​The biggest undiscovered potential of being in the periphery is the liberation from the established consensus.
M. Jørgensen, Northern Experiments

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  Dominating the skyline of Arkhangelsk, a city in Russia’s far northwest, the 13-story Sutyagin house is belived to be the world’s tallest wooden house. Constructed by Nikolai P. Sutyagin over 15 years (starting in 1992), without formal plans or a building permit, the structure deteriorated while he spent a few years in prison. Condemned by the city as a fire hazard, the house was pulled down in spring 2009.
  ‘Shabashnik’ is a replica based on the few remaining pictures found on the Internet.

   ‘Shabashing’ was a free market anomaly in a planned socialistic society. Because the shortage of productive workers jeopardized the completion of five-year plans, collective farms and factories were allowed to hire freelancers (shabashniks) and offer liberal pay based on performance. Teams of shabashniks were universally hated by collective farmers and factory workers, as was N. Sutyagin  as the house grew upwards.

 

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Spring Term 2010

TaiK Aalto University, Helsinki, FI

Teachers: Simo Puintila / Maarit Mäkelä