1960s, then it was corrected when creating a working project, making its image more expressive and the structure the most rational. In the process of its construction, only minor changes were made regarding the construction technology.

The article presents the opinions of the author of the airport terminal project, his contemporaries and architectural historians to the maximum extent.

Pulkovo Airport Terminal (the first terminal) is a masterpiece of Soviet modernism. It was designed under the guidance of one of the most reputable St. Petersburg architects Alexander Zhuk. The creative team included: architects G. M. Vlanin, J. M. Verzhbitsky, with the participation of architects V. N. Semenovskaya, L. K. Modzalevskaya, O. A. Ugryumova, engineer E. G. Krishyan. The engineering sections of the project were developed under the guidance of engineers N. V. Maksimov and Zh. Ya. Leiv. Designer S. M. Kuzmenko, civil engineers E. A. Gogolev, N. Ya. Zaikin participated in the design and construction. The leading architects, designers and builders of the new Pulkovo airport terminal, successfully combining beauty and expediency, form and function, were awarded the USSR State Prize of 1974.

This is one of three Leningrad buildings whose authors were awarded the USSR State Prize.

Despite its relatively small height, it looks monumental, solid, as the walls themselves dominate.

A possible source for the creation of light lanterns were the features of the surrounding landscape: the numerous domes of the buildings of the Pulkovo Observatory and the light lanterns on the roof of the library in Vyborg, designed by the classic of modern architecture Alvar Aalto.

Domes ("zenith" lanterns) are not only important details of the exterior - they are connected together with the supporting structures of the building and the general solution of its interior. At the heart of each of the domes is a powerful support with a mushroom—shaped completion. The covering of the entire central part of the building is suspended from these five pillars, placed at a step of 27 meters.

Domes are also assigned the role of light lanterns, contributing to the uniform illumination of the middle of a fairly deep room, as well as peculiar windows to the sky, revealing the internal volumes upwards. This is a vivid example of the versatility of one architectural and constructive technique. The most impressive impact is the "fifth" facade – a bird's-eye view.

The hall with five glass cupolas still produces a strong emotional impact, their semiotic content is very wide: from the philistine - "five glasses" to the world–visionary – "five continents".

The terminal has a unique engineering design and architectural solution. Thus, the Pulkovo Airport building is an ideal embodiment of the ideas of rationalism combined with the creation of a bright artistic image, as the creative team managed to harmoniously combine bold technological innovations with the humanistic orientation of the functional object. It is important for us to emphasize that the creation of the terminal is connected not only with the highest professionalism of the authors and builders, but also with the pronounced humanistic orientation of their activities, with caring for a Person.

It is necessary to assign the building, which is the pinnacle of Russian modernism, the status of a cultural heritage object of federal significance.