El Lissitzky's Vision for a Vertical City: The Cloud Iron Towers
El Lissitzky was a Revolutionary Russian architect and artist who was active in the early 20th century. He was a prominent figure in the constructivist movement, which emphasized the use of technology and industrial materials in the design of buildings and other structures. Lissitzky is best known for his innovative designs for the Cloud Iron Towers, a series of cantilevered skyscrapers that were intended to be built in Moscow. Despite the fact that these towers were never built, they continue to inspire architects and urban planners today.
During the height of his creative and political period, he began to work on his first realised three-dimensional environment, The Proun Room. This was an abstract installation that crept along three walls of a stand at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1923 and help spotlight Lissitsky’s genius. From here he started his design for the Wolkenbügel or ‘cloud props’, cantilevered skyscrapers plugged into the Moscow traffic system that were intended to tame the irrational American high-rise.
“We live in the cities born long before us”
“We live in the cities born long before us. Cities unfit for the rhythm and needs of today. We cannot shave them off and build from scrap in a day. It is impossible to change their type and structure at once. Moscow belongs to Medievalconcentric type, like Paris and Vienna. Its structure is: Kremlin in the centre, two transport rings and radial streets. The critical points are the crossings between main radial streets and circular boulevards. Here the squares have grown and they need development. And development cannot affect the traffic which is especially dense in these points. Here is the place for central [state] offices. Here the idea of my proposal was born.”
In 1922, Russian architect El Lissitzky designed a revolutionary new type of skyscraper called the Cloud Iron Towers. These towering structures were intended to be built in Moscow, and were designed to be plugged directly into the city's transportation system.
Lissitzky's design for the Cloud Iron Towers was heavily influenced by the rapid industrialization and modernization that was taking place in Moscow at the time. He wanted to create a new type of building that would be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, and that would help to tame the "irrational" American high-rise that had become so popular in cities like New York and Chicago.
The proposal suggests that the Cloud Iron Towers should be built at the intersections of the city's radials and boulevards, where traffic is most intense. The idea is that these buildings will be connected to the city's transportation system, allowing residents to easily access the subway and other forms of transportation. The towers will also have a series of interconnected elevators, which will help to distribute people and goods throughout the building in a vertical direction. This will help to reduce congestion on the streets and make it easier for people to get around the city.
One of the key features of the Cloud Iron Towers was their use of cantilevered construction. This meant that the towers would be supported by a single, central column rather than by a traditional foundation. This allowed the towers to be built quickly and inexpensively, and also made them more flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the city.
Another key feature of the Cloud Iron Towers was their use of interconnected elevators. These elevators were designed to move both horizontally and vertically, allowing residents to quickly and easily travel throughout the towers and to access the city's subway system. This would help to reduce congestion on the streets and make it easier for people to get around the city.
The dwelling complex Wolkenbügel (assuming that one could live here without either freezing or melting!), shaped like a 4, stands in a very un-constructive way on three legs in which the elevators are located. The latter take up as much space as would one or more skyscrapers.
“We live in the cities born long before us. Cities unfit for the rhythm and needs of today. We cannot shave them off and build from scrap in a day. It is impossible to change their type and structure at once. Moscow belongs to Medievalconcentric type, like Paris and Vienna. Its structure is: Kremlin in the centre, two transport rings and radial streets. The critical points are the crossings between main radial streets and circular boulevards. Here the squares have grown and they need development. And development cannot affect the traffic which is especially dense in these points. Here is the place for central [state] offices. Here the idea of my proposal was born. “ (ASNOVA News, Moscow, 1926. p. 2 – 3).
Unfortunately, the Cloud Iron Towers were never built. Lissitzky's designs were considered too radical and too expensive, and the project was ultimately abandoned. However, the idea of the Cloud Iron Towers has continued to inspire architects and urban planners, and has become a symbol of the potential for innovation and creativity in urban design.
More Info:
https://thecharnelhouse.org/2014/03/07/lissitzky-wolkenbugel-1924/
https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/soviet-russia-moscow-architecture-is-explored-at-design-museum-london-exhibition