Irena Orlova-Stroganova

Architect

Alla Vronskaya, last edited on 02.08.2022

Name:

Irena Orlova-Stroganova / Az: Orlova-Straqanova / Ru: Ирена Орлова-Строганова

Life Dates:

1919 – 2017

Country:

USSR / Azerbaijan; USSR / Ukraine

Employers:

Ministry of Construction of Azerbaijan

BakiDovlatLayiha

Field of expertise:

Architectural design

Education:

Lviv Polytechnic Institute, 1949

Short Biography and Work

Irena Orlova-Stroganova (née Germanovich) was born into a Polish family in Ukraine, as did her husband, Rostislav Orlov-Stroganov (Orlov-Stroqanov). She studied architecture at Lviv Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1949. Immediately upon graduation, she started working, participating in the design of one of the buildings of Lviv Polytechnic University. 
In the 1950s, Orlov-Stroganov was appointed the head of Voenproekt (Military Design Institute) in Baku, and the family moved to Azerbaijan. In Baku, Orlova-Stroganova worked at the Ministry of Construction of Azerbaijan for ten years before moving to BakiDovlatLayiha. There, she participated in the design of iconic “Mirvari” (Pearl) Cafe on the Seaside Boulevard (1959, with Vadim Shulgin and Anna Val), the development of the masterplan for Baku in the 1960s and 70s, including microdistrics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (1960-1963), and in the design of residential and educational buildings, such as Maternity Clinic No.6 and Baku Seaport (1970).
Fig. 1: Irena Orlova-Stroganova
Fig. 2: Rostislav Orlov-Stroganov and Irena Orlova-Stroganova in the 1950s.
Fig. 3: Irena Orlova-Stroganova with her supervisor. Lviv, 1950s.
Fig. 4: “Mirvari” (Pearl) Cafe, Seaside Boulevard, Baku. Architects: A. Val, I. Orlova-Straganova, Vadim Shulgin, 1959
Fig. 5-7: Sea Port, Baku. Architects: A. Val, I. Orlova-Straganova, Vadim Shulgin, 1970.

Sources

Information provided by Stasia Orlova-Stroganova, granddaughter of Irena Orlova-Stroganova, architect and author of Instagram blog on the history of Baku @old.new.baku

Illustration credits

Main image: https://moscow-baku.ru/news/society/arkhitektor_stasya_orlova_stroganova_istoriya_baku_ne_dolzhna_zateryatsya_v_pokoleniyakh/ (last accessed on 23.05.2022)

Fig. 1: Image courtesy of Stasia Orlova-Stroganova

Fig. 2: Image courtesy of Stasia Orlova-Stroganova ; https://moscow-baku.ru/news/society/arkhitektor_stasya_orlova_stroganova_istoriya_baku_ne_dolzhna_zateryatsya_v_pokoleniyakh/ (last accessed on 23.05.2022)

Fig. 3: Image courtesy of Stasia Orlova-Stroganova.

Fig. 4: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_(%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B5) ; Creative Commons license (last accessed on 23.05.2022)

Fig. 5-7: Image in public domain. Image source: https://denizxeber.az/2020/07/01/baki-d%C9%99niz-vagzali-binasinin-istismara-verilm%C9%99sinin-50-illiyi-tamam-olur/ (last accessed on 23.05.2022)

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Women Building Socialism: Female Architects of the Socialist World is a project of the Hessian ministry of science and the arts and the University of Kassel. The project is supported by a grant from the Hessian ministry of science and the arts.