Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia
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First-year RUDN University master's student Genrikh Bartels (Architectural Environment Design program) was one of the winners of the "Architecture in Siberia 2025" architectural festival, which took place in September in Irkutsk.
His project "Archliths"—an urban development model for the development of Siberian territories—was awarded a diploma by the jury. The idea was developed under the guidance of Yegor Orlov, a senior lecturer at RUDN University.
A city on three levels
"Archlyths" is a concept for creating a new, multi-layered landscape for living and working in challenging climates. The designer envisions long, four- to five-story buildings, one half of which will house residential spaces in a linear fashion, while the other half will house all the service and public spaces, including gyms, swimming pools, libraries, and coworking spaces. Narrow strips of rooftops could be used for orchards or wind turbines to power the complex.
Industrial archliths are expected to have a much larger floor area than residential ones. They can occupy the lower and middle levels of the city's layered structure. These buildings can house waste processing plants, assembly plants, and server centers, while the upper floors can be used for office space. The roofs of such archliths can be used for agricultural fields, the construction of communities of individual and semi-detached houses, and sports facilities.
In general, the development structure of populated areas according to the project is divided into three main levels:
Lower ("suburb"): contains utilities, transport hubs, and processing plants. Middle ("city"): is reserved for office and commercial spaces. Upper ("outskirts"): is intended for farms, gardens, and low-rise housing with private plots.
This layered spatial structure will be formed by extensive functional platforms. According to the RUDN University student, such a city structure will allow people to find themselves in the desired environment—business, industrial, or rural—at any given time by simply moving to a different level.
According to Heinrich's concept, the archlithes' transportation system would consist of four main levels, each nested within its own layer. At the base of the structure would be a railway with intercity high-speed trains. Slightly above would be an internal metro system, and above that, highways for individual vehicles and taxis, with park-and-ride areas in designated functional zones, from which elevators would extend outward (within the supporting structural elements). Only cable cars would run along the surface of the archlithes. This solution would potentially reduce the urban density and partially relieve traffic congestion in the community.
From the idea for Elon Musk's competition to victory in Irkutsk
As Genrikh explained, work on the "Archiliths" began back in 2023 for the international XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, initiated by Elon Musk. Participants were asked to propose an architectural solution for reducing the planet's carbon footprint.
After six months of work, Genrikh and his supervisor, Yegor, presented an innovative urban development model. Later, a scientific article, "Archliths as a Sustainable Development Strategy for Future Cities," was written for the academic journal "Academic Bulletin of the UralNIIproekt RAASN."
"When finalizing the project for the Irkutsk festival, the key challenge was developing a system of principles capable of ensuring a comfortable urban environment in the extreme climatic conditions of Siberia," says Heinrich Bartels.
This year, the festival was held in an open format for the first time, allowing thousands of Irkutsk residents to experience projects by leading Russian architects.
"Citizens were able to freely explore the exhibits while strolling. This was especially valuable, as architectural design is usually closed to the public," says Heinrich Bartels.
When asked about the future of his research, the student replied that he would use it to work on his master's thesis. It will focus on architecture in the extreme climatic conditions of the Far North.
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