MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) consortium, with LDA Design Consulting (Peterborough, UK) and Sarner International Limited (Kingston-upon-Thames, UK), have been announced as the winner of the Development Concept of the Gorky Central Park in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

The Russian-French consortium headed by MLA+ took second place. Its members included Proektdevelopment (Krasnoyarsk, Russia), Praxis (Paris, France), and UrbanPro (Saint Petersburg, Russia).

Finally, the judges decided to award the third place to a Russian consortium made entirely out of Moscow companies and headed by the Basis Architectural Bureau, which was also joined by Citymakers LLC and Culture of Lighting.

The judging panel of the Open International Competition for Designing the Development Concept of the Gorky Central Park in Krasnoyarsk had its final meeting on December 15. 

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

The experts reviewed the three finalist consortiums’ concepts and chose the best design. The execution of the project will be funded by RUSAL, one of the world’s largest producers of aluminum. 

The representatives of all the companies that had made it to the final stage – MAP, MLA+, and the Basis Architectural Bureau – came to Krasnoyarsk to make presentations in person. 

The experts used a number of criteria to assess the finalists’ concepts. The criteria were based on the key development principles relevant to this specific park as one of the city’s most important landmarks, namely: accounting for the historical, cultural, and natural context; creating a new kind of urban environment with diverse functions, varied use scenarios, and inclusive features; and ensuring that the park’s key development idea is original and feasible.

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

"The discussion really was quite intense. There was no single leader about whom we could have said, yes, we shall be getting that project started tomorrow. All three finalists had ideas that were worth respecting, paying attention to, and used for the final project," said Aleksandr Uss, governor of the Krasnoyarsk Krai and chairman of the judging panel. 

"The project design process has very tight deadlines, and we are supposed to start actual work by May, so we are really hoping that our finalists join together in a single team, working side by side to try and create something that each of them is going to be proud of."

The contestants submitted diverse concepts of overhauling the Gorky Park, which is almost 200 years old and was once counted among one of the best in Siberia.

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

The winning project is aimed at reconnecting the park to the local cultural heritage and sharing new knowledge with people living in Krasnoyarsk. The key qualities that the team plans to embody through the park are importance and scale; the idea is to once again make it worthy of being called the central park of Siberia. The contest winners are confident that the new development concept will help the park win over people’s hearts once more. 

Aleksandr Poroshkin, the consortium leader, explains that the park is capable of catalyzing the entire city’s further regeneration, by brightening up mundane life and always leaving a little bit of mystery, offering a diverse event schedule, and creating a top-notch space where people of all ages can enjoy sports, games, and relaxation. 

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

The consortium’s vision of the park rests upon four pillars: Heritage, Culture, Health, and Active Lifestyle. The restored historical railroad will link teenagers’ playgrounds, kids’ forts in the hills, a summer cinema, a media center, global-class observation points, and action-packed skating rinks and summer meadow into a single whole.

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

The total number of potential applicants who registered for the competition reached 184, representing 33 countries. The final number of entries that complied with all of the Organizing Committee’s requirements was 43, representing 15 countries. 

As many as 76 companies competed in the event: the participants included 20 consortia (53 companies in total) and 23 individual contestants. Out of all the companies vying for the winner’s title, the judges selected 3 finalists in October 2020. The finalists then set to work on their park development concepts.

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited.

The competition was initiated by RUSAL (SEHK 486, MOEX RUAL), one of the world’s largest producers of aluminum. It was also supported by the Government of Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Krasnoyarsk City Administration. 

1st prize winning project: MAPArchitects (Workshop of Architectural Spaces) with LDA Design Consulting and Sarner International Limited. 

For RUSAL, the renovation of Gorky Central Park in Krasnoyarsk is to be one of several large-scale integrated public space development initiatives that it is supporting in the cities where it has a presence. 

Agency for Strategic Development CENTER is the Organizing Committee of the competition.

All images courtesy of MAPArchitects

> via Krasnoyarsk Park Russia