Image caption: TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow. Main Gateway.

29. 09. 2014 After making the shortlist for the development of the second stage, the team led by Lola Landscape Architects (NL), Taller 301 (CO), Land+Civilization Compositions (NL), and aZone (RU) will be involved in the further development of Moscow’s largest urban park.

The park

Park Sokolniki is Moscow’s biggest and most visited park, counting 520 hectares. It was planted under the rule of Peter the Great and has evolved into an urban city forest, comparable to Tiergarten in Berlin and Bois de Boulogne in Paris, with an intensive park program. 

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow.Dacha. Sokolniki Park Plan.

The competition

For the competition, 10 finalists were selected, from 6 countries - Russia, the Netherlands, China, France, UK and Spain. They were given two months to develop proposals for the development of the park. “All teams coped with this task brilliantly," - said Sergei Kapkov, chairman of the jury, government minister Moscow and the head of the Department of Culture. According to Kapkov the experience of such an open international competition for the creation of the public space is critical to the capital.  "Today, the Department of Culture of Moscow has over a 100 parks under its responsibility, of which its improvement and development should be completed by the end of 2018. During the competition, we met with a number of highly qualified foreign and Russian teams, which we plan to attract in the future for this work," he said.

The proposal

The competition entry, called ‘Evolutionary heritage’, is a proposal for a gradual upgrading of the park. It has always changed and adapted to the times. This is its history, its heritage and its character; and thus forms a retroactive manifesto. The park should continue to evolve and change – allowing elements to die, adapt, emerge, and return. Ideas and thoughts from the past can return with a new twist. Every two years a new theme is introduced the park, that structures the realisation of one one iconic project, several small scaled interventions, lectures and debates en restructuring of maintenance.   

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow. Great Lawn.

One element of the evolving heritage is to form an iconic project for resilience. It is the realization of a two kilometre long greenhouse on a park axes. It will be the first winter promenade in the world. Walking through the greenhouse would lead one along many examples of resilient development and would be seen as a monument to the famous Kitchen debates. The greenhouse axis is formed by relocating existing municipal nursery. This large space in the forest will be adapted as a glade: a big open space for barbecuing, sunbathing and playing. The species grown in the greenhouse will be drastically diversified in order to plant for a diverse ecology. Next to that, the vegetables will be grown, which can be served in the restaurants in the park. 

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow.Greenhouse.

The consortium shared the third prize with Turenscape (CH). The first prize went to Wowhaus (RU), the second prize went to Debarre + Duplantiers (FR). All winners will be involved in the further development of the park. 

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow.Economy of Future

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow. Main Gateway Autumn

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow.Secondary Gateway 

Image caption:TEAM LOLA,TALLER 301,LAND +CC,AZONE. Sokolniki Park, Moscow.Sustainable Mobility

Moscow Approach History Park Diagram

Team profiles

LOLA:

LOLA landscape architects is an office for landscape architecture, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. LOLA researches and designs the never ending development of the landscape, city as well as countryside. Founded by Peter Veenstra, Eric-Jan Pleijster en Cees van der Veeken in 2006, LOLA designs and researches public space at different scales.

Characteristic for the office’s work is the fusion of urban and natural landscape and the integration of innovative spatial phenomena. From our backyards to regional extend, ‘green’ urbanity can be designed, the accessibility of the landscape maximized and our daily environment enriched.http://www.lolaweb.nl/

Taller 301:

Taller 301 is a young architecture office, based in Bogotá, Colombia. Our capability spans from architecture, urban strategies, tangible design and utopian ideas. We believe that the best results occur through teamwork and transdisciplinary networks, which is why we work across continents as well as across professional borders to enter complex conditions with the best insight and precision possible. We also create proposals that merge, through a sensitive and creative translation, all the information we get from contexts, conditions and programs. We strive to push innovative architecture forward to improve the living condition of people in the world. No less.http://www.taller301.com/

Land+CC:

We are living through a time that:

Connections are getting stronger between the professions, which are engaged in the shaping of built form and space, and the differences amongst them are blurring...

Glocal economical context, and emerging social and environmental issues are leading the way to a new set of priorities...

A new generation of ‘urban thinkers’ is emerging...

‘Process’ is becoming more prominent than the ‘product’...

Land+Civilization Compositions is a Randstad [NL] and Istanbul [TR] based office that works and collaborates on issues related to built form, with a portfolio scope from research to design. http://landandcc.com/

aZONE:

aZONE architectural group was formed in 2006. Early 2011, after several years of common work, its founding partners Azat Hasanov, Anastasia Ivanova and Anton Eguerev matured the original idea into an architectural company.

aZONE provides innovative and award-winning services within architecture. The team’s approach ensures that design solutions are thoroughly researched and co-ordinated with clients’ requirements. The scope of work is broad in scale, budget and field of action.http://www.azone.su/

Advisory Team

Polylester http://www.polylester.com

Studio Transformer http://studiotransformer.ru 

Grontmij België http://www.grontmij.be/

Symbiosis 

> via lolaweb.nl