Exploring Geometric Forms, Spatial Perception, and Avant-Garde Practices — Vladimir Krinsky and Rationalist Architecture

This paper takes Vladimir Krinsky's architectural theory and practice as its research subject, exploring his innovative value as a central figure of the rationalist school in Soviet architecture during the 1920s. The study focuses on Krinsky's dual contributions to the development of rationalist architectural language: on the one hand, through the conceptual distinction between ‘construction’ and ‘composition’ and the practical application of abstract form theory, he established a spatial theoretical framework based on geometric prototypes, integrating function and form in a rational manner; on the other hand, in practical projects such as the proposal for the Moscow Supreme Soviet Headquarters, the Labour Palace competition project, and the Columbus Monument, he conducted technical experiments using modern materials like reinforced concrete frames and glass curtain walls, subverting classical architectural order through asymmetrical volumes and dynamic geometric compositions, and transforming proletarian aesthetics and utopian ideals into rational narratives in architectural space. In his educational practice, through the ‘spatial perception’ teaching system of Hujetmas and the extension of rationalist creation across artistic fields (such as illustrations for the Red Army magazine and festival decoration designs), he promoted the institutionalised transformation of rationalism from theoretical construction to educational innovation. The study highlights the distinctions and connections between rationalism and constructivism theories, as well as Kolinsky's pivotal role in their differentiation. It reveals how Kolinsky's rationalist architecture, through the fusion of ‘technical rationality and artistic sensibility,’ experimentally explores the expression of modern architectural avant-garde concepts and ideological connotations.