An Open International Competition for the development of architectural and urban planning solutions for the Gorskaya territory was launched today at the Press Center of the Russian News Agency TASS in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

The customer is Megaline LLC, with the support of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), the Russian Green Building Council (RuGBC), and the Association of Landscape Architects of Russia. 

The Autonomous Non-profit Organization (ANO) Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) is the general partner. The International Academy of Architecture (IAA) is the special partner. Agency for Strategic Development CENTER is the operator of the competition. 

The aim of the competition is selection of the optimal architectural and urban planning solutions for the Gorskaya territory, reflecting a promising model of development and taking into account the potential identified and the master plan for the territory.

"It is very important for us to fulfill the terms of the agreement concluded with the Administration of St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum for the development of the Gorskaya territory. I would like the city's economy to get a new boost from the results of our work and for a modern comfortable urban environment to be created for the city’s residents," said Gennady Korupyatnik, CEO of Megaline LLC. 

"From a strategic point of view, the territory and its location and investment potential are certainly interesting. At the same time, there are certain limitations, primarily concerning the issues of legal property rights, encumbrances, transport accessibility and the provision of energy resources."

All of these put the city at the front of the need to solve these challenges first, in order to then conduct dialogue with investors and consider any investment initiatives. That is what we are doing now. Of course, all decisions will be made in accordance with the interests of the city," said Vladislav Gudz, Deputy Chairman of the Investment Committee of St. Petersburg.

The international competition is open to professional organizations and consortia in the areas of the comprehensive development of territories, architectural design and urban planning which employ specialists in the fields of economics, finance, and the service and socio-cultural programming of territories.

Participants must offer their solutions for the development of the Gorskaya territory.

"The territory is of great importance to the city and its communities, especially from the standpoint of careful treatment of ecology and the landscape. That is why the competition is aimed not only at finding an architectural and economically sustainable solution for the city, but also at receiving proposals for the conservation of ecology and biodiversity. We hope that the solutions proposed by the participants will consider current trends in green architecture," said Aleksandr Krasavtsev, Deputy Head for Quality of Life Practices at ANO Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

The Competition will be held taking into account the UIA Competition Guide approved by the UNESCO General Conference.

The project aims to introduce rational, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and methods of design, construction and operation of buildings in order to improve quality of life and ensure public health, under the methodological supervision of the Russian Green Building Council (RuGBC), which is part of the global movement for green sustainable ecological construction – The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), as well as the Association of Landscape Architects of Russia (ALAROS), which is part of the European Federation of Landscape Architects (EFLA).

“In Russia today, it is the market itself which is the main driver for the development of ‘green’ construction. Promotion of ‘green’ construction has been one of our main tasks since 2009. The Council introduces architectural and planning, functional, technological and engineering solutions aimed at reducing resource consumption and minimizing the negative impact of buildings on the environment,” said Guy Eames, the Chairman of the Board of the Russian Green Building Council (RuGBC). 

The judges of the Competition will include government officials from St. Petersburg and international, federal and regional experts in the comprehensive development of territory, ecology, economics and spatial planning, marketing and communications, and technology and innovation.

To enter the competition, participants must complete an application form on the official website by January 19, 2022. 

The application must include a portfolio of relevant projects, an essay describing ideas for the Gorskaya territory, as well as information about the company or consortium. 

The total prize fund for the competition is RUB 15,000,000. The results of the competition will be announced in June 2022.

"The competition that we have announced today is truly global, not just in format but in meaning as well. The world will offer St. Petersburg its best experts and practices in territorial development, urban planning, and architecture. We hope that the experience that the participants will leverage when designing their submissions will spur the unlocking of the full potential of the Gorskaya territory," said Ketevan Khelaya, co-founder and Executive Director of Agency for Strategic Development CENTER.

Top image courtesy of Agency for Strategic Development CENTER.

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