The Corporation for the Development of Territories: a history
In the early 1990s, the Administration of the Oktyabrsky District was one of the first in Moscow to introduce market principles for managing economic activity on its territory, actively promoting the introduction and development of private property. Between 1990 and 1991 the special conditions applied in the district to promote enterprise allowed the registration of a record number of cooperative societies, small enterprises and joint ventures. The exact figure stood at over four thousand – which is, more than in all the remaining areas of Moscow put together.
On 15 August 1990, the Executive Committee of the District Council founded the Municipal Property Department of the Oktyabrsky District (UKOSO) – a self-supporting state enterprise. UKOSO’s chief purpose was to make the best use of city property in the district and provide for the effective development of the area.
Later on, as the result of an administrative reform carried out by Moscow Government (1991-1992), the Oktyabrsky District was disbanded. Its territory was divided between three prefectures – Central, Southern and Southwest. Because of these administrative changes the activities of UKOSO were halted.
During this period the opportunity arose for private companies to enter the field of real estate and participate in the development of city districts. This set the ball rolling for the adoption by the management at UKOSO on 25 December 1991 of a decision to create the Open Joint-stock Company Corporation for the Development of Territories (KRT), which later attracted experts from the Department.
After accumulating a great deal of experience in the field of city real estate during its time on the Executive Committee and working for UKOSO, and having developed an automated cadastral system of information support for the management of local resources, the staff at KRT was assigned by the municipal bodies the function of technical support in city property management, which had now been transferred under the control of the Yakimanka Administration.
One of the newly founded company’s first projects was the development of a town-planning concept for three quarters near the Tretyakov Gallery, carried out by experts from KRT in joint collaboration with the
Ostozhenka architectural bureau.
An attempt to solve the problems associated with the creation of major urban development projects resulted in the formation of a new type of town-planning documents. Based on this, KRT’s management turned to the Moscow city authorities with a proposal to create a development program for the whole city district. The plan was aimed at providing an integrated solution to the city’s socio-economic and urban-planning problems, and at regulating the ownership and use of Moscow’s real estate.
Municipal Programs: an Innovative Approach to Urban Area Development
On 17 July 1992 a general contract was signed between Moscow’s Central Administrative District Prefecture and KRT for the development and implementation of a socio-economic and town-planning program in the
Yakimanka municipal district.
On 21 June 1994, the Yakimanka socio-economic and town-planning program was approved by Decree of the Moscow City Government No. 494 and recommended for introduction as a benchmark for the creation of similar documents regarding the development of other city are as.
As the program’s normative base the experts at KRT offered: a functional land zoning scheme; a system of size and density constraints taking into account the site’s shape and outlook for development; a system of creating an ownership structure in each quarter by means of plotting. In accordance with the size and density constraints of the site, they calculated the development potential of the Yakimanka municipal district. The perception of the city environment as a dynamic organism capable of self-regulation enabled the team to separate basic city structures and develop recommendations for the city administration on the most efficient methods of urban area management.
In order to provide top-notch information on the available land stock and the ownership of local structures needed by the city authorities, KRT was charged with compiling an inventory not only for Yakimanka, but also for neighboring
Zamoskvorechye.
On 15 June 1994, a contract for the territorial inventory was signed between KRT and Moscomzem.
The inventory of the two bordering districts was carried out over an area of approximately 960 hectares. The data collected was unique both in terms of its comprehensiveness and range, and included figures on the use of land plots and real estate, residential and non-residential premises, utilities and transport, environmental conditions, green areas, proprietors and tenants, the number of inhabitants, their age, social status, etc.
On 4 October 1994, a general contract was signed between KRT and the local prefecture to develop a plan for implementation of the Yakimanka socio-economic and town-planning development program, approved by the Moscow Government.
The work, conducted either with the help of sub-contractors or by KRT itself, included the removal or reorientation of 16 industrial enterprises. Furthermore, 35 thousand square meters of non-residential premises were released from 135 tenant organizations, including 40 detached buildings. In addition, hundreds of families were resettled, for which over 20 thousand square meters of residential area were purchased from the city and on the secondary market.
KRT’s successful partnership with municipal bodies in managing and developing city real estate in the
Yakimanka district was praised by the city authorities, which in turn led to invitations for the company’s experts to work on other local projects.
On 12 October 1994, a general contract was signed between the Central Administrative District prefecture and the OJSC KRT to come up with a socio-economic and town-planning development program for
Zamoskvorechye municipal district, the architecture and scale of which were in many ways similar to
Yakimanka.
The Zamoskvorechye town-planning development concept, created at the request and with the direct participation of KRT, went on to win the prestigious
Golden Cut (“Zolotoe Sechenie”) competition.
Furthermore, on 24 May 1996, an agreement was signed between the town halls of Moscow and Paris over a joint Russian-French project to create an advanced system for managing city statistics. The French party was represented by experts from the Paris City Council, the National Institute of Geography, the French Ministry of Finance, and the Agency of Land Relations.
Yakimanka was selected as a model for the creation of this state-of-the-art cadastral real-estate management system, because this is where a similar information network,
Territory (IST), developed by KRT at the request of the Moscow city administration, had already been put in place. The French delegation praised IST for its functional comprehensiveness and integration , which meant it could be taken as a basis for the joint project.
Besides fulfilling its municipal obligations in city property management and creation of normative basis for urban development, KRT now pays increasing attention to the development of its own investment projects, whilst also working under contracts from private investors.
With this in mind, in 1992 the company created its own real-estate departments and received the necessary licenses. In 1993, intensive work began on investment projects in the city center. The first contracts were signed with the Moscow Government for the company’s own investment projects on sites of historical significance.
Our Investment and Construction Projects
For the development of the site at 22 Bolshaya Yakimanka, next to the
President Hotel, a variety of functional and compositional solutions were provided. This was because of the site’s exclusive location from a town-planning perspective, (the planned building completes the line of large-scale buildings in Bolshaya Yakimanka, and is a significant feature of the Moscow River panorama). Alongside Russian designers, architects from Austria (Europroject) and Great Britain (Chapman Taylor) were involved.
By the mid 1990s, KRT had accumulated impressive experience in construction. High build quality, complemented by qualified technical and legal support during the construction and design stages, brought a good reputation to the company and attracted both foreign partners and overseas customers.
Back in 1994, KRT started developing the area around the Kazachiy lanes. The future construction site was stripped of its utilities, and the area’s shabby and dangerous apartment blocks were demolished (their residents resettled). The necessary initial permits were received and an architectural design came into being. The site, in accordance with inter-governmental agreements, turned out to be the ideal location for the so-called House of German Econom
On 3 May 1995, the Moscow Government, KRT and
House of German Economy Building, LLC signed a “Contract for Cooperation and Investments”.
The House of German Economy certainly had a positive impact on the development of the neighboring areas.
And thus, KRT’s development of Second Kazachiy lane actively attracted the attention of the Austria Bank
The
House of German Economy and Austria Bank complexes were commissioned in 1997-1998.
Furthermore, at number 3 Second Kazachiy, next to the Austria Bank, a XIX century building, which later became home to a well-known Russian bank, underwent full reconstruction carried out by KRT (which included interior painting and decorating works, as well as the selection of furniture and office equipment)
The building blended in well with the street as a whole, matched the nearby House of German Economy
in terms of grandeur, and reflected the general "business" feel of the northern end of quarter 410, the full reconstruction of which saw the participation of the KRT.
Having acquired buildings from the city in the area around the intersection of B. Yakimanka and B. Polyanka, as well as the necessary redevelopment rights, the corporation, in accordance with a contract signed with the Moscow Government, embarked on a program of market research, developed the necessary design documentation, received a construction permit, and began the removal of local utilities. Further works on the project were carried out specifically for world-leading manufacturer of home appliances, the Samsung company.
In 1996, the KRT completed some of its major projects.
The office building of the joint-stock company
Transneft, located at 59 Bolshaya Polyanka Str., boasts five floors above ground and two subterranean levels. The building consists of two parts linked by an atrium. Thanks to this unusual architectural solution, the building has become the jewel in the crown of this ancient Moscow street.
However, KRT faced serious problems in bringing the project to life. Due to unforeseen financial circumstances the general contractor, an Austrian firm, was forced to leave the construction site and the real estate market as a whole. Thus, KRT, having started work on-site as the customer and rights holder, took on the role of general contractor. The building was commissioned in time and the resulting quality was excellent.
The
Polyanka Business Park was one of the most interesting projects of this period, and required huge responsibility. The project foresaw the renovation of a historical site – part of the area around the intersection of Bolshaya Polyanka Street and Pogorelsky Alley.
Three buildings from the end of the 18th to the 19th centuries were reconstructed and restored based on historical research. At the heart of the site stand two new four-storey office buildings. These are connected by a subterranean space and an over-ground passage. The complex combines a re-creation (both in terms of size and appeal) of the old Zamoskvorechye style with effective use of the land.
During the construction and reconstruction of these private residences, a number of difficulties arose due to the location of the buildings in the middle of this dense historical center. The whole of the site was occupied by a foundation pit, and so it was necessary to erect the construction crane on a foundation plate, and use basement ceiling panels as the construction site itself.
The well-known Swedish company SKANSKA was invited to carry out the basic construction works. All works connected with the preparation of the construction site, development of design-budget documentation, and external city communications for the complex, as well as the complete set of finishing works, were executed by KRT, based on the company’s own designs.
The project to construct an office center with a total area of around 60 thousand sq. m. at 13 Leninsky Prospect, is remarkable in that the construction site was so small, and so dense in terms of its utilities, that it was once considered unsuitable for use. Nevertheless, despite numerous difficulties, a tall building unusual both in terms of size and profile was constructed, which could very well become a town-planning reference for the long section of Leninsky Prospect between Oktyabrskaya and Gagarin Squares. The English design company BDP was involved at the concept stage.
In 1913 a five-storey commercial apartment building was constructed in the aristocratic area of Chistye Prudy. Later, the building became home to a number of offices and enterprises.
Under a contract with Surgutneftegaz, KRT provided this building, located within the Basmannoe municipal district, with the necessary permit documentation, and began reconstruction. The basic contractual works were performed by the Italian company Codest. The conversion of the sixth floor attic made it possible to increase the amount of useable space, whilst the general character of this historical building was respected by preserving the façade. Reconstruction was completed in 1996.
Under an assignment from the Central Bank of Russia, KRT also began constructing an 18-storey residential building with a total area of 26 thousand square meters in Zhitnaya Street. The complex consists of two towers, 55 and 65 meters high, with a footprint of around a hectare, located alongside the Central Bank of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The project envisaged optimal utilization of space, whilst at the same time complementing the picturesque architectural forms of Octyabrskaya Square. During construction, the bearing structures consumed 12,400 cubic meters of concrete and 1,750 tons of steel. All contractual functions were carried out by KRT, and the basic construction works by the leading Austrian firm
Ilbau.
In 1997 State Commission Certificates were signed on the acceptance of an office complex and residential building of the Moscow Region Main Department of the Central Bank of Russia (2 Donskaya Street). The buildings had an area of over 40 thousand square meters. A KRT Group company functioned as developer and general contractor. The site’s commissioning signaled the successful completion of a most complicated investment project. At present, the 22-storey modern building serves as a landmark at the foot of Leninsky Prospect by Oktyabrskaya Square. The design was the work of Europroject, a company invited from Austria. Throughout the building’s construction, a number of technical innovations and advanced banking technologies were put into practice.
To bring this project to life more than a hundred families were resettled, several kilometers’ worth of city utilities were re-laid, and major engineering structures were erected that provided the infrastructure for further development of the whole district.
That very year, at the request of the city administration and within a tight schedule, reconstruction works were carried out on school No. 570 in Donskaya Street. All this was done without any interruption to the curriculum.
In other areas, our project to add a duplex extension to JSC Mosenergo’s
transformer substation building (1/9 Maronovsky alley) was unique in terms of its successful architectural solution, i.e. to effectively reconstruct a building located in the historical center of Moscow for technical purposes. It is difficult for the unassuming passer-by to even imagine that this romantic private residence at the end of the park is in fact home to something as prosaic as a transformer substation. And if this wasn’t enough, during the reconstruction, the substation continued working and providing electricity to the neighborhood.
One particular site (Pogorelsky Alley, 5 and 7) provided a number of difficulties. It took many months to prepare the area for future construction. The project passed through a series of registration processes with architectural supervision bodies and agreement sessions with local residents. The 19th century industrial buildings located on the site were home to a pilot production unit belonging to NIIT
Uglemash and MNPO Neftegazavtomatica, subject to removal from Yakimanka
as part of KRT’s plans approved by the Moscow Government.
KRT subsequently removed these facilities from Moscow. Several unnecessary and illegal constructions were razed to the ground. In 1998, the ground-work and provision of power supply to the apartment building at number 5 Pogorelsky Alley were completed. The building’s construction, in accordance with an order of the Moscow Government, was entrusted to the Department for Off-Budget Construction Policy. The building was commissioned and populated in 2000.
On the site of the former factory (7 Pogorelsky Alley), a new premium class apartment complex will soon appear, complete with children's activity center and shopping facilities (the first to be built in this residential area) on the ground floor. All works connected with the construction of the residential complex will be carried out by companies of the KRT family.
In 1998, the construction of an office complex with a total area of over 20 thousand square meters began at 16-18 Kadashevskaya Quay, between Lavrushinsky and Kadashevsky Alleys. The implementation of the Kadashevskaya Quay housing project around the Tretyakov Gallery became possible thanks to KRT’s long-term and fruitful cooperation with a number of Austrian companies, and with the assistance of the German and Austrian Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Given that the complex represented an important part of the Kadashevskaya Quay architectural heritage site, it was especially difficult to combine the “rationalism and economy” of the Austrian architects with the requirements of EKOS (Expert and Consulting Public Council) and the Heritage Department – a problem that was finally solved in the workshop of architect Leonov.
At the beginning of the 1990s, KRT embarked on the development of 36 Sofiyskaya Quay, where densely packed and shabby constructions had been occupied since Soviet times by dozens of small offices and warehouse facilities. Only the buildings facing Sofiyskaya Quay and Bolotnaya Street were of any historical and architectural significance, but their preservation appeared impossible because of the condition they were in. Under the site’s surface, it emerged, lay a dense network of worn and torn city utility lines, which were to be painstakingly removed without disconnecting neighboring facilities. Similar problems were encountered whilst redeveloping the dilapidated buildings themselves. Parallel to the organizational work of relocating the leaseholders, numerous schemes for the site’s development were worked out to demonstrate the feasibility of reconstruction.
The final architectural solution for the complex, covering an area of 86 thousand square meters (ABV
architect’s office), was produced later. However it was only thanks to the persistent efforts and high-caliber work of the KRT Group that made the realization of this large-scale project possible.
In 1998, the KRT Group embarked on the construction of detached houses in part of Bolshaya Ordynka Street, from the Israeli Embassy up to First Kazachiy Alley, i.e. the restoration of the ruins at numbers 50-54. The “ambassadorial” nature of this building pushed KRT’s architects to their professional limits: they had to naturally incorporate new objects into the established form of the old “mansion-like”
Zamoskvorechye. The resulting houses became a perfect match for the historical architectural environment. Furthermore, synthesis was achieved between the building’s conservative façade and the modern comfort required of office premises. The complex was commissioned in 2002.
At the beginning of 2002, KRT finished construction of a complex consisting of two private residences and an outbuilding, located at 14 Kadashevsky Alley – only a footstep away from the Tretyakov Gallery – which became a real pearl on the housing market. The buildings make up a uniform historical complex: a city manor of the 18th century.
The year 2003 saw the construction of a new business complex in the very heart of Moscow, at the intersection between Bolshaya Ordynka Street and Kadashevskaya Quay, 1-5 B. Ordynka. The convenient location of the complex provides easy access from Red Square and Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, and the site boasts a breathtaking view over the Moscow River, Kremlin and ancient
Zamoskvorechye area.
The complex consists of two buildings with a joint underground parking lot. The modern design solutions applied, i.e. use of the latest technology and optimal land-planning schemes, meant that by the construction stage a contract was concluded with the future owner and further works were carried out in light of the client’s specific needs.
Moscow’s First “Intelligent” Residential Building
KRT’s club-class residence The Seasons has become a new word on the street, and in 2004 was recognized by a public jury, formed by the Moscow Government, as the best in top-class residential real estate.
Created at the end of 2002, this elegant ten-storey complex, fashioned in Art Deco style, makes its mark on both Bolshaya Yakimanka and Bolshaya Polyanka. Façades are finished with natural granite and decorated with bespoke majolica panels to symbolize the four seasons.
The KRT Group was the first in Moscow’s history to design and construct an “intellectual residence”, incorporating a luxury versatile home-technology system localized within each apartment. A “dispatch office” controls the high-quality sound systems as well as security and CCTV, and monitors the condition of all in-house technology, including a fire safety network.
The complex comes complete with high-speed Internet access and digital telecommunications, provided using fiber-optic technology via the largest communications operator on the market.
Some apartments even boast “smart house” technology, providing easy-to-use control over a number of household devices, audio and video equipment, lighting and climate control. Indeed, it would be practically impossible to manage the state-of-the-art private theatre without “smart house”, which, as a rule, is made up of more than ten components and works on several hundred control parameters. And apart from keeping a close eye on those creature comforts, home technology plays its part in strengthening an apartment’s interior design, creating a sense of high-tech opulence.
For those who prefer to keep their technology behind closed doors, however, devices can be hidden using built-in systems or transformer solutions. It is possible, for example, to hide a plasma TV behind a painting, which can be moved when necessary to reveal the screen.
And if this is not enough, an advanced network of services at
The Seasons makes it possible for residents to enjoy their free time without even leaving the front door. Services include an in-house fitness club, billiards room with pub, music centre, café and confectioner's, sauna, beauty salon, and a number of bars. A number of other luxuries are available, including an in-house laundry and maid service, secure storage, home medical care, and airline and theatre ticket ordering.
From the special platform on the roof of this ten-storey building residents can enjoy a spectacular panorama of Moscow, with views over the Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Results: New Large-Scale Construction Programs
Throughout the years of its existence, KRT’s unique potential has been demonstrated through its active involvement in developing more than 40 elite properties in Moscow’s historical center: from magnificent private residences of the age of classicism up to large business centers and residential complexes, all covering a total area of more than 2 million square meters.
The organizations that are a part of the KRT Group have licenses to work on both individual buildings and whole sites; act as independent developers and investors; function as customers and general contractors for architectural, design and construction works; render realtor, marketing, consulting, design and legal services, and provide services in security, telecommunications and real-estate management.
Our professional and dynamic approach has served as a springboard for the design and presentation of both conceptually and technologically courageous projects, including Golden Island
in Moscow’s central district and Other Shores in the Moscow Region.
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On 21 June 1994, the Yakimanka socio-economic and town-planning program was approved by Decree of the Moscow City Government No. 494 and recommended for introduction as a benchmark for the creation of similar documents regarding the development of other city are as.
On 12 October 1994, a general contract was signed between the Central Administrative District prefecture and the OJSC KRT to come up with a socio-economic and town-planning development program for
Zamoskvorechye municipal district, the architecture and scale of which were in many ways similar to
Yakimanka. 
By the mid 1990s, KRT had accumulated impressive experience in construction. High build quality, complemented by qualified technical and legal support during the construction and design stages, brought a good reputation to the company and attracted both foreign partners and overseas customers.
The
House of German Economy and Austria Bank complexes were commissioned in 1997-1998.
The office building of the joint-stock company
Transneft, located at 59 Bolshaya Polyanka Str., boasts five floors above ground and two subterranean levels. The building consists of two parts linked by an atrium. Thanks to this unusual architectural solution, the building has become the jewel in the crown of this ancient Moscow street. 
The project to construct an office center with a total area of around 60 thousand sq. m. at 13 Leninsky Prospect, is remarkable in that the construction site was so small, and so dense in terms of its utilities, that it was once considered unsuitable for use. Nevertheless, despite numerous difficulties, a tall building unusual both in terms of size and profile was constructed, which could very well become a town-planning reference for the long section of Leninsky Prospect between Oktyabrskaya and Gagarin Squares. The English design company BDP was involved at the concept stage. 
In 1997 State Commission Certificates were signed on the acceptance of an office complex and residential building of the Moscow Region Main Department of the Central Bank of Russia (2 Donskaya Street). The buildings had an area of over 40 thousand square meters. A KRT Group company functioned as developer and general contractor. The site’s commissioning signaled the successful completion of a most complicated investment project. At present, the 22-storey modern building serves as a landmark at the foot of Leninsky Prospect by Oktyabrskaya Square. The design was the work of Europroject, a company invited from Austria. Throughout the building’s construction, a number of technical innovations and advanced banking technologies were put into practice.
In 1998, the KRT Group embarked on the construction of detached houses in part of Bolshaya Ordynka Street, from the Israeli Embassy up to First Kazachiy Alley, i.e. the restoration of the ruins at numbers 50-54. The “ambassadorial” nature of this building pushed KRT’s architects to their professional limits: they had to naturally incorporate new objects into the established form of the old “mansion-like”
Zamoskvorechye. The resulting houses became a perfect match for the historical architectural environment. Furthermore, synthesis was achieved between the building’s conservative façade and the modern comfort required of office premises. The complex was commissioned in 2002. 
The year 2003 saw the construction of a new business complex in the very heart of Moscow, at the intersection between Bolshaya Ordynka Street and Kadashevskaya Quay, 1-5 B. Ordynka. The convenient location of the complex provides easy access from Red Square and Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, and the site boasts a breathtaking view over the Moscow River, Kremlin and ancient
Zamoskvorechye area.
KRT’s club-class residence The Seasons has become a new word on the street, and in 2004 was recognized by a public jury, formed by the Moscow Government, as the best in top-class residential real estate. 
The complex comes complete with high-speed Internet access and digital telecommunications, provided using fiber-optic technology via the largest communications operator on the market.
For those who prefer to keep their technology behind closed doors, however, devices can be hidden using built-in systems or transformer solutions. It is possible, for example, to hide a plasma TV behind a painting, which can be moved when necessary to reveal the screen.
