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Post-Soviet Penthouses, the Biggest Penthouses in the World

Mon, 07/25/2005 - 06:23 — deadprogrammer

Recently, while shopping in a Russian bookstore I splurged (the damn things are $7 a pop) and picked up some Russian versions of American magazines - Forbes, Maxim and the like. Russian Maxim, although edgier: nipples are allowed, is not that much different from the American version. But Forbes, that's a completely different story.

All the stories are filled with oligarch-related news, but the really interesting part is the advertisements. They seem to fall into three categories: multi-thousand dollar luxury watches, luxury watercraft and luxury housing. And holy crap, am I impressed by the luxury housing.

There's this company, Donstroy, that specializes in super-luxury apartment buildings. They use architectural styles with pejorative names: neo-Stalinist and McMansion, but also Post-Modernism and what looks like neo-Constructivism to me.

I, for one, like Stalinist architecture and think that Triumph Palace looks pretty hot, even though it's just a usual riff on the Municipal Building in New York that is so common in Moscow (I will write a separate article about this phenomenon later).

Unless that spire is a mooring mast for personal Zeppelins, Triumph Palace is not the most impressive building in Moscow. What really blew me away, was the Crimson Sails complex that absolutely exudes architectural hubris. It features 10 foot plus ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, some floors with only two apartments each, yacht club with a real lighthouse, over the top gym, three saunas and three Turkish baths, Austrian low temperature baths (which I had no idea existed), regulation bowling, tennis center, a water park, an apple garden, an Alpine garden (I had to look up what that is), and an and most importantly, walkways that let you get around the complex without exiting to the street level. If I had that much money in Russia, I'd be afraid to go out in the street too. Besides, if I lived there, why would I want to?

But the 18,298.5 square foot 3 floor penthouse called "Cesar" in Crimson Sails is what really changed my preception of reality in architecture. A living room with 26 foot ceilings. Personal elevator. Ginormous terrace with two rotundas and a pool, panoramic views of Moscow to kill (or die) for. Plus - that thing on the top is a helicopter pad. Rupert, eat your heart out.

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Comments

Mon, 07/25/2005 - 14:55 — msh (not verified)

"crimson sails" is just a regular condo with some BS in ads. Huge and very, very overpriced. Actually it was the first condo in Russia and they still cannot sell some of its units. Even $60 a barrel doesn't help.


Tue, 07/26/2005 - 10:20 — CB (not verified)

This is all in pretty poor taste, isn't it? Russia took grossly irresponsible advice from the international financial institutions re how to manage the transition from communism to democracy. It had never been done before on a scale anything like this, but fanatical neo-liberal dogmatists somehow 'just knew' what to do: rip out all pre-existing structures and install a fundamentalist capitalist state.

So we have the predictable result: ongoing decline, a mad demagogue totalitarian aspirant in power, and gangster-CEO's looking down on it all from their monstrous towers. Obscene, and surely not to be admired (and don't pretend you can meaningfully separate tasteless luxury from the savagery that engenders it!).


Tue, 07/26/2005 - 21:10 — Alex Givant (not verified)

Bablo pobedilo zlo


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 05:30 — deadprogrammer

I guess you know how to transition from "communism" to "democracy" much better than "fanatical neo-liberal dogmatists". I on the other hand have no idea.

I do know though, that "savagery" does not "engender" tall towers. They are brought into existence by architects and builders. Unless they are savage architects and builders.

As far as taste is concerned - I kind of like them. They are way better than International Style monstrosities that litter many fine cities.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 05:32 — deadprogrammer

Look, I know what a regular condo looks like. This ain't no regular condo. This is a fricking condosourus rex.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 05:33 — deadprogrammer

Yeah, something like that.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 11:16 — CB (not verified)

No-one knows for sure how to make massive such transformations safe, true. But we know that Russia's was the wrong way, that large numbers of very dodgy people carried off the resulting loot, and that this was all predicted by almost every disinterested expert at the time. Why were the predictions ignored? Because those making the decisions and their pals stood to profit.

The 'savagery' is that millions died so that a poor and unproductive country (the USSR) could build trophy architecture and military hardware, and what wealth the new country (Russia) did have was then looted so the gangsters that populate luxury apartments can have them appointed with saunas etc. On the streets people die for lack of medical care. In Siberia, people die because they can no longer afford heating.

The 'bad taste' is to admire things that have cost such suffering to fellow human beings.

Anyway, I shouldn't hijack your blog for my political rant. If you respond, I promise to say no more.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 15:50 — msh (not verified)

Nothing special about "crimson sails" besides its size, really. Just add some BS. Do you have sauna in your condo? Now call it Elite Advanced Super Bathhouse. That's it.

.. oh, and don't forget Modern Advanced Underground Parking Facilities


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 18:28 — deadprogrammer

Dood, not only I don't have a sauna in my co-op, I don't even have a gym. And no parking either. It's very ghetto, I know. It's a beautiful art deco building, and the ceilings are high. That's besides the point though.

I've seen pictures - waterpark, yacht club, the penthouse with a helicopeter pad and stuff. I am telling you - AOL Time Warner Center does not come close. And they have a $500 a person Japanese restaurant.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 19:06 — deadprogrammer

Millions did not die in the USSR because of the impressive things that the USSR produced - the space program, the Stalinist skyscrapers, scientific and industrial achievements, etc. They died because of the artificially induced famine on the Volga, political repressions and cruel WWII strategies.

I'll give it to you that many people died building the Metro, still, that is common to all large construction projects. There's also the matter of Mitrofan Nedelin's disaster with the space program. Things like that cost unnecessary lives, yes.

From what I've seen and heard so far, it seems to me that Russia is thriving. Some oligarchs looted factories, oil refineries and such, that is not fair. But instead of running them into the ground they turned them into thriving, efficient businesses that produce tremendous profits, employ millions of people. It's not just the oil - how about all those beer companies? In the Soviet Union you could not find decent beer anywhere. A bunch of people took over failing soft drink factories, and now there's loads and loads of good beer in Russia. They even sell it here in New York. It's good beer.

At the very least these luxury towers gave jobs to thousands of builders and will be around for a good deal of time.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 20:35 — msh (not verified)

.. actually the beer is pretty bad. I guess it's OK compared to Bud Light, but it is not "decent". Hey, have you ever visited Russia since 1990? ;-)

By the way, "Donstroy" is notorious employer of illegal workers. And .. well .. there are rumors that Crimson Sails won't be around for a good deal of time because of structural problems.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 20:42 — msh (not verified)

Most modern condos here in Toronto are similiar to "Donstroy" buildings, but I guess 5 times cheaper. Well, harbourfront ones are a bit more expensive, but still way cheaper. No $500 Japanese restaurant though.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 20:54 — deadprogrammer

Only 5 times cheaper? It's rip off - we are talking Canada here :)


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 20:59 — deadprogrammer

No, I have not. But I buy the beer here - and like it. Illegal or not, I feel that everyone should be given a chance to make a living. As far as structural problems - that I don't know.


Wed, 07/27/2005 - 21:12 — msh (not verified)

tell me :-(


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