d+a | Issue 115 • Apr/May 2020

/ AVANT GARDE / 112 The city of Sochi in Russia will soon see the addition of this building inspired by Russian constructivism hanging off its coastline. Designed by Margot Krasojević Architecture, it is a small hydroelectric power plant that feeds clean energy EMBRACING THE ENVIRONMENT WORDS LOW SHI PING back to the grid, with a sculpture gallery cantilevered over and partly submerged into the sea. The latter portion acts as an oscillating water column, so that it gets activated when the waves from the Black Sea break onto it, generating the electricity through an array of turbines attached to it. Expect the seawater to splash onto the gallery’s roof, adding a dynamism to the immediate surroundings. “The architecture influences the waves. It is not an obedient structure accommodating its environment,” describes the architect. Both functions of the building are tightly interwoven together, sheltered by a roof that heaves like a point break wave – a stark reminder of its location and the importance of building to exist with nature.