Oat Wreath: A Masterpiece of Equestrian Pavilion Design

Polina Nozdracheva's Award-Winning Design Marries Functionality and Aesthetics

Polina Nozdracheva's Oat Wreath was inspired by the need to organically inscribe a large-span structure into the historical ensemble of pavilions built in 1954. The design's transparent wooden lace of outer walls was conceived to dematerialize the volume and dissolve it against the existing landscape. The main facades' ornament motif, reminiscent of intertwined wood branches and ears, is stylized in the spirit of socialist realism, a nod to the genius loci of VDNKH, a protected cultural zone and object of cultural heritage.

The Oat Wreath's unique properties lie in its elimination of massive walls in the building frame. Light beams of glued wood and a roof of minimum thickness, supported by almost imperceptible columns, hide a parade ground with a size of 20 x 60 meters. This wooden structure allows for training and competition throughout the year. The ground floor boasts a spacious entrance with all necessary auxiliary, technical rooms, and passages to tribunes. The entrance group is marked with an openwork visor serving as a balcony of tribunes.

The pavilion is a large-span structure covered with glued wooden beams, with each beam's end serving as an individual architectural element - a stylized silhouette of a horse's head. The facades are horizontal wooden boards, located in two transverse directions in a complex rhythmic pattern, reminiscent of wheat ears or oat. The surfaces of all structural and facing elements remain natural in color, exposing the texture of wood.

The Oat Wreath was designed as part of the newly established equestrian center of VDNKH, primarily intended to serve the development and promotion of equestrian sports and horse breeding. It is designed for training and competitions, as well as for various thematic programs, demonstrations, and shows.

The design project was carried out between 2015 and 2017 in Moscow city, VDNKH, Russia. It faced challenges due to the construction conditions on the territory of the object of cultural heritage, which excluded the possibility of constructing capital buildings and structures. This determined the overall architectural-spatial and constructive solution of the equestrian pavilion, leading to the choice of creating a spatial structure from environmental and renewable materials.

The Oat Wreath is a testament to Polina Nozdracheva's innovative design approach, which has been recognized with a Silver A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2019. This award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill.