Georgii Krutikov

Book excerpt: Georgii Krutikov epitomises the utopian visions and aspirations of the Russian Avant-garde. In 1927, while still an architectural student at the Moscow Vkhutemas, he presented his vision for a flying city. It was a scheme that was intended to solve the problem of over-crowding and despoiling of the Earth s surface and resources, by placing humanity s living quarters in space. Inspired by dreams of space travel, notions of building a new world, and a revolutionary idealism which seemed to make all things possible, Krutikov developed his ideas in great detail, producing a substantial amount of data, along with numerous sketches, drawings, and plans. For decades, architectural historians of Russian modernism have cited this project, but apart from a few drawings, little has actually been known or written about the design, its author or his career as an architect. This book by the eminent scholar Selim Omarovich Khan-Magomedov remedies this deficiency. It is the very first detailed study of Krutikov s sensational scheme, providing a wealth of visual and documentary material, allowing the reader to gain insights into this remarkable project and the thinking behind it. Khan-Magomedov also discusses Krutikov s later career as a member of Nikolai Ladovsky s rationalist group of architects, ARU (The Association of Urban Architects), the contribution that he made to this architectural approach, as well as his work on urban planning and designs for the Moscow Metro."